668 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 1. 



walked the earth on dark nights, and haunted 

 the old doctor until he died and was laid away 

 to rest on the hill above the house. Rumor 

 went even further, and said that Dave liked 

 the haunting business so well that he continued 

 it until this day; and the old house has had the 

 .finger of scorn pointed at it by the passersby, 

 and it is called the haunted house. Before I 

 was informed of the fact, I saw a written 

 scrawl on the side of the house, in these words: 

 "As you are now, so I have been; 



As I urn now, so you shall be. 



Beware! Spirit of Dave Smith." 



I was considering what that meant, when 

 Mr. B. informed me that the house was haunt- 

 ed, and that I should have to sleep in the 

 haunted chamber. I immediately wished my- 

 self back m my lonely cabin, where no spirits 

 keep nightly vigils; but I thought that, if Mr. 

 and Mrs. B. and the dogs could stand a haunt- 

 ed house I could, and I tried to be outwardly 

 calm when I retired; but there was a terrible 

 feeling about the roots of my hair. I have read 

 a great many ghost-stories in my day; and just 

 as soon as I had blown out the light and retir- 

 ed, I began to think about the ghostliest ghost- 

 stories I could remember; and I almost imag- 

 ined cold clammy hands grasping my feet, and 

 I involuntarily drew my feet further up In bed; 

 grinning skeletons and rattling bones were 

 evidently lurking behind the veil of darkness, 

 and I was almost in an agony of terror, when— 

 haikl what is that? 1 removed the sheet from 

 over my head, and listened. There were several 

 boxes in the room, and in one of them there 

 was a loud rap, and in a moment it was repeat- 

 ed. I was somewhat relieved to think that 

 Dave wanted to talk with me by rapping in- 

 stead of a ghostly presence, and so I commenc- 

 ed the old way of repeating the alphabet, for 

 him to spell out his message; from a to g, then 

 a rap; a to o. and another rap; a to s, another; 

 a to h. another— (yos/i.' and 1 couldn't get an- 

 other word. I repeated the alphabet fore and 

 aft. Then I fell to considering what Dave 

 wanted to use that slang word for, just as 

 though he had stepped on a tack or had been 

 stung by a bee. I considered it so thoroughly 

 that I fell asleep, and was disturbed only by 

 now and then a ghostly dream un'il Mr. B. 

 blew his bugle for his dogs, in the morning. I 

 said not a word to Mr. B. about my diversions 

 in thi' haunted chamber; but a few days after 

 I conlidid Dave's imly expression to- a friend, 

 when h.- hurst into laughing, and said, •' Why! 

 don't yuu see Dave appeared in the spirit? and 

 as soon as he understood that the Rambler was 

 going to interview him he hastily said 'gosh' 

 and departed." Then my friend laughed again. 

 "No," said he, "Dave will never appear again 

 in Cold Water Canyon. No more will that 

 house be ftaunted." 



I did not deem fit to join in my friend's hi- 

 larity, and soon changed the subject of conver- 

 sation. I am. however, fully persuaded that, if 

 I had allowed myself to think of ghosts and 

 ghost stories. I sliould have seen one before 

 morning; and a couplet on witches, often re- 

 peated by my grandfather, came to mind: 

 Where tliey do believe, there witches are; 

 Where they do not believe, there is none there. 



This holds true in relation to modern ghosts 

 and haunted houses. 



Mr. Hrodbeck again saw me safely to the 

 train, and for the first outing after a very busy 

 season it was duly enjoyed by the 



Rambler. 



We are well pleased with Gleanings, and feel 

 that we could not afford to do witiiout it. 

 Hiawatha, Kan., July 15. M. A. Butts. 



THOSE OLD BEE-BOOKS. 



ANOTHER PEEP AT THE "GOOD OLD TIMES." 



In 1766, Mr. John Mills, a member of the Roy- 

 al Society of England, published a book entitled 

 " An Essay on the Management of Bees." It 

 was printed in Paternoster Row. London. Pa- 

 ternoster Row is a comparatively small street 

 running nearly east and west parallel with the 

 north side of St. Paul's Churchyard— the latter 

 taking its name from the immense cathedral 

 there, named after St. Paul. It is the largest 

 Protestant chui'ch in the world, and, as I have 

 before suggested, it is a great literary as well as 

 religious center. It forms, in this respect, a 

 complete contrast to St. Peter's, in Rome, whose 

 surroundings are familiar to all who read the 

 concurrent testimony of those who visit Rome. 

 The erection of such mamtuoth church edifices 

 is always an indication of a low state of spiritu- 

 ality bordering on heathenism; and although 

 we may be glad that there are so many of them 

 standing in Europe, let us hope that this age is 

 satisfied to build more and cheaper churches. 



Mr. Mills wrote this little book of 157 pages 

 at the request of the Society for the Encourage- 

 ment of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce, in 

 order to show bee-keepers a better way of man- 

 aging their bees than to kill them with brim- 

 stone. Although Huber was then 16 years old, 

 of course his investigations were not yet made, 

 his "Observations" Mrst appearing about 1796; 

 but I believe it was about ttiis time that he had 

 his first premonitory symptoms of what after- 

 ward proved to be the woi'st of misfortunes- 

 blindness. The inducement offered by said so- 

 ciety was as follows: 



The society will pay a sum, not exceeding two 

 hundred pounds, for collecting- wax and preserving- 

 the lives of the bees, in tlie following- pmpoition: To 

 every person wlio shall collect from stocks uf bees, 

 liis own property, within the year 1767, ten pounds 

 of clear merchantable wax, witliout desirnyiuf; the 

 bees, leaving- a sufiieient quantity of honej' lor their 

 sustenance, five pounds. 



The apparatus used was exhibited in the 

 Strand; " and," the writer adds, " at Mr. Thor- 

 ley's, opposite the Mansion House." This Mr. 

 Thorley was the man whose book I noticed in 

 the previous issue, and this reference shows the 

 esteem in which he was held in London. 



In regard to the location of an apiary, he 

 quotes from Columella as follows: 



The apiary sliould face the south, in a i)l ace nei- 

 ther too hot nt>r too much exposed to the cold. It 

 should be in a valley, in order that the loaded bees 

 may with the g-reater ease descend to their homes. 

 It should be near the dwelling-house, on account of 

 the convenience in watching them, but so situated 

 as not to be exposed to noisome smells, nor to the 

 din of men or cattle. It should be surrounded by a 

 wall, which, however, should not exceed three feet 

 high. If possible a running stream should be near 

 them; or, if that can not be, then water should be 

 brought near them in trouglis, with pebbles or little 

 stones in the water for the bees to rest on while they • 

 drink; or the water should be confined within gen- 

 tly declining banks, in order that the bees may have 

 sale access to it — they not being able to produce 

 either combs, honey, or food for their larva?, with- 

 out water. 



He also recommends about such an apiary as 

 Ernest says Mr. Hasty has, in respect to trees 

 and bushes. (See Mr. Ilasty's letter in this 

 number.) That description of an apiary is po- 

 etical from beginning to end ; and yet from a 

 practical standpoint what could be better? 



Among the sources of honey, he advises (fol- 

 lowing Columella) thyme, oak, pine, cedar, and 

 all fruit-trees. He is enthusiastic over broom 

 as a honey-plant. I am not sure that he means 

 broom-corn, and yet I know from my experience 

 in cutting it that parts of it are at times very 



