28 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Jan. 1 



ment in getting it. Secondly, the things 

 that annoy us most, and seem at times al- 

 most insurmountable, may finally turn out 

 to be one of our greatest blessings. 



Once more: When we first started "our 

 cottage in the woods " Mr. Rood suggested 

 that, on account of a chance fire, it would 

 be an excellent idea to clear a path or lane 

 clear round our premises, and so we have 

 had Wesley, whenever he had spare time, 

 clear up a lane ten feet wide, and we have 

 lately had this lane fenced off and planted 

 with oats and other crops for the chickens. 

 You see this arrangement makes it very 

 convenient to throw the droppings from any 

 poultry-house right over the fence into the 

 lane; and whenever it is desirable to admit 

 the fowls from any yard into this lane it is 

 easily done by raising the fence a little. A 

 hen with chickens can be given much or 

 little room in this lane by putting in a cross- 

 fence. At present we are growing some of 

 the upland rice I have spoken of at one end 

 of the lane down by the creek, where the 

 ground has always been pretty damp and 

 wet for any thing else. Our chufas that I 

 have spoken of have also been grown in 

 this lane, and we also grow carrots, collards, 

 and any thing else we find the chickens are 

 fond of. We sow oats broadcast, a little 

 patch every few days, and in this way we 

 always have oats of the right size to pull up 

 by the roots for the chickens. Now the 

 planning for all this work gives me exercise 

 for the mind; and taking hold of the tools 

 occasionally gives me exercise for the body. 

 Last Wednesday evening at the close of the 

 prayer-meeting our pastor made a remark 

 something like this: He said the church of 

 God needed not only consecration anil sanc- 

 tification, but it needed also "perspiration." 

 Well, I am strongly impressed with the idea 

 that this thing we call happiness can not 

 be found, at least in its highest and purest 

 attainment, without this same "perspira- 

 tion," and, I might almost add, with both 

 mind and body. 



Our new automobile has not arrived yet, 

 although it was shipped from Chicago al- 

 most two months ago, and, as a consequence, 

 we have been obliged to have more or less 

 repairs on the old one; and after having 

 tried one after another of the three re- 

 pair-shops here, Wesley and I have been 

 obliged, on account of the exi)ense, to do 

 most of our own repairing. Well, you would 

 not at first glance conclude that crawling 

 under a car, getting your hands and possibly 

 your clothing covered with black grease, 

 was particularly conducive to happiness; 

 but I want to tell you, you are mistaken. 

 Some of my happiest moments have come 

 when, after perplexing and fatiguing toil, 

 we have succeeded in correcting something 

 the expensive experts up town failed to mas- 

 ter. In like manner I find happiness in 

 surmounting other difficulties. Because of 

 a door that shut imperfectly, a possum got 

 in to a sitting hen and ate every egg except 

 one, when almost ready to hatch. Well, I 

 fixed the door; then, after two attempts. 



caught the possum^in a steel trap; and my 

 next sitting hen gave us 14 smart chicks 

 from 14 feitile eggs, and the whole 14 are 

 now two weeks old, and as smart as crickets. 



There are many inquiries about the But- 

 tercups. Well, although they (the three 

 hens) did some tall laying last spring and 

 summer, after moulting they were very slow 

 in getting started to laying again, and only 

 one was laying the first of December, and 

 she lays only every other day. She lays a 

 very long white egg, extra large; in fact, it 

 is unlike any egg you ever saw, for it is 

 more like a rolling-pin than like an ordi- 

 nary egg. If she will only keep it up the 

 year round I may have some faith in But- 

 tercups after all. When I first came back, 

 the Buttercup roosters had grown so much 

 and improved so much, even after they were 

 a year old, that I said the first evening that 

 the best one was worth $5.00. The next 

 day the beauty of his plumage, his kingly 

 carriage, with his royal streamers and gaudy 

 coloring, impressed me so much that I rais- 

 ed the price to $10.00; but when I kept on 

 adding $5.00 each day to his value until I 

 got up to i^25.00, Mrs. Root called a halt, re- 

 minding me that I knew nothing at all 

 about "scoring" fancy birds. Well, he is 

 about the handsomest bird I ever saw, any 

 way. 



And this reminds me that quite a few 

 have written, asking if I would sell some 

 Buttercups or eggs. Now, good friends, I 

 hope none of you will feel hurt if I tell you 

 I could not, with a clear conscience, sell any 

 thing that I have mentioned here in these 

 Home papers. God has, in his infinite 

 mercy, placed me here to. give you all unbi- 

 ased facts about Florida, Buttercup chick- 

 ens, and a host of other things. What 

 would you think of me were I to use this 

 great privilege to boom something I had for 

 sale? What would you think of a minister 

 who would mention in his sermon the 

 things he had for sale during the week? It 

 is true the editor of a family journal does 

 not occupy exactly the sacred position of 

 the minister; but I think he ought to realize 

 that he should feel pretty near that responsi- 

 bility resting on him. Think of the num- 

 ber of men who have been placed by the peo- 

 ple in important places, solely to protect 

 their interests, but who have used their 

 great privilege and opportunity to steal from 

 the i)eople and our nation. May God for- 

 bid that this thing should go on any lon- 

 ger. If I should use these pages accorded me 

 for years by those who pay for this journal 

 to boom the stuff The A. I. Root Co. have 

 for sale, do you think I could feel happy in 

 repeating over and over the precious text I 

 started out with — "Surely goodness and 

 mercy shall follow me all the days of my 

 life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord 

 for ever"? 



From one colony, spring count. I increased to five 

 by natural swarming, and secured 120 lbs. of comb 

 honey. Two swarms absconded, so the increase 

 would have been seven if I had succeeded in keep- 

 ing them all. 



Hornets Ferry, Pa., Dec. 12. Emma V. Biles. 



