444 



GLEANINGS IN 13EE CULTUEE. 



Sept. 



Root, Medina. Ohio. Tlien he put on a one- 

 cent stamp. It went to the Dead-Letter Of- 

 fice ; then it came to Medina, and was given 

 to my mother, although it was not quite her 

 initials ; and when we finally got it, it had 

 no name to it ! By this time his iiostal card 

 of inquiry had reached here, and we hap- 

 pened to rememher it because of a peculiar 

 phrase in it. L)o you wonder that letters get 

 lost ? 



We have one word of praise for you, how- 

 ever, friend Curry; you did not get cross, 

 and accuse somebody of cheating you ; for 

 even in your complaint you say " dear edit- 

 or." ISlow, my friend, would it not be a 

 great deal easier for you to have some little 

 gummed labels, with your name and ad- 

 dress printed on them neatly ? Stick one on 

 whatever you send away, and you need nev- 

 er write your name any more at all ; no, not 

 even ''ISIew braskey " where you live. We 

 will print 250 such labels for only 50 cents. 





This department was suggested by one of the clerks, as an op- 

 position to the Growlery. I think I shall venture to give names 

 in full here. 



LiELL, well! You are a "funny" one, sure 

 enough. You say, in communication, "Wo 

 ship closed-top sections because you have 

 heretofore ordered li/2-story hives, and also some 

 crates." Good thing you don't keep halters up 

 there, for if we should order one next time, who 

 knows but you would send a " boss " to fit the hal- 

 ter? About one-flfth of the sections are worthless 

 to us — too rough, and break up badly; but then, we 

 are into honey "up to our eyes" down here, and 

 don't have any time to growl. Crates and top boxes 

 are boss. Then the 3-cent glass-cutters we got some 

 time since work just so nicely that we feel like 

 praising you every time we handle them. Keep the 

 ball rolling, and may the Lord continue to prosper 

 you in " all things." D. H. Tweedy. 



Smithfield, Jefferson Co., O., July 15, 1883. 



To be sure, Ave are going to have halters, 

 friend T. We have "almost had them al- 

 ready. We wanted good ones for a dime, 

 and they Avouldn't give them to us ; but you 

 see if we don't have them. If we had good 

 reason to think you were stilfering for a 

 " hoss," I don't know but we might send 

 him with the halter, especially as we know 

 you are a good "square man." We really 

 didn't mean to send you any thing you did 

 not order; but if we did, I am real glad we 

 hit it right. What you say about the sec- 

 tions don't seem hardly the thing for the 

 Smilery, but I don't know but we might as 

 well smile as do the others. I rather sur- 

 mise it was because wew^ere "up to otu' 

 eyes " in sections about the time your order 

 came. Charge us for the one-fifth, and we 

 will do better next time. We are now talk- 

 ing of having the sections graded, and 

 charge a little more for those all nice, and a 

 little less for those that — "• aren't." Permit 

 us to return your kind closing remarks, 

 friend T. 



BEES ARE ON THE "BOOM." 



Linn commenced to bloom on the 3d inst. ; and ev- 

 ery day since, the bees have rolled in the honey at a 

 great rate. The little "pets" can hardly get to 

 their hives, so heavily laden are they. It makes us 

 feel good all over to see them come in with their 

 great loads. E. W. Pitzer. 



Hillsdale, Mills Co., la., July 13, 1883. 



SOITIE HONEY - PL.ANTS FKOIW NEW 

 JEKSEY. 



ECHIUiM, BUTTON-BUSH, SUNFLOWER, MIGNONNETTE, 

 AND BORAGE. 



IE have neither white clover nor basswood 



ill our immediate vicinity, yet there is fair 

 forage all the season from a great variety of 

 trees, shrubs, and wildwood flowers. The principal 

 honey-plant up to the present time has been the 

 echium, or Viper's bugloss, a kind of boragewort 

 which farmers call a noxious weed. It seems to 

 thrive in the most barren, sandy fields, and blooms 

 well from May till August. It was introduced here 

 by fertilizing a buckwheat patch with nightsoil, and 

 has now, in three years' time, spread over several 

 acres. The honey from this weed is deliciously 

 flavored, and of bright amber color. 



All along the brooks and ponds, and within a radius 

 of a mile from my bee-yard, are acres of button- 

 bush. The low land is fairly white with their bloom. 

 This is a common shrub — ccjihalanthus, from the 

 Greek Itcphalc, or head, and antlios, a flower — and 

 found all over this cnuntry. I consider it an excel- 

 lent bee-plant. Bees work on it all the day long. I 

 wish you could have seen my bees this morning at 

 sunrise all lining for the brook and ponds; even the 

 little 3 and 3 Irame nuclei seemed to send out about 

 two-thirds f)f all their force pellmelltothe lowlands. 

 There is a succession of bloom too. While some of 

 the heads are out, others are coming on. 



I planted some lUissian sunflower seed for poultry 

 feed, and I believe this variety is no mean honey- 

 plant. I have watched the operations of bees on 

 them for several days now, and always find them 

 there gathering both pollen and honey, and have 

 frequently seen half a dfizen bees on one disk. 



I do not allow any grass or weeds to grow in my 

 bee-jard; have only the smooth, clean, sandy sur- 

 face, with alighting to the ground. Ants love to 

 burrow in this sand, and also love to steal honey, and 

 they annoyed me and the bees very much until I 

 tried the cook's good old way, and sprinkled salt 

 over and about the bee-hives, everywhere on the 

 ground, and placed an extra pinch in their burrows. 

 Somehow they don't like salt, and will at once pre- 

 pare for a general exodus. 



I had no shade for my hives, and I found that the 

 reflection on this bare sand made it hot, generally, 

 for the bees, and this I remedied by planting early 

 some Mammoth Russian sunflower seed about the 

 hives. They grow ten or twelve ft. high, and you 

 can trim the lower leaves up and make aisles for 

 yourself and bees, to suit all necessary operations. 

 They keep the ground and hives cool, and do not in- 

 terfere with my work among the bees. I think they 

 would be excellent in a yard of Cyprians or hybrids. 

 Have a Bingham or Little Wonder smoker, andgf) in 

 for them. If you get just a little mad, the smoker 

 Avill begin to blaze, and you'll scorch the wings off 

 the flrst legion of furies, and when the rest get used 



