1882 



GLEANIKGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



143 



going over to the sugar-camp. Mrs. M. was 

 to go too, and the children were fairly boil- 

 ing over with fun and merriment, as only 

 good school children can " boil over." It 

 was an unusually pleasant day for the sea- 

 son, and even the mosquitoes were buzzing 

 about. As Mr. M. had a pretty fair road- 

 way made down to the woods, their walk 

 was a very pleasant one. Before they got 

 fairly into the woods, they heard some one 

 singing. It was our old friend ; and as they 

 stopped a moment to listen, they recognized 

 the familiar words, '' Only an armor- bearer," 

 that he was in the habit of singing through 

 the telephone. 



"Mother, mother!" said John, "don't 

 you see ? He has all of his sap-pails cov- 

 ered with wooden covers, so there can't a 

 bit of rain water, or a leaf or bug get into 

 the sap ; and don't you see some of the cov- 

 ers are painted white and some red V Well, 

 now just look here !" 



At this, John approached a tree, and lifted 

 the cover, showing that one side was white 

 and the other red. 



" Look, mother ; when he has emptied a 

 pail, he turns it the other side up ; see ? and 

 you see he knows just how many pails he 

 has emptied, and he can't skip any. Isn't it 

 funny V" 



"And just see, too, mother," said Mary, 

 " he has these little short sap-spiles that go 

 right through the side of the pail, so not a 

 particle of sap can spatter over or get blown 

 away by the wind." 



" Yes," said Freddie, " and the spiles are 

 made of double tin, and then dipped in tin 

 all over, so it can't rust anywhere, and make 

 the sn gar and molasses black. See here!" 

 and Freddie took one out of his pocket like 

 this: — 



MR. MERRYUANKS' SAP-SPILE. 



They had now got near the boiling-house ; 

 and as pails were scarce, a few tin pans 

 were used, where they could be emptied 

 often. One small tree had only a 5-cent 

 pail hung to the spout, and Freddie volun- 

 teered the information that this was his 

 tree, and that it would run a pail full in just 

 an hour, a spell in the forenoon. His moth- 

 er suggested he should pass the sap around ; 

 but he replied they would take the dipper 

 and go down to the "old sweet tree,'' for 

 there was one tree sweeter than any other 

 in the woods. I told you once before how 

 nicely friend M. kept his sap-pails and all 

 his tinware. The sap from this tree was 

 relished and praised by all, after their rather 

 long walk. 



By this time they were near friend M., 

 who was gathering sap on a sort of sled, cr 

 stoneboat, carrying a clean tin can, covered 

 so no sap could slop over. They noticed his 

 pony was trained to go over a particular 

 path, and that he made him go on, or stop, 



by simply talking to him, very much as he 

 would talk to a person. In fact, the pony 

 looked and acted as if a part of the su^ar- 

 camp belonged to his horseship, and as if he 

 was proud to have visitors admire it; and I 

 don't know but that such was the case; for, 

 in truth, he had helped to make almost 

 every thing about it. 



"Opa!" said Freddie, "mayn't I show 

 them how he likes sap V" Permission was 

 granted, and the pony plainly showed, by 

 pawing and nodding his head, that he knew 

 that sap is good as well as anybody. Shall I 

 show you how friend M. empties the sap, 

 without lifting the pail at all V 



THE WAY Mil. MERRY'BANKS EMPTIES HIS 

 SAP-PAILS. 



I really can't show you the painted cover 

 to the pail, for Freddie has got it, very busily 

 explaining to Mary how it is made of three 

 thin boards, with the grain crossed to pre- 

 vent warping. The middle one is a little 

 larger than the two outside ones, and this 

 makes it ht down into the pail so the wind 

 can not blow the covers off. These covers 

 can be made very cheaply at a cheese-box 

 factory. 



" Listen !" said some one. All stood per- 

 fectly still. The most apparent sound was 

 a musical tinkling, produced by the sap 

 dropping into the pails, all over the woods. 

 Some of the pails had just been emptied, 

 and the drops striking on the tin bottom, 

 made a comparatively loud note, while the 

 dull thud and bubbling sound of those nearly 

 full combined to make a pleasant music. 

 As it echoed through the woods, more than 

 one heart in that little company was raised 

 in thankfulness to God. But John inter- 

 rupted, — 



" Hark ! I hear bees ; I know I do." 



There was a twinkle in friend M.'s eye as 

 he suggested, " Don't you think you imagine 

 it, John ? Perhaps you have got • bee on the 

 brain,' and that is what makes the buzz- 

 ing." 



"iSTo, sir," said John, Avith vehemence; 

 " I know I hear bees." At this he started 

 off ; and as he looked behind a large maple- 



