NOVEMUER, 1917 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



air exercise, especially during hot weather. 

 In working in the garden it is like being 

 fettered for me to wear a starclied shirt 

 and collar, or any sort of shirt at all. 

 In fact, when we have severely warm 

 weather both here and in Florida, I work 

 in the garden without any shirt — just pants 

 and vest and underwear; and I want the 

 underwear so the sun and air can get 

 around my throat and lungs as much as 

 possible. The trouble is, there comes a 

 rush call for me over to the factory. Some- 

 times my coat is left where I cannot find 

 it quickly ; and Mrs. Root and my grown- 

 up daughters protest against my going 

 to the office and dictating to our nicely 

 dressed stenographers while in my " garden 

 rig." In fact, one of the " women folks " 

 suggested I might be arrested and jmt in 

 jail because I went around among respect- 

 able people only half dressed, or almost 

 not dressed at all. Then I urged that we 

 men have as good a right to go around 

 with bare neck and shoulders as the women 

 folks that are right up-to-date in fashion. 

 Furthermore, I suggested something like 

 this: *' I would very much rather be in 

 jail full of life than to be in the cemetery 

 ' gone dead.' " 



As I started away from the tent to find a 

 hotel, a gentleman and lady said, "Mr. Root, 

 you cannot get to a hotel handy without go- 

 ing over some very bad walks and pave- 

 ments. We will walk along with you, and 

 have a little chat."* On the way I was in- 

 formed that they too had once kept bees and 

 read Gleanings. Before leaving them I was 

 introduced to a son-in-law and his wife; 

 and the son-in-law made a remark before I 

 left, saying that, altho he was not a bee- 

 keeper, he knew something about A. I. Root 

 and his manner of doing busine?s. Years 

 ago he Avas setting up an ensilage-cutter 

 near our place. By some mishap a hole 

 had to be drilled in a very difficult part of 

 the machine. He did not succeed in getting 

 around until after the work was stopped 

 for the day ; but without expecting it he 

 said we started up the engine, drilled the 

 hole, got him out of his trouble, and charged 

 him only — v/hat do you think? He said 

 we refused to make any charge at all, say- 



* As the kind gentleman placed his hand on my 

 shoulder while we passed under the dense shade- 

 tree, I thought again of that wonderful promise, 

 "He shall direct thy paths." As he bade me good- 

 night and assured me it had been a pleasure to be 

 of some little assistance he said, " You tell the peop'e 

 at the hotel that Mr. Harrison sent you therg." 



Just one more thing that I came pretty near for- 

 getting. After the big laugh at my advice about 

 going down to Florida, Dr. Barker said he was in 

 hearty accord with my plan of " gymnastics," and 

 that starting perspiration one or more times every 

 day, out in the open air, would be a splendid kelp 

 toward living to he a hundred years old. 



ing we did it just for accommodation and 

 to help a man out of a tight place. Here 

 again was the fulfillment of the promise, 

 " lie shall direct thy j^aths." 



Now, altho these troubles were a dis- 

 appointment to me in many ways it turned 

 out to be one of the pleasantest trips I 

 ever made. I became more intimately ac- 

 quainted with the railrrad men than I ever 

 had been before. I also met a very nice 

 lot of people, and was enabled to offer 

 quite a few suggestions as the result of 

 my experience; and I began wondering if 

 vjd old men do not sometimes make a mis- 

 take in thinking we have got to be only a 

 " back number," and that nobody cares to 

 be bothered with anything we can say or do. 

 When I got off the train, both the conductor 

 and his assistant shook hands and hoped 

 they could serve me better the next time 

 opportunity offered. 



I close this Home papex', dear reader, 

 v/ith the wish that one little text, " In all 

 thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall 

 direct thy paths," will prove to be as much 

 of a beacon-light to your footsteps as it 

 has been to mine. 



Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall 

 find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; for 

 every one that asketh receiveth ; and he that seeketh 

 findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be open- 

 ed. — Matt. 7:7,8. 



" HARNESSING " THE WIND. 

 Praise God, from whom all blessings — " blow." 



Gleanings was the first magazine, and 

 perhaps the first periodical, to announce to 

 the world the advent of a machine that 

 would fly with wings up in the air, and 

 come back to its starting-place. In other 

 words. Gleanings first announced to the 

 world that the navigation of the ethereal 

 blue was possible. Well, it is our great 

 pleasure to tell you today that man has suc- 

 ceeded in traveling over the surface of the 

 earth with almost incredible speed without 

 the aid of any gasoline, gas, or coal. Yes, 

 I know it has been done before, after a 

 fashioiK Several years ago, when visiting 

 friend F. A. Salisbury, in Syracuse, N. Y., 

 he took me around in his electric automo- 

 bile, and told me that it was moved by 

 power obtained from Niagara Falls, about 

 150 miles away. This was a great achieve- 

 ment, I grant you: and if every one of the 

 dear readers of this journal had a cataract 

 like that of Niagara Falls in his back yard 

 or garden, it could be compared to what I 

 am going to tell you, for the winds — yes, 

 even the light breezes that blow almost 

 every day over our heads — have finally been 

 "harnrseed up," as I told you on page 811 



