1034 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 1 



EVERBEARING MULBERRIES. 



A neighbor has a couple of mulberry-trees 

 that have been furnishing ripe fruit since 

 July, and will, no doubt, give nice fruit un- 

 til October. The berries are much larger 

 now than they were earlier. The birds do 

 not take them now; but it is probably be- 

 cause there is such an abundance of wild 

 blackberries all over the hills that there are 

 not "birds enough to go round." In Ohio 

 we have a large tree of Downing's Ever- 

 bearing; but the robins are so constant- 

 ly on hand we never get a real ripe berry— 

 at least we have not this season. There are 

 all the time large fine green berries; but 

 just as soon as they fairly color, the iDirds 

 take them. The only way we could get any 

 real ripe June berries this season, as well 

 as last, was to cover the bushes with mos- 

 quito-netting; but that would be a pretty 

 big job for a big tree, mulberry or cherry. 



HAY FEVER AND ASTHMA — CHANGE OF LO- 

 CALITY, ETC. 



When we returned here, Sept. 8, the man- 

 ager of our Ohio apiaries, Mr. Mel. Pritch- 

 ard, came with us. He has for years had the 

 hay fever every fall; and this time when he 

 left home he had not been able to sleep in a 

 bed for ten days. AH the sleep he could get 

 was by sitting in a chair, with his head on a 

 table in front of him. When he got here, 

 as it was quite warm we fixed him up in the 

 hammock under the maple-trees. He slept 

 all night nicely, and has slept all right in a 

 bed every night since, a little over a week. 

 Now, isn't this a big testimonial for this re- 

 gion as a health resort? It looks so; but we 

 should look closely on all sides of cases like 

 this. I took him over the hills and through 

 the woods, and this would likely be a large 

 factor in the matter. A year ago he went 

 to St. Louis and got relief. The fields of 

 Northern Ohio are at this season covered 

 with ragweed in full bloom; and many peo- 

 ple, and some physicians among them, think 

 this causes hay fever. There is none of it 

 in this locality. 



Another puzzling thing comes in here. 

 There are bad cases of asthma in this local- 

 ity, and several have got t^lief by going to 

 Oregon, California, and other places. Are 

 we to understand from this that a change of 

 locality is often beneficial? In August 1 had 

 so much trouble with what I called malaria 

 I tried the lean meat and every thing I knew 

 of, and finally decided there was no way but 

 to get back here. When I took ' ' Mel ' ' over 

 the hills until I tired him out (he is 40 and I 

 65) he got over his asthma. I was clear of 

 the malaria, as if by magic; and yet right in 

 the face of this two of our neighbors are 

 suffering from malarial fever, or at least 

 they say they are. If it is the beautiful 

 spring water that flows from the base of 

 these sandy hills that improves my digestion, 

 so I eat every thing with impunity, why 

 doesn't it work the same way with old resi- 

 dents? Is it possible that a change of drink- 

 ing-water is often beneficial, just as a change 

 of air sometimes works wonders? May the 



kind Father above guide and give us wisdom 

 in all these perplexing matters pertaining 

 to health. 



MUSHROOMS FOR FOOD, ETC. 



Mel has always been a great lover of the 

 woods, fields, etc., and he is quite a hand to 

 hunt and fish. Mushrooms are quite a hob- 

 by of his, and he has been having some cor- 

 respondence with the Department at Wash- 

 ington in regard to the edible fungi of our 

 country. The first day we were out he spied 

 what I have always called " puff ball " mush- 

 rooms, and by his direction we peeled and 

 sliced them, and fried them in butter about 

 as you would eggs. While frying they gave 

 out a most appetizing odor that made me 

 sure I should like them; and, sure enough, I 

 found them more delicious than any kind of 

 meat, oysters, fish, or any thing of the kind. 

 These mushrooms are especially recommend- 

 ed by the Department at Washington, be- 

 cause there is no poisonous variety nor any 

 thing like them. You will find them in old 

 rich pastures, about the size of a goose egg 

 or larger, and just about as white and 

 smooth. When broken open they look like 

 very white flour. When they get so old as 

 to look dark inside they are strong and un- 

 pleasant, but not poisonous. They are often 

 so plentiful that the boys pelt each other 

 with them, and call it snowballing in the 

 summer time. In cooking them use plenty 

 of salt as well as butter, and a little pepper. 



OUR 



HOMES, 



BY A.L ROOT. 



He which convertPth the sinner from the error of his 

 way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multi- 

 tude of sins.-- James 5: 20. 



On p. 947 Dr. Miller calls our attention to 

 a matter I had never considered particularly 

 before. By all means have the children 

 converted and brought into the church, even 

 at the early age of ten years, if it can be 

 done; but when the question arises as to 

 how we shall use our strength, energies, 

 and influence, whether with the children 

 mostly, or with older people it were well to 

 consider a little. There are those who open- 

 ly advocate the practice of letting old sinners 

 go and bestowing our labors on the youth 

 who are not yet hardened, and where it will 

 do some good. Here in Bingham, as I have 

 told you, the church was almost ' ' gone to 

 pieces." All had backslidden, at least all 

 the male members had, and only a small 

 handful of women called themselves church- 

 members. These women and children kept 

 up the Sunday-school, and made the congre- 

 gation at preaching service every other 

 Sunday. The first to come forward at our 

 recent revival services were the younger 

 ones. Now, was I making any mistake 

 when I prayed and labored to get some full- 

 grown men among the converts as well as 



