1882 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



17 



so as to smell badly too, but it never resulted 

 in any thing like loiil brood at all ; still, it 

 may have done so in other apiaries. The 

 strong point against it to me is, that it seems 

 to involve spontaneous generation. Did a 

 stalk of corn ever grow without a seed V or, 

 if you please, did any plant ever grow with- 

 out a seed V I believe the l;«test researches 

 declare that it did not. Heeds of weeds are 

 all through the soil, and, like the seeds of the 

 Simpson plant, will lie any number of jears 

 and still germinate. Now, are seeds of foul 

 brood all through all the bee-hives of our 

 land y To use a phrase our young Canadi- 

 ans have brought us, 1 should say, " / don' I 

 think it.'''' 



Su^^nil^ §^p,avlf^^nt 



Every Kirl or boy, under 12 years of age, who writes a letter 

 for this department will receive one of David Cook's excellent 

 ficent Sunday-school books. Many of these books contain the 

 same matter that vou lliid in Sunda3'-school books costincr from 

 Sl.OOtoljIil.SO. 



f (g/r-fHRISTMAS GIFT!" Mr. Root:-I am going 

 ll* to school now. I am 11 years old. I am 

 one of the boys who said," Papa! the bees- 

 wax!" I have a brother 13 years old (ho is sick), 

 and one little brother 3 years old. His name is 

 George Washington. His eyes are as blue as indigo. 

 Pa takes Gleanings, and I like to read what the 

 young folks say. Pa has got 33 hives of bees. They 

 are doing well so far this winter^ You ought to 

 see his hives, they look so pretty. Pa is building a 

 new mill. My brother and I help him grind when 

 not at school. John G. Stites. 



Spring Station, Ind., Dec. 19, 1881. 



And SO you are the boy who gave the 

 alarm, are you, John V If 1 mistake not, we 

 have a picture of your pa, right in this 

 Glkanings. I am realglad your pa has got 

 a mill. I had a mill once, and it ran by 

 wind power ; but it would grind corn all 

 night when I was asleep, which I don't be- 

 lieve your mill will do, without anybody to 

 tend it. Stand by your father. .Tohn, and 

 help him to grind honest grists. 



My pa keeps bees. He has got 00 swarms. They 

 are all in chaff hives but 6; he lost only one swarm 

 last winter. We take Gleanings, and like it very 

 much. I do not like to have the bees sting me. We 

 have your picture, with your little girl on your lap. 

 Is that the one you call " Blue Eyes"? Have you 

 got any little girls with hlack eyes? My eyes are 

 black. I have one brother and one sister; they have 

 black eyes too. We all like to sing. I go to school, 

 nearly one mile away. I will be 9 years old the 7th 

 of January. I haven't any bees, but I have some 

 nice rabbits. They have pink eyes. 



Bertha White. 



New London, Ohio, Dec. 9, 1881. 



I WILL TRY' TO WRITE A LETTER. I AM A 

 LITTLE GIRL 7 YEARS OLD. I WILL SEND YOU 

 A BLOCK OF PIECEWORK I SEWED. YOLT CAN 

 SHOW IT TO YOUR LITTLE GIRL. HAS SHE 

 GOT ANY DOLLS? I HAVE GOT THREE. ONE 

 OF THEIR HEADS CAME OFF. I HOPE SANTA 

 CLAUS WILL BRING MK A NEW HEAD FOR IT. 

 MY PA'S NAME IS DAN., AND HIS BEES MAKE 



LOTS OF HONEY, AND I LIKE TO EAT IT. PA 

 GIVES ME ALL I WANT TO EAT. 

 New London, Ohio. DAISY WHITE. 



Yery well done indeed, girls. Yes, it is 

 Blue Eyes wito sits on my lap in the picture. 

 We have three girls at our house, but they 

 have all got blue eyes. Now 1 am going to 

 guess thai your father and mother butli Imvo 

 black eyes. Haven't 1 guessed right ? Lit- 

 tle Daisy's block is sewed beautifully. I 

 took it down and showed it to Blue Eves 

 and all the rest, and lliey all thought those 

 nice tine stitches were wonderful fur a little 

 girl only seven. There are quite a lot of 

 dolls at our house, and, if I remember, some 

 of them have got the same trick of going 

 round without any heads, just like your doll. 

 I know your father Dan. He is the man 

 who dont have his bees die winters. 



My papa has .'M swarms of bees, and I helped him 

 put 11 down cellar. I drew tliem on my sif d. Some 

 of his bees died last winter, hut the imported one he 

 got of you did not die. I am S years old. 



Marshall, Calhoun Co., Mich. Eddie M. Hcrd. 



"Well, that is a tiptop way to get bees 

 down cellar, Eddie, and your letter and 

 writing are very fair for an 8-year old boy. 

 You must tell us about the bees when you 

 help your pa take theni out. Here is an- 

 other from a litile girl only 8 years old. 



I am a little girl eight years old. My father has 2- 

 stocks of blaol' bees, but they make beautiful white 

 honey. I am in the thiid book, aud am in division. 

 I go to Sunday-school. I got a book lor 'a pii/e. I 

 have two brothers and one sister. The baby's name 

 is James Garfield. I like to read the Juvenile De- 

 partment, and would like to see Blue Eyes. 



Catherine Chkisten.v. 



Westover, Purdy, Ont., Can., Dec. 1, 188L 



Thank you, friend Katy, if that is what 

 they call you, and please give the baby a 

 kiss for ine. If Blue Eyes could see all .her 

 little friends, I suppose she would be so as- 

 tonished she couldn't say a single word ; but 

 she talks enough around home. She had the 

 toothache the other night, aud had to sleep 

 with her i»a. 



I am 11 years old. I study Fifth Reader, geoigra- 

 pfay, grammar, Second and Third Part of arithmetic, 

 spelling, and writing. I have two sisters and one 

 brother. I do not like bees, for they sting. My pa 

 keeps bees. I like to read Mcrrybanks and his neigh- 

 bor. You said j'ou would send a book to the boy or 

 girl who wrote for the department, under 12 years of 

 age; now be sure to send the book to me. 



Hallie a. B.urd. 



Elm Grove, Ohio Co., West Va., Dec. 9, 1381. 



. Well, TIallie, that is a pretty good letter, 

 even if it doesn't tell very much about bees. 

 It seems I have succeeded in pleasing the 

 little folks with my Merrybanks story, if I 

 haven't anybody else, in Sunday-school 

 work, we think the man or woman who can 

 interest and instruct a class of juveniles will 

 do for almost any other post in the school, so 

 I will try not to be discouraged. Yoitr book 

 has gone, Hallie, and we have got more than 

 a wheelbarrow full of books to send to the 

 boys and girls who write. Speaking of 

 wheelbarrows reminds me that John is now 



