144 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Ff.i!. i: 



make up the present swarm cease to exist, from 

 death by old age, or otherwise. Knowing that 

 the supposed loss of the queen is the cause of 

 the trouble, the only way to remedy the matter 

 is to help them find their queen. This can be 

 done by opening the hive as soon as the bees 

 are seen to become agitated and fly out in the 

 air, and smoking the ball of bees till they re- 

 lease the queen, when a general hum of content 

 will be set up, the bees who have missed 

 " mother " running about with fanning wings, 

 and those in the air returning 1o the hive with 

 a general rejoicing. This once smoking gener- 

 ally restores quietude with the swarm; but in 

 exceptional cases the bees will re-ball the queen 

 in ten minutes or so, when another stampede 

 will occur, many bees now being likely to go 

 home to stay, so that, do the best we can, our 

 swarm is so weakened that they will be of little 

 profit to us during that season. To obviate 

 these exceptional cases, I made a few large flat 

 wire-cloth cages, large enough so that they 

 would cover quite a large part of the top.- to the 

 frames of the hive; and when I had smoked the 

 ball of bees until the queen was liberated she 

 was put in this cage and placed over the 

 frames. As multitudes of bees could now get 

 near the queen, and the whole colony become 

 aware of the presence of the queen among 

 them, no more trouble would occur, the queen 

 being liberated the next morning, when all was 

 sure to go well. A frame of brood will general- 

 ly hold the bees; but as they sometimes ball 

 the queen till she is injured, I prefer the cage. 



DEATH OF MK8. LYMAN C. ROOT. 



The sad intelligence reaches us of the death 

 of Mrs. Libbie Quinby Root, only daughter of 

 Moses Quinby, and wife of Lyman C. Root, 

 which occurred at her home in Stamford, Ct., 

 Jan. 16, 189<i. Mrs. Root was stricken with 

 paralysis on the morning of the 15th, and died 

 the following morning. She was a woman of 

 rare intelligence; and had she given her atten- 

 tion to literary pursuits would have gained 

 celebrity. She was an easy writer of choice 

 English. Bee-keepers knew her as literary 

 editor of Quinby's Bee-keeping, and later of the 

 same book as revised by her husband. The 

 sketches from which the engrayings were made 

 for these works were also from her pencil. She 

 was a natural artist, and in drawing or paint- 

 ing from nature showed genuine artistic talent. 

 Her highest ambitions centered in her home 

 and in the educati9n of her daughters. No 

 matter how busy with household duties, or 

 with the entertainment of visiting bee-keepers, 



time was found for the daily lessons of the girls, 

 and also for reading and discussing with the 

 family the bf-st books and literature. In thus 

 giving her life so unselfishly tD the improve- 

 ment of others her own character developed by 

 the maturing of those qualities of mind and 

 heart that must endure for ever. It is gratify- 

 ing to be able to state that the husband and 

 family fully appreciated her many excellent 

 qualities. Her presence, her sympathy, and 

 her counsel will be sadly missed in the home 

 circle. 



Bee-keepers everywhere in the English- 

 speaking world will unite with me in extending 

 heartfelt sympathy to the husband, daughters, 

 and aged mother Quinby. P. H. Elwood. 



Starkville, N. Y., Jan. 33. 



RHUBARB, OR PIE-PLANT, IN FLORIDA. 



A year ago, when I was leaving my home to 

 take a train for Florida, a friend called with a 

 basket of pie-plant roots for me to take with 

 me. My baggage was then at the depot. I fill- 

 ed a paper-box, and took them with me. When 

 I arrived at Pensacola I stopped at a hotel kept 

 by a former resident of St. Andrews. I apolo- 

 gized for carrying the box in my arms, saying 

 that a friend brought me pie-plant roots after 

 my packing was done. She said, " Oh! give me 

 one. I want to try one here — just one, no 

 more." When I lived at St. Andrews I tried a 

 dozen times to raise it, and failed, and I want 

 to try it here. It would come up and grow 

 nicely, and I would think I'd soon have a pie; 

 but I never did. I noticed that the leaves 

 would fall over, and, digging down, could find 

 no root. It had disappeared, I know not how. 



A lady at St. Andrews, who is setting out 

 some plants, told me she lined the hole with 

 broken glass to keep the moles from destroying 

 the root. I thought I would protect my pie- 

 plant in that way. I dug holes, and lined them 

 with glass, filling with fertilizer and rich soil. 

 I planted the roots, covering the tops with oys- 

 ter-shells, congratulating myself that I had out- 

 witted the moles. They grew finely, and at- 

 tracted much attention, and I was frequently 

 asked, "When are you going to have a pie?" 

 But the i>ie never materialized. First one leaf 

 and then another fell over on the ground, look- 

 ing as if cut off close to the root. I examined it 

 closely, but I could not discover what destroy- 

 ed it. Some said it was a worm; but I failed 

 to find any, or any thing else. I'm told that it 

 can be grown on titi or swamp land that has 

 been drained and reclaimed. I hope that our 

 friend at Tarpon Springs, Fla., will continue to 

 be " tickled " over his rhubarb, but I'm a 

 doubting Thomas. 



The winter here has been cool, cloudy, aud 

 much rain has fallen. It is pouring down, and 

 has been for two days. A warm stinshiny day is 

 appreciated. 



