1896 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



713 



to his rope way of escape; but Mr. Buell ap- 

 proached gingerly, and could hardly be induced 

 to approach the deep and forbidding pool near 

 enough to peer into it. After cautiously doing 

 so he retired to a safe distance. He shudder- 

 ingly remarked, " I should think you were jug- 

 ged yesterday. Indeed, it was a providence 

 that sent me to your rescue." 



Mr. Buell secured a safe place from which he 

 could closely watch the transferring process. 

 He was not only an observing man, but quite a 

 genius; and after a few moments' observation, 

 and noticing the shape of that individual 

 pocket, he had an idea, and tried to impart it 

 to Fred; but the head of the latter was in such 

 a roaring vortex of bees that not a word could 

 he hear, and Mr. Buell wisely concluded to 

 wait his talking until he was in a more quiet 

 place. The transfer was successful, and, after 

 placing the hive in the apiary, a little rest was 

 taken under the sycamores. 



Here Mr. Buell made haste to impart his new 

 idea. 



" Fred," said he, "why don't you cut clear 

 around one of those chalk pockets and take it 

 up bodily? That would save transferring, and 

 then you would have the bees in beautiful 

 chalk hives— a clear saving in lumber, paint, 

 and no end of trouble." 



" But," said Fred, " those pockets are not all 

 of the same size and shape; and, furthermore, 

 they would have to be transferred in order to 

 get them into these frames; and our new sys- 

 tem of management could not be performed 

 without them." 



Mr. Buell did not like to give up his idea, and 

 said, " Well, if you wish to use frames why not 

 clean the chalk and make your hives the same 

 as wooden hives'? I believe the plan will work." 



"All right," replied Fred; "I should like to 

 see you make a durable chalk hive; and when 

 you succeed I will be the first one to use it." 



"I see you are skeptical about the success of 

 my chalk hive. I shall have to convince you 

 by making one; but I have another idea. Why 

 not use chloroform to subdue the bees while 

 transferring? You can stupefy them to un- 

 con.-cioiisnes?, and then there would be no fear 

 from ^tillgs. Why! T believe a bottle of chloro- 

 form properly applied would stupefy all of the 

 bees in the cave." 



"In the absence of the drug,'' said Fred, "I 

 prefer to practice the good old way. Mr. Buell, 

 you are directly on the beaten path of all be- 

 ginners in bee culture. You wish to get up 

 new inventions before testing thoroughly the 

 ones we have." 



Again Fred led the way to the chalk cliff 

 for another transfer. Mr. Buell advanced a 

 little further this time, and was of some mate- 

 rial aid. A very good day's work was accom- 

 plished, and Mr. Buell was so well protected 

 that he received but one sting, and this one 



upon the knee, where the pants were drawn 

 tight; but he did not complain over this trifle; 

 and after four o'clock, when the work was com- 

 pleted for the day, and seated upon a box by 

 that strong work-bench, he unfolded his plan 

 for a meeting at Dawson's. 



" There were forty persons in attendance at 

 Dawson's funeral," said Mr. Buell; "and after 

 the obsequies I quietly canvassed the opinions 

 of those present, and found them quite agree- 

 able to a meeting next Sunday. Several were 

 quite enthusiastic at the idea of starting a 

 Sunday-school. They had been debarred from 

 such privileges for several years. As one wo- 

 man quaintly put it, ' I hain't been nowhere on 

 Sunday in five year; it's drudge, drudge, from 

 one end of the year to the other; and I feel as 

 if relapsin' into heathenism.' Even those who 

 do not accept Christianity are anxious for the 

 agreeable change a Sunday-school and religious 

 services will bring. I look upon this opportu- 

 nity as one of far-reaching interest to not a few 

 children in that neighborhood. There is hope 

 for even the Dawson children, ragged and un- 

 kempt as they are. I shall want you to play 

 the guitar and lead in the singing. It will be a 

 great help to the cause; and, Fred, can you not 

 induce Mr. Ghering and the men here to at- 

 tend ? " 



" I recognize all you say about the work to be 

 done," said Fred, " and will do all I can to aid 

 you. I think some if not all of the men will 

 attend from this ranch." 



Then Mr. Buell and Fred parted for the day, 

 with schemes of a high and unselfish order up- 

 permost in their minds. 



UNITING NUCLEI AND AFTER- SWARMS. 



Question —Having some nuclei and light 

 after-swarms that do not have sufficient bees to 

 winter as they are, I desire to know what is the 

 best way for doubling up, or uniting, two or 

 more nuclei or after-swarms, in the fall, pre- 

 paratory to wintering? When is the best time 

 to do it? 



Answer.— The time of year to double up 

 weak swarms, or to unite nuclei, is just as soon 

 as the bees cease to gather honey and you have 

 the exira queens disposed of as you wish. The 

 last half of September and the first half of Octo- 

 ber is the time when I unite the most of my 

 nuclei, or small colonies, if I have such. The 

 sooner it can be done after September 10 to 15 

 the better, for then the bees are given more 

 time to fix their stores and hive in the shape 

 they wish them for winter; and the nearer 

 these things are to what they would be in a 



