744 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Oct. 15. 



WrHSmSTfRY^F CRYSTAL MOUmiN.., 





:^: 



RED'S trans- 

 ferring opera- 

 tions went for- 

 ward systemati- 

 cally. The hives 

 were prepared 

 in the morning, 

 then a good 

 share of the 

 middle of the 

 day was devot- 

 ed to the trans- 

 fer, while the 

 later hours of 

 the day were 

 spent in picking 

 up tools and the 

 various articles 

 that help to lit- 

 ter an apiary. 

 Every thing in 

 its proper place, 

 and put there every evening, was Fred's motto. 

 As a result, the apiary presented a neat ap- 

 pearance. 



Matt Hogan was a valuable aid at such times 

 as he could be spared from the ranch, and Fred 

 fully initiated him into the business by allow- 

 ing him to make a complete transfer. He was 

 much elated over his success, and his bee-fever 

 was augmented to such a degree that he was 

 ambitious to own an apiary of his own. 



The first change that comes into the charac- 

 ter of an enthusiastic novice in bee culture is 

 the development of observation. This faculty 

 had lain dormant in the mind of Matt Hogan; 

 but now every flower had a new beauty, and 

 the bee was eagerly watched as it gleaned its 

 load of pollen or honey. 



One evening he came to Fred's camp, and, 

 with a happy go-lucky smile and considerable 

 explosiveness, shouted, "Arrah, there, Fred! 

 I've now an apry of me own. Get away wid 

 yer cave of baas and yer bath-tub at the bot- 

 tom of it. Me baas are more sinsible, and 

 dwell in a badger-hole. Did yees ever hear the 

 loikesof that, Fred?" 



"Oh, yes! it is quite a common thing to find 

 bees in such queer places in this country. But, 

 Matt, you will have to enter into partnership 

 with Mr. Buell. He has found a colony in a 

 sycamore-tree. I have no doubt he has been 

 transferring to-day, for I fitted him out with a 



hive this morning; and now that you have 

 also found a colony I will do as well by you. 

 You now know enough about bees to know 

 what you want, and you can select any thing 

 you want from the pile." 



With many profuse thanks. Matt selected a 

 hive and started with it for the ranch; but 

 Fred halted him and said, " Matt, you heard 

 what Mr. Buell said the other day about a 

 meeting next Sunday at the Dawson ranch? I 

 should like to have you attend with ni''." 



"Fred," said Matt, seriously, as he placed 

 the hive on the ground and sat down upon it, 

 " I should loike to go wid yees; but with yer 

 permission I'd loike first of all to ax a question. 

 Is it a sort oi Methodist camp-maating it is 

 loikes to be? " 



"Oh, no! not a bit of it There's to be no 

 minister there. Mr. Buell will read a little 

 Scripture and make a few remarks, then they 

 will organize a Sunday-school, have singing, 

 and a profitable pleasant time generally. But, 

 Matt, why do you ask about the Methodist 

 feature? " 



"Och: nothing much," replied- Matt; "only 

 I had a little scrap with a Methodist preacher 

 onct. You see he tame at me with a bounce 

 to convert me from the error of me ways, as he 

 called it. ' Why,' says I, 'me good man, I am 

 already converted, and it's mesilf an' Biddy 

 Malooney that are good and thrue mimbersof 

 the Catholic church.' 



* 'Oh Babylon! the toils of Babylon! the 

 more need thin of your conversion,' he shouted. 



"'But see here, me friend,' says I, 'dhrop- 

 ping yer insult to me church and me intelli- 

 gence, I would ax yees how it would work fur 

 me to climb over to the M thodist side of the 

 fince and lave me swateheart on the Catholic 

 side?' 



" ' Just the thing,' says he. 



" "And how is that? ' says I. 



" ' Why, you could convert her and bring her 

 safely into the fold.' 



"'Be gorry, Mr. Preacher,' says I, 'yee'd 

 never say that ef ye knew Biddy Malooney as 

 well as I do.' An', Fred, to make a long sthory 

 short, whin I held out stoutly against his timp- 

 tations he said I was a son of Belial. I tould 

 him that was a lie, fur me father's name was 

 John Hogan. And does ye think I was much 

 to blame, Fred, fur telling him to go to pur- 

 gatory?" 



