Dkoember, 1920 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



719 



him was in 1906. At that time ho had raised 

 the question as to the ago of larvae elioseii 

 by the bees for the rearing of queens, 

 when the beekeeper does not interfere. 



"I'm afraid you don't know enough to 

 stand up in a straight row and give answers 

 that are correct to the following questions." 

 Tlien follow the queries indicated, the let- 



Dr. Phillips and Dr. Miller in a friendly tilt at 

 the latter's home at Marengo, 111., Aug. 2i, 1920. 

 Mr. Demuth (between them) appears to be um- 

 piring. The dear old Doctor is making one of his 

 characteristic left-arm gestures. 



ter closing with this characteristic bit: "Per- 

 haps that's all the confession of ignorance 

 I should make at one sitting. If you can en- 

 lighten me — and incidentally others — I'll 

 think a tiny bit more of you than I do 

 now. ' ' 



On receipt of the reply, he sent this note, 

 which would warm the heart of anybody: "I 

 take no small comfort in thinking that I can 

 turn over to you some of the questions to 

 which I have not yet fitted answers, and I 

 really believe I am yet to learn some things 

 about bees that I never would have learned 

 if you had never been born. May the date 

 of your death be a long while after the date 

 of your birth. ' ' Whereupon he proceeded to 

 ask more questions! 



(2) Soon after this incident I wrote ask- 

 ing him to loan me a copy of a foreign bee- 

 journal. ' ' I am exceedingly sorry to say that 

 the journal in question has gone the way of 

 all foreign journals that have acquired a 

 certain age — the way of the furnace. You 

 see if I should keep all, the house wouldn't 

 be big enough to hold both them and me, 

 and I'd rather they'd be turned out than 

 I." Later he kindly sent me all the foreign 

 journals as he had read them. It is interest- 

 ing to note that Doctor Miller learned to 

 read French and German in order that he 

 might not miss what was happening in bee- 

 keeping on the other side of the ocean, and 

 this too when he was no longer a young man. 

 Later he wrote on his work with languages 

 as follows: "Just a word that may encour- 

 age you in the foreign-language business. If 

 your experience 15 lih? IPine, you will find 



that your progress in learning will net ho 

 uniform but accelerated. I think I have 

 learned more rapidly in the past six nionUis 

 than ever before. I'm not saying this as an 

 expert; possibly you are a m;"li better lin- 

 guist than I — if you're not you're pretty 

 poor — but mv longer time at it gives me 

 the chance <. r knowing that one item better 

 than you. Blessings on you." 



(3) "I've been watching for a good while 

 to see announcement as to yoi^r being at the 

 head of matters arieultural at Washington, 

 and that lately made in the American Bee 

 Journal settled it. Need I tell you how glad 

 I am? 



"I wonder if it will seem presumptuous in 

 me to hint at what may be your weak point, 

 the point that may lead to failure, at least 

 that may prevent you from being as useful 

 in your position as you might otherwise be. 

 I hardly think you will take it amiss. Well, 

 my fear is that you haven 't sense enough to 

 take proper care of your physical powers. 

 I'm not afraid of the mental part. My ad- 

 vice is that it be your first care to make of 

 yourself just as health}- and perfect an ani- 

 mal as vou can. You can take that advdce or 



He always enjoyed a joke. 



not; if you don't want it, send it back. I 

 need it myself." 



(4) After the correspondence regarding 

 the age of larvae chosen by the bees, sev- 

 eral related questions were discussed. "I 

 feel just a little like saying that if you'll 



