1895 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CQLTURE. 



89 



and the bees would get a terrible jar, and 

 would be n^ad. 



AfiiM' we iiad been in camp about three weeks 

 the old man came to our camp one day and said 

 the boys had come to cut the bee-trees. The 

 boys were the old man's sons, three of them, 

 and all married. The old man said the boys 

 were chopping down one of the trees. "That 

 won't do," I said. "Go to them as soon as you 

 can, and tell them not to fall the tree until I get 

 there." It was very important that I should 

 be there when the tree fell. He got to the tree 

 in time to stop the chopping. got together 

 what things I wanted— smoker, brush- broom, 

 pail for honey, veil in my pocket, etc. One of 

 our fishing partners went along to see me han- 

 dle the bees, as he had cut a tree once, and got 

 nearly stung to death. 



When we got to the tree we found the boys 

 waiting for us, with the tree still standing. I 

 filled my smoker and lighted it; and as this tree 

 had a good many large limbs it was not likely 

 to fall hard, so I did not put on my veil. "All 

 ready! let her drop!" A few licks with the ax, 

 and down it came. Just as soon as I could get 

 to the top of the tree I was there blowing my 

 smoke into the entrance. Very few bees had 

 got out, and what few there were out went up 

 to where the top of the tree had been — out of 

 our way. 



The next thing to do was to get out the hon- 

 ey. "Come on, boys, with the ax." No reply. 

 1 went back to the stump. No one was in sight. 

 I halloed; no answer. I took an ax and went 

 back into the top of the tree, and smoked the 

 bees a little more; then I got to work cutting 

 away the brush, getting ready to open up the 

 tree. Directly I heard the old man call from 

 the brush, back beyond the stump. "Mine 

 crashus, man, de pees eat you up." 



"No," I said; '"get the other ax and come 

 here and help chop. The bees don't sling me, 

 and they won't sling you." 



" I'm nod so sure. I pe so 'fraid of dem pees." 



"Never mind; come on; if they sting you 

 when you get here I will chop them out." 



He came and helped me get out the honey; 

 But those brave boys of his never got nearer 

 than the stump of the tree. My fishing partner 

 came and helped some, after some coaxing. 

 We got two large dishpans full of nice honey — 

 not smashed up much. We swept the bees off 

 the combs a piece at a lime, and left them scat- 

 tered all over the ground. I never saw them 

 after. The old man said the bees after that 

 gathered in a bunch on the ground, and he 

 wanted to save them. I told him to set a hive 

 over the bunch, and the bees would go up into 

 it. He did that, and then look the bees home. 



"Now we will cut the other tree." It was 

 easy to cut, as it was rotten at the base. This 

 tree stood alone, and had not many limbs — noth- 

 ing to break the fall. The bees were away up 

 in the top. I got my smoker ready, and then 



got out my veil and put it on. "Veil, veil! 

 now vol you going to do now ?" the old man 

 said. 



"Well," said I, "this is a horse of another 

 color. You see, this tree has got to fall hard, 

 and may be it will split wide open and throw 

 the bees all over the ground. In that case it 

 will be hard to get the bees to behave, as I can 

 not smoke Ihem if they are scattered; so I will 

 put on this veil, then the bees can not sting me 

 in the face." 



"Ya, ya; I see now. Dal is a nice ting. Vy 

 you not use him pefore?" 



" Why, the other tree fell easy, and I did not 

 have to use the veil. I very seldom use a veil; 

 but I may have to with this tree." 



By this lime the tree came down crash on the 

 ground. I ran into the top. The tree was not 

 smashed open. I soon found the entrance, and 

 smoked the bees. There were but few coming 

 out. The hard jar had nearly paralyzed them. 

 I went back to the bushes where the men were 

 hid, and put the veil on the old man, and we 

 went and opened the tree and took out the hon- 

 ey. All together we got a large wash-tub near- 

 ly full of nice capped honey. I had brought 

 along a six-quart pail, and I filled it with nice 

 honey to use in camp; but when we had all the 

 honey out of the trees and in the tub. and were 

 ready to leave, the old man said, " Veil, Vrance, 

 what you got to put your part of de honey in?" 



" Why," said I, " I have this little tin pail." 



"Yes, yes; pud dat von't holt half af de hon- 

 ik." 



" Oh! well, this is all I want." 



You see, as I had found the trees and helped 

 take the honey, he expected me to have half of 

 the honey. When I told him that little pailful 

 was all I wanted, he looked at the tub and heft- 

 ed one side of it. He said, "Honey, honey, ho- 

 ney, all vinter — kee-e-e! honey all vinter!" and 

 he was as happy as a king. 



" Veil," said he, "it do beat all how you han- 

 lle dose pees. I links you know all 'poud dem 

 pees." 



Now that we have the trees cut and honey 

 disposed of I want to mention a few things that 

 I noticed. The first tree cut, I would call the 

 colony in it two years old; at least, they had 

 wintered there one winter. The opening in the 

 tree, or the place occupied by the bees, was five 

 feet up and down, or, rather, down, as the en- 

 trance into the tree was at the side of the lop. 

 The entrance was fully two feel long— a large 

 crack two inches wide at the lop end, and run- 

 ning to a point at the lower end — plenty of ven- 

 tilation at lop, none at the bottom. The cavity 

 was small — room in the largest place for only 

 five combs — about eight inches wide. That 

 part of the tree, or hive, was about two feet 

 long. At the upper end there was room for 

 only two combs, and at the bottom for three — 

 pretty small hive, but it was tall. Every comb 

 was full of honey except one piece at the lower 



