85 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 15 



for one who had not carefully learned the 

 trick by practicing close to the ground. 



At first I thought this method of climbing 

 would be a great improvement over our 

 climbers for climbing bee-trees, telephone- 

 poles, etc. ; but the main trouble is, if any- 

 body here in America had the apparatus he 

 would not know how to use it ; and it might 

 be too slow for the men who climb telephone 

 and telegraph poles, even though it does 

 seem to be pretty quick work with the 

 Cubans. 



THE WRIGHT BROTHERS' FLYING-MACHINE. 



I shall have to apologize a little, friends, 

 for giving a picture of the gliding-machine 

 instead of a flying-machine; and I shall have 

 to apologize a little more because the rudder 

 in the rear that guides it from right to left 

 is not shown in the cut; neither are the 

 diagonal wire braces shown. You will rec- 

 ollect the machine is made of white can- 

 vas. The wires are also white; and with 

 the clear sky for a background it was very 

 difficult to get a clearly defined picture. To 

 make it a little plainer the outlines have 

 been marked with ink, as you will observe. 



The back side of the planes shows the 

 outline as it really appears. The cotton is 

 stretched over a light framework of light 

 sticks, giving it somewhat the appearance 

 of a bird's wing; for both planes, upper and 

 lower, are concave to some extent. The 

 front rudder, that changes the course of the 

 machine up or down, is a small independent 

 plane that can be raised or lowered out of 

 its level by the operator. The back rudder 

 that does not show in the picture consists of 

 two vertical planes that can be revolved on 



a pivot so as to turn the machine either to 

 the right or left. The operator, Mr. Wilbur 

 Wright, if I am correct, is shown very 

 plainly. 



It has often been remarked that one of 

 the most beautiful sights in the world is a 

 ship under full sail, especially a new sailing 

 vessel with clean white canvas. There is 

 something especially exhilarating about the 

 way in which the canvas catches the wind 

 and sends the ship scudding through the 

 waves. But to me the sight of a machine 

 like the one I have pictured, with its white 

 canvas planes and rudders subject to human 

 control, is one of the grandest and most in- 

 spiring sights I have ever seen on earth ; and 

 when you see one of these graceful crafts 

 saiHng over your head, and possibly over 

 your home, as I expect you will in the near 

 future, see if you don't agree with me that 

 the flying machine is one of God's most 

 gracious and precious gifts. 



I mention at the outset that the picture 

 represents the gliding-machine. Well,|>the 

 flying-machine is the same thing with^the 

 aluminum engine which stands right close to 

 the operator and the pair of propellers, one 

 each side of the back rudder. When in 

 flight the propellers are invisible. Their 

 action is very much like the motion of a 

 bee's wing— perhaps not quite as rapid. 

 But the picture as we give it gives you a 

 very fair idea of the new vehicle that re- 

 quires no macadam road, no iron rails, and 

 no expensive bridges. Its highway is God's 

 free air; and as it has only the vaulted 

 heavens above to fence off our domain, 

 there surely should not be any dispute about 

 the " right of way;" neither should there be 

 any difficulty in the way of collisions'or get- 



THE NEW-FASHIONED SLED FOR SLIDING DOWN HILL ON THE AIR. 



