THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW, 



Ids 



I men, such as doctors, lasvyers, florists, etc. , 

 I meu who keep a few colonies of bees simply 

 for recreation. If I mistake uot, Mr. Wro. 

 A. Selser is the only professional bee-keep- 

 er iu the whole lot, although a Dr. Lindsay 

 atone time had as many as (!(_) or 70 colon- 

 ies. This Association meets once a month. 

 In the summer time the meeting is usually 

 held at the home ( Wyncote ) apiary of Mr. 

 Selser. At a recent meeting it was propos- 

 ed that they secure the attendance, at one 

 of the meetings, of some professional bee- 

 keeper, who could give them a talk on hon- 

 ey production and answer such questions as 

 they might wish to ask, and the editor of the 

 Review happened to be the fort inate mortal 

 chosen to attend their May meeting. 



I left home Thursday morning on the 

 Chicago and Grand Trunk railroad. Sixty 

 miles away we came upon two interesting 

 objects, viz., the St. Clair tunnel and the 

 custom office official who examines all b g- 

 gage except that belonging to through pass- 

 engers, that is, those that are to again pass 

 into the United States. It is quite amusing 

 to see how differently different people " take 

 it," while their l>elongings are bein? ran- 

 sacked. Sometimes the examination is so 

 slight and casual as to amount to nothi' g, 

 that is, if we are to judge from appearances, 

 then, again, it is quite searching. What a 

 school it must be for studying hnman 

 nature. 



As we approched the tunnel the doors and 

 windows were all closed and the lamps light- 

 ed. Down, down, we went, the embank- 

 ments rising higher and higher on each 

 side. Finally a wall rises up in front of us 

 and we are in darkness except for the 

 lamp light. What a grinding noise the 

 brakes did make in the tunnel. As we 

 entered the tunnel I glanced at my watch. 

 In about two minutes, or a little less, the 

 grinding noise stopped, showing that the 

 brakes had been thrown off because the low- 

 est level had been reached. The river under 

 which the tunnel passes is about three- 

 fourths of a mile wide, and in about three 

 minutes we come out again into daylight 

 and climb up the steep incline on the other 

 side. As one thinks of the broad deep river 

 flowing over his head while he is in the tun- 

 nel there is a peculiar feelling comes over 

 the mind. The engines that draw trains 

 through the tunnel are of a peculiar pattern, 

 very heavy with four small drivers on each 

 side. 



About five o'clock we came to the Niagara 

 river, and to me it was a disappointment. 

 Of course, I was on the watch for it, and 

 as we approched a ravine I noticed, off" a 

 little to one side, a canti-lever liridge, but it 

 seemed so short and sinill that it did not 

 seem possible that so sinill a bridge could 

 span the greit Niagara, but we were soon 

 hanging in the air smpau l^d up)a great 

 cables, and as I looked di>wn, perhaps 1.50 

 feet, and saw a rapid fcj.iining stream be- 

 neath, I knew it must be Niagara, but it cer- 

 tainly did not look broader than our little 

 Flint river. And away down within ten 

 feet of tliat rapid current an electric car 

 went spinning along. By looking up the 

 river a faint glimpse of the falls can be 

 seen, but the distance, mist and position 

 are all against a favorable view. In talking 

 this m itter over with Mr. Selser, whose 

 guest 1 was while at Philadelphia, he said 

 he believed that my experience was that of 

 nine out of ten people, that is, that the first 

 view of Niagra is disappointing ; it does not 

 come up to the expectations aroused by 

 pictures and descriptions, but, as one con- 

 tinues to gaze, the wonder grows, and the 

 locality is left with a feeling that the falls 

 are really astupenduous wonder. 



Before we had gone fifty miles into York 

 State I was asleep iu my berth, and not once 

 did I wake until daylight was creeping in 

 around the curtains. When I came home in 

 the day time over the same route, and it 

 took all day, it did not seem possible that 

 I could have gone over such a long distance 

 utterly unconscious. 



Seven o'clock in the morning I stepped off 

 the train at Wyncote, and was at once met 

 and recognized by " mine host, " Wm. A. 

 Selser. He recognized me from having 

 seen my picture ; and then, of course, he 

 was expecting me. A short walk brought 

 us to fine grounds with gravel walks, stone 

 walls, a little stream of water dashing down 

 over rocks and shells, a perfect grove of 

 grand old forest trees, and back of all a 

 fine home. Almost unconsciously, the 

 question sprang to my lips, " Is the bee 

 business your only business, Mr. Selser?" 

 •' Yes, " he replied, " all the business that I 

 have now. I was engaged in the manufac- 

 ture of morocco leather, but there was a 

 change in the process of tanning just at the 

 time of the panic of 18!t"_', and the costly 

 experimenting and loss of enormous amounts 

 due forced our company to suspend oi)era- 

 tions. " It would have been possible for the 



