1895. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



557 



My OIllo "Visit was too short. I started the evening 

 of Aug. 8, on the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, in one of those 

 fine Pullman palaces (or " schooners," as some call them). 



By the way, the old B. & 0. is a splendid road to ride on. 

 I have Rone East on it several times, and every time I like it 

 better. It " gets there!" And right on time. Try it, the 

 next chance you get. You'll enjoy the ride. I did. 



Well, my first stop was at Sterling, Ohio, Just 12 miles 

 south of Medina. It was 5:30 a.m., and I had 1% hours 

 to wait until a train on another road would take me up to 

 " Rootville.". Don't know where BooJville is? Well, it's 

 where The A. I. Root Co. spreads out over several acres of 

 land, about }4 mile west of the city of Medina. 



I boarded the train for Medina at 7:17, reaching there 

 about 8:00. Bro. A. I. Root met me at the train accidentally. 

 "Ernest" had expected to meet me, but I came one train 

 earlier than he supposed I would. "A. I." escorted me to 

 Ernest's pleasant home, where I met his devoted wife, and 

 little son. Master Leland, who was playing with Mr. Calvert's 

 young son, Howard, about the same age as Leland. And two 

 bright boys they are. 



Mr. Calvert, himself, came in soon after, when we had a 

 sort of four-cornered visit for a short time. 



Ernest then took me over to the office, shop, store, fac- 

 tory, printing-office, book-bindery, tin-shop, truck-garden, 

 warehouse, lumber-yard, bee-yard, and lots of other places 

 "too numerous to mention." Why, I was Just bewildered ! I 

 had seen pictures of the Root establishment, and thought it 

 looked pretty big from the outside, but I found it a heap 

 bigger when I came to look around on the inside. And how 

 neat, clean and conveniently arranged was everything. 



In the busy season, about 100 employees find work there, 

 with a pay roll of something like $1,000 a week. From Jan. 

 1 to June 1, over 5,00Q,000 polished honey-sections were 

 turned out. At the time I was there they were about shut 

 down for the purpose of adding a 90-horse power engine, and 

 in other ways nearly doubling their capacity. 



I was kindly shown through all departments, and enjoyed 

 very much seeing how business is carried on at " The Home 

 of the Honey-Bees." It would take too much time and space 

 to tell all about everything and everybody I met there, but it 

 was a day long to be remembered. 



In the evening Bro. Calvert, with Mrs. Calvert (A. I.'s 

 oldest daughter), and Mrs. E. R. Root, with the children men- 

 tioned before, took me out for a two hours' carriage ride 

 around Medina. The cemetery is one of the sights. The 

 most neat and comfortable looking "city of the dead" I've 

 seen outside of Chicago's well-kept cemeteries. There are 

 many churches In Medina, and numberless thrifty-looking 

 homes. No saloons there, as might be expected. They know 

 better than to tolerate such a curse. But I did notice acres 

 of tobacco growing between Sterling and Medina. What a 

 large field Bro. A. I. has to work in right at home. But may 

 be it isn't all raised for home consumption. At any rate, I 

 can't help feeling that such a strong anti-tobacco man as A. I. 

 Root is, should put in some good licks near home. I believe 

 Ernest did say his father had "labored" with some of the 

 tobacco-growers, but without avail. What a pity that any 

 one should soil his mouth, hands, and even his farm, with 

 such a filthy weed ! None of that for me, thank you ! 



In order to catch the first east-bound train at Sterling the 

 morning of Aug. 10, Ernest generously offered to drive mo 

 over. We arose at 5 o'clock, and started at once. It was a 

 delightful Ohio morning, and how I did enjoy that ride of 11! 

 miles ! It was so invigorating, and the visit so pleasant. 



At 7:15 the train reached Sterling. I said " good-bye " 

 to my friend and brother editor, and started for my old home 

 at Randolph, Ohio, where I arrived about noon. I had not 

 been;.there for four years, so you may know what a pleasure it 



was to again meet parents, brothers, sisters, and former 

 friends and schoolmates. What a precious week it was ! Not 

 the least enjoyable part was the old Sunday school, where I 

 used to attend when a boy. It did me good to meet with them 

 once more. 



What with riding and boating, swinging in the hammock, 

 and talking over the days of yore, I did have a restful week, 

 and returned to Chicago feeling well repaid for the effort 

 made before going, in order to be away from the office for so 

 long a time. Mrs. York returned with me, so now I'm not 

 even " wifeless," much less " homeless." 



I regret that my stay was too short to visit bee-keepers 

 also, though I did meet several in Randolph. All reported the 

 season too dry for honey-production, though some had taken 

 a little honey. 



•»—¥■ 



I>(ortIi American and tlie Union.— Mr. P. J. 



Gunzel, of this State, asks how he is to proceed to become a 

 member of the North American Bee-Keepers' Association and 

 the Bee-Keepers' Union. By sending $1.00 annual dues to 

 W. Z. Hutchiuson, of Flint, Mich., he can be a member of the 

 North American ; and another $1.00 sent to Thomas G. New- 

 man, 147 S. Western Ave., Chicago, 111., will make him a 

 member of the Union. It is now thought by a good many that 

 at least $1.00 per member can be saved by uniting the two 

 organizations into one, and that a much larger and more 

 effective society than either now is would result. Why not? 



"Xbe Honey Crop," Editor Hutchinson says, 

 " will be light this year, and if honey were a staple like wheat 

 and potatoes, the price would climb up, up, up ; but it is a 

 luxury, and when the price begins to go up, people stop buy- 

 ing it. The prices may go up a Utile, but not much, I think, 

 and I should not hold honey hoping for an advance in prices." 



C^tfzidmr} Bccdon). 



A Model Apiary. 



I have never yet seen one. A great number of pictures of 

 apiaries have been given in the bee-periodicals, many of them 

 having features more or less desirable, but I do not remember 

 one that was worthy of being copied in all respects. The chief 

 defect I have noticed is in the want of proper tree surround- 

 ings. Either there are no trees at all, or they are unsuitable 

 as to nature and height. The only instance I know of in 

 which planting was done with a view to promote the welfare 

 of an apiary, was the setting out of grape-vines by Mr. A. I. 

 Root, the vines being intended to shade the hives. This was 

 good so far, but there are other purposes beside shade to be 

 served by planting. The most important is to furnish accom- 

 modation for swarms. Grape-vines, from the nature of their 

 growth, are not adapted for this purpose. If shade were the 

 only point to be considered, it is easy to provide that without 

 vines or trees. But suitable objects for swarms to settle upon 

 are wanted, and trees answer the purpose best, provided they 

 are not too tall and inaccessible. 



Bees have swarmed from time immemorial, aud will prob- 

 ably continue to do so down to " the last syllable of recorded 

 time." Some bee-keepers dream of breeding out the swarm- 

 ing instinct, but it is doubtful if it will ever be done, or, if it 

 is, whether it will not be at the cost of some other change in 

 the nature of the bee which will be detrimental to bee-keep_ 

 ing. It is also doubtful if any really practical self-hiver wilj 

 ever be invented. The two great objections to having bees 

 swarm are the difficulty of watching them, and their liability 

 to cluster out of reach. The difficulty of watching can be 



