1893 



CiLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



fore, with happy thoughts that I commenced 

 work in the apiary assigned to me. feeling sure 

 that, whatever else might befall me, pulled 

 honey would not be on the list. After the sea- 

 son was well advanced, and my cases of honey 

 were piled up ready for the teamsters, I left it 



707 



had a genuine case of pulled honey. Two fiO- 

 Ib. cans of my hard-earned honey had been 

 pulled out of the cases and were missing I 

 had some very blood-thirstv thoughts for some 

 time; passed several resolutions in which flash- 

 light cameras, shotguns, revolvers, and dyna- 



'f^mf^ J^# P 



in that condition and spent Sunday in River- 

 side, attending church I'Hgularlv. morning and 

 evening: and after having ind'ulged in good 

 thoughts I went out to the apiary Monday 

 morning, and, soon after arrival, found that I 



mite figured conspicuously. I really got to 

 quarreling with the Scriptures. Scripture 

 says, " If a man take your old coat, heap coals 

 01 tire on his head by giving him your best 

 overcoat also." Somehow I couldn't make this 

 portion of Scripture match on to this case of 

 pulled honey. If a man pulls two cans of honey, 

 shall I pull four morfe and give them to him '? 

 I suppose I was very wicked, but I said I 

 Wouldn't do it, Scripture or no Scripture. The 

 puller of the honey was not found, however, 

 and this season was entered upon with a de- 

 termination to keep a close watch of our pre- 

 cious sweets. The first and second lots of 

 honey, several tons each, were successfully 

 landed in the railroad depot. The third and 

 last lot was nearly ready for the same destina- 

 tion, and one evening I gave neighbor Clark a 

 call, and was away from the ranch two hours. 

 Upon my return, evidences of a visitor were 

 visible, and I found that one can of honey had 

 been pulled. I did want to heap coals of fire 

 on that puller's head: but as I found tracks the 

 next morning that gave me strong suspicions 

 as to where the honey was pulled to, I suspect 

 that, if I have the coals all readv. I can heap 

 them upon his head through a shotgun the 

 next time he makes the visit. 



The pulling of honey, however, is not wholly 

 done by the vicious class. As I hinted in 

 Ramble 89, there is a class of dealers who try 

 to pull honey. They pull it toward a lower 

 price, and thereby pull several cans, or the 

 price of several cans, into their pockets. For 

 instance, a dealer wished to pay me 4^., cts. 

 per lb. for a few thousand pounds of honey. 

 However, I sold it on commission to an eastern 

 dealer, realizing r>}^. The difference, $.57.00, 

 which the dealer wished to pull into his pocket, 

 dropped very nicely into my own. 1 might 

 further follow ihe honey-pulling business into 

 the realms of glucose and other adulterating 

 schemes, but the above will suiih'ce. 



While standing between our honey and the 

 pulling propeusiti(^s of others, tliere are some 

 days when tinu' drags along somewhat irksome, 

 and almost any kind of recreation that brings 

 a change is embraced. It thus happened that 

 a great rabbit-drive came off near our apiary; 

 and knowing that a few sketches from such an 

 unusual field of iiclion would interest the bee- 

 keeper. I herewiih present rhem with a few 

 comments. 



