812 



AMERICAN BKt: JOURJSJAi... 



the entertaining and the instructive in a 

 manner to make it read by all is very 

 characteristic. 



Mr. Martin is a true Christian — very 

 zealous in Christian work, and is a lead- 

 ing member and deacon of the Congre- 

 gational church. He has long served as 

 superintendent of the Sabbath-school ; 

 and in all matters pertaining to the 

 spiritual and temporal wrelfare of the 

 society his influence is felt, and is alvi^ays 

 on the side of right. 



John H. Larrabee. 



The foregoing by Bro. Larrabee tells 

 of Rambler before he rambled off to 

 California. Here is what Bro. Geo. W. 

 Brodbeck has to say of him since resid- 

 ing near the " Golden Gate :" 



THE RAMBLER IN CALIFORNIA. 



I have never indorsed the method of 

 some writers in hiding behind a nomde 

 plume, and while the subject of these 

 remarks is to me no longer a Rambler, 

 yet the past has impressed itself so in- 

 delibly on my memory that I cannot for- 

 get the time when I, as well as others, 

 used to scan every article, sentence, 

 word, and foot-note, in the hope of solv- 

 ing the oft-asked question, " Who is 

 Rambler?" 



I believe I am charitably inclined, and 

 disposed to forget past offences, but the 

 remembrance of this " hide and seek" 

 by an individual in whose rambles we 

 have always been so deeply interested, 

 is even now almost sufficient provoca- 

 tion to sting " The Rambler," and then 

 turn about and ramble over "The 

 Stinger." 



When we first learned of Mr. Martin 

 having the California fever, we awaited 

 every report with much interest, and 

 when his case was at last declared in- 

 curable, and a change of climate pre- 

 scribed, we realized the fact that the 

 Rambler was out for a very long stroll. 



It is now nearly 2% years since I 

 learned of his arrival in this State, and 

 his contemplated location in the Sacra- 

 mento valley. The writer at that time 

 was Secretary of the Southern Califor- 

 nia Bee-Keepers' Association, and as the 

 meeting of this organization was near at 

 hand, being desirous of securing an at- 

 traction, and in hopes of dislodging him 

 from a section which contains but com- 

 paratively few bee-keepers, we set forth 

 the inducements of the pastures green 

 here in Southern California for a more 

 extended ramble than up north. 



The evening previous to our meeting, 

 a number of us were having a social 



buzz — such as only bee-keepers can 

 have — when a very timid knock an- 

 nounced a call for admittance ; the call 

 was answered, and before us stood a tall, 

 modest, unassuming individual, who (we 

 at the time supposed) had stumbled 

 in by accident. Our look of inquiry was 

 answered by the simple announcement 

 — "I am J. H. Martin." 



As we conducted him into the presence 

 of those assembled, the buzz which ex- 

 isted previously continued, but the mo- 

 ment we stated we had the pleasure of 

 introducing Mr. John H. Martin, silence 

 prevailed, and the awe-stricken individ- 

 uals realized the fact that they were in 

 the presence of The Rambler. 



Now, do not infer from this that we 

 were not pleased to meet him, for we 

 were ; but remember we had always 

 pictured hira to ourselves wearing striped 

 pants, stove-pipe hat, and the ever-con- 

 spicuous umbrella — and here he pre- 

 sents himself with the conspicuous ab- 

 sence of them all ! 



He remained long enough on this visit 

 to get a taste of our salubrious climate, 

 and to partake of the generous hospi- 

 tality of which California bee-keepers 

 possess an abundance, and the result 

 was, as we had hoped, the acquisition 

 of Rambler as a permanent fixture ; and 

 since then he has been of great benefit 

 to apiculturists as well as horticulturists, 

 and when our Prof. Cook is once again 

 planted and rooted in California, we will 

 be possessed of a team that can out-pull 

 all opposition. 



But then, I must avoid any tendency 

 to flattery, for this Rambler, as stated, 

 is a very modest personage, and yet his 

 pronounced individuality has resulted 

 in forcing him to the front, and as evi- 

 dence of this was his selection as Secre- 

 tary of the California State Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association at its first organization, 

 in January, 1892, and his re-election in 

 January, 1893. 



"The Rambler's Den," since coming 

 to this part of the State, was at first 

 located at Riverside, but disappearing 

 from that favored haunt he turns up at 

 Redlands, where it was my good fortune, 

 several months ago, to enjoy his hospi- 

 tality, and again of late at Rambler's 

 ranch near Bloomington. I know the 

 ever-sympathetic female portion of the 

 bee-fraternity would be very much in- 

 terested in the present surroundings of 

 our rambling friend, but when I con- 

 sider the subject, and the unsuspecting 

 individual connected, do not be disap- 

 pointed if 1 fail to enter the inner sanc- 

 tuary. 



I found him very pleasantly situated 



