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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



How to Coninct a Bee Conyentlon, 



A. O. CALHOON. 



The object of assembling ourselves 

 together, if I understand our position 

 correctly, is to counsel with and advise 

 each other that we may, by the wisdom 

 thus gained, be the better enabled to 

 carry into execution the injunction of 

 our Father, delivered on the sixth day of 

 creation. 



We find that after He had made the 

 earth and all things therein for the use 

 of man. He created man, and commanded 

 him not only to propagate his species, 

 or to be fruitful, but enjoined upon him 

 the necessity of multiplying and replen- 

 ishing and subduing all things placed 

 here for his use and enjoyment. 



In proportion, as we see this command 

 obeyed, do we see the human family 

 enjoying the necessities, comforts and 

 luxuries of life. Take, for example, 

 Cain's profession, as he walked forth to 

 till the fields. He found them covered 

 with the thorn, crab-apple and wild oats. 

 In these were possibly the bare necessi- 

 ties of life, but to-day we see these sub- 

 dued and replenished with sweet clover, 

 maidens-blush and smooth headed corn, 

 multiplying, some sixty and some an 

 hundred fold. The stockmen of to-day 

 would see much to praise God for if they 

 could only look backward to the flock of 

 Abel. 



Tubalcain's profession, in the hands of 

 a Corliss, turns out engines, instead of 

 trinkets. Fire and flood have courted, 

 and out of that courtship has come forth 

 the legitimate child of steam power, that 

 is doing more for the human family 

 to-day than the lost art of the pyramid 

 age. 



The astrologers and magicians of 

 Egypt are supplanted by the Hickses 

 and Edisons of God's Israel restored, 

 and last, but not least, the honey-bee is 

 no longer left to build in the carcass of 

 dead animals, and so vicious that the 

 traveler is in danger when passing by, 

 but a beautiful, practical house is fur- 

 nished her, and help in time of need, in 

 the way of food in famine, shelter in 

 Winter, legal protection in time of igno- 

 rant ire, and she is so pleased with this 

 treatment that she has become the har- 

 binger of man and helps him to multiply 

 and replenish the earth with fruits and 

 grain, charging them their richest of 

 nectar, which she yields up to man for 

 his kindness to her. 



Now, therefore, that we may multiply, 

 and replenish and subdue the honey-bee 



more to the welfare of herself and the 

 human family, and thereby obey the 

 command of God, have we met in council. 

 — Read at the Missouri Convention. 



Secnring tie Necessary Rainfall. 



HENRY L. PENFIELD. 



In the issue of the Bee Journal dated 

 Aug. 24, 1887, page 534, you will find 

 an article headed as above, outlining my 

 views on that subject. The late exper- 

 iments in Texas, under the management 

 of Gen. R. G. Dyrenforth, United States 

 Department of Agriculture, further the 

 views expressed in the article referred to. 



The tests are not completed yet, but as 

 far as made have been successful in 

 producing a satisfactory rainfall where 

 needed. 



Senator Farwell, of Illinois, is, I 

 believe, the author of the bill, which was 

 passed last Winter, to appropriate 

 $2,000 for the experiments. 



The demonstration of the truth of the 

 theory, will be of incalculable value to 

 agriculture and the production of honey, 

 and there will be no more damage to 

 crops by drouths. 



[The article is almost prophetic, and 

 in order that our readers may the more 

 readily comprehend Mr. Penfield's arti- 

 cle, above referred to, we republish also 

 the article by Mr. Thos. E. Hill, to which 

 reference is made. — Ed.] 



Following is Mr. Hill's article : 



During a recent journey to Europe the 

 passage across the ocean was especially 

 unpleasant, because of fogs, the only 

 consolation in contemplating them being 

 that they represented the work of Nature 

 in drawing moisture from the water, 

 which, wafted inland, fell upon the soil 

 in refreshing rain, gathered in the brooks 

 and rivers and flowed to the sea, to be 

 again thus sent back to freshen and 

 brighten the parched earth. 



The speed of our vessel was materially 

 retarded by winds from the West, a 

 common occurrence in the Summer 

 season. The fogs and moisture, through 

 the winds, are driven upon the Continent, 

 where drouth- seldom prevails, and par- 

 ticularly do they freshen the verdure of 

 Ireland, and hence the brilliant green of 

 the Emerald Isle. 



In reflecting upon this subject, I con- 

 templated the drouth then prevailing in 

 several of the Western and Middle States 



