40G 



GLE AIRINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 



ly done by women. The soil is beautiful, 

 and Ferry has paid for some of it, I Avas 

 told, as hi^h as $.5U0.00 per acre. The apia- 

 ry, kept on tlie grounds of Mr. Cottrell, an- 

 other yoimp: fruit-grower, is prospering most 

 hnely. As both are busy men, it was built 

 up priufipally by artilicial swarming. The 

 hives are all of friend Hunt's make, and pre- 

 .sent a line appearance ; almost every stock, 

 new and old, were at work in the boxes. As 

 we took a look at friend ("ottrelFs berry- 

 garden, both gentlemen spoke enthusiastic- 

 ally of the way the bees worked on the im- 

 proved red raspberries, when they were in 

 bloom. The sight of the well-kept rows of 

 bushes was a treatto me, and the wonderful- 

 ly large luscious fruit was aiiotlier treat. 

 Friend C. prefers the C'uthbert, and the ber- 

 ries we picked from little vines just started 

 were enough to set me in a raspberry fever, 

 if itdidn'ttherest of them. ^Vhoamongour 

 friends has the real ('uthl)ert raspb'erry- 

 ])lants for saleV 



Friend Cook, of the Agricultural College, 

 had written, urging me to be present at the 

 evening prayer-meeting of the college boys, 

 and I was therefore prevented from going'to 

 meeting with friend Hunt on Sunday. Well 

 may not only ^Michigan, but the whole T'nit- 

 ed States, be proud Of the college and the 

 college grounds. Sabbatli morning we at- 

 tended service in the city of Lansing, and the 

 words of the young minister who preached 

 from the text,"- ])lessed are the pure iu lieart," 

 ring in my ears still. Their opening hymu 

 was one of my favorites, and as it welled 

 forth and rose under the tones of the grand 

 old organ, the words of the text at the 

 liead of my talk to-day came into my mind. 

 vVlmost a stranger in astrange citv, I thought 

 I could feel a little what David did when he 

 uttered it. I was especially pleased to hear 

 the pastor speak of tlieir pra>er-meeting, 

 teachers' meeting, Sabbath-school, and their 

 work during the week, in a way that indica- 

 ted his wliole heart and soul was in it. I 

 fell to wondering if he was not stirred to un- 

 usual powers, somewhat, by seeing the face 

 of such a man as friend Cook as one of his 

 audience. The bee-keepers of our land are 

 certainly of more than average intelligence, 

 and I know full well the help it gives a pas- 

 tor or S. S. superintendent to know that he 

 has the presence and sympathy of the best 

 men of the community. My friends, if you 

 were all present during the church services 

 of your tow'n and neighborhood, your minis- 

 ters would not only preach better, but I am 

 Tiot sure biit that they would lead better lives. 

 I can scarcely tell you how much I approve 

 of the spirit of the Agricultural College, es- 

 pecially that part of it that teaches the boys 

 to beautify and adorn their own homes on 

 the farm, with little labor and expense. 

 This department is under the charge of Prof. 

 Beal, and his floAver garden was to me " a 

 thing of beauty " I shall not soon forget, and ; 

 I presume the idea will bloom in many [ 

 homes in our land, and prove a "a joy for I 

 ever" to more than one liome and its in- : 

 mates. His collection of clovers, from all ' 

 over the world. Avas also to me a rare feast. 

 The apiary is pretty, but it seems to me it is 

 a little cramped and ciowded. Our own has , 



pleased us so much since we have abundant 

 room for it, that I am pretty strongly in fa- 

 vor of having the hives scattered. The hon- 

 ey-plants in bloom are alone worth quite a 

 little to any bee-keeper. .V held of raspbei'- 

 ries. raised by the students, still stands out 

 in my mind"s'eye, and I mean it shall stand 

 tlieve until I have one on our own grounds 

 that ])leases me as well. I may be a triHe 

 hard to please in such matters, but I was 

 many times "just suited"' in passing over 

 the college grounds. 



.Vt about y o'clock ^londay nioniiug I was 

 to start home. But several things, since my 

 visit to friend Cook, had been suggested. 

 One was that perhaps I am laboring and 

 l>leading with the world at large so mucli 

 ' that I am neglecting tliose whom I am relat- 

 ed to by tlesh'and blood ties : that it may be 

 I am better acquainted with the men in jail 

 who have committed crimes, than Avith my 

 own children, some of them. In my father's 

 family were seven children. The playmate 

 of my childhoo.d was a sister just a little 

 younger than myself. She now has seven 

 childi'en of her own. ami some of Ihein I 

 liave never seen. When I told friend C. 

 that she lived in Michigan, and I was going 

 back without even seeing her little family, 

 he declared I should let business go for at 

 least one day. and go and see them. An- 

 other thing: Our daugliter Maud, who is 

 now a great child, taller than her mother, 

 was at this very time on a visit to this sister. 

 As she had never been from home liefore, 

 when she started I playliiUy told her to re- 

 member that, .when liouble or sori'ow came 

 to her in her absence, to b(, sure to recollect 

 I said it would do her good. I thought she 

 might be homesick, and I wondered if the 

 sight of her papa away off there, so imex- 

 pectedly, might not do her good. The sta- 

 tion agent said I could just make Manistee 

 that night. Away I went, further from in- 

 stead of toward home. About 1 o'clock I 

 was told by the conductor they had just tak- 

 en off the noon train at Beed ('ity, and that, 

 instead of going right through, I would have 

 to lay over until toward s; o'clock at night, 

 seven or eight hours, amid utter strangers, 

 when every moment was so valuable. Should 

 I get cross, and tliink hard things of the 

 railroad otticers. or should I say that God 

 had so ordered it for some good and Avise 

 purpose? I soon chose the latter, and asked 

 liim to point out the way whereby I might 

 be of use. even away off among strangers in 

 the northern part of ^fichigan. 



The minute the train stojjped. I sprung 

 off, and began scanning the grocery stores. 

 Soon my eye caught Avhat I wanted. 



" Friend". Avill you be so kind as to tell me 

 who furnishes you this tine honey ? '' 



'•It is i)roduced by a man over east, by 

 the name of Len Ileed." 



" HoAvfar is it?"' 



'• OhI perjiaps three or four miles." 



'• Can you point me the Avay V" 



He remonstrated about my going on foot : 

 but I had got tired of riding, and besides, 

 livery teams cost money. I crossed the bridge 

 by the mill, and was soon over the hills and 

 into the great pine Avoods. ]My feet slipped 

 into the sand, and the sand slijtped into my 



