1896 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



745 



"I can not say that I do blame you/' said 

 Fred. 



• " Well, Fred, seein' it's only Mr. Buell and 

 yerself that's to lead the maating I don't think 

 I'll bees suffering much to go wid yees.' 



"Now, Matt, I guarantee that your views 

 respecting r-^ligious matters will not be inter- 

 fered with, and I know you can endure the hour 

 you may spend there." 



Saturday evening found the transferring job 

 completed, with no further mishap to the oper- 

 ators. The few lost and old bees that persisted 

 in going back to the old place were humanely 

 caught in hives placed for the purpose, with a 

 frame or two of brood to hold them when the 

 pockets in the cave and all the other isolated 

 cliff colonies had been transferred. Fred had 

 an apiary of 40 good colonies, though the hives 



Alfaretta. and a couple of young people from 

 the neighorhood, were ready to start. 



" Here, Fred," said Mr. Buell, as he passed 

 the guitar over to him. "this will be your in- 

 strument for the day; perhaps you can get your 

 voice in tune while going down the river." 



It was a motley crowd that gathered at the 

 Dawson ranch. There was not much attempt 

 at style. A few were coatless, and the urchins 

 were barefoot. The Dawsons themselves were 

 the worst specimens, and showed a crying need 

 for missionary effort. 



Mrs. Dawson's vinegary disposition seemed 

 to weaken the dilution of kindly greetings, 

 and a sympathetic interest began to awaken 

 the latent spark of human fellowship that had 

 been so long dormant. She began to take an 

 interest in the preparations, and to feel that 



THE MEETING AT DAWSON S. 



were not painted: and though there was some 

 patchwork of the new on the old, the apiary 

 was so arranged that it presk-nted a neat ap- 

 pearance. 



The week's work ended, the plans for honey 

 production were laid aside, and the meeting 

 plan considered with Mr. Ghering and the men 

 at the ranch. Fred talked over the project, 

 and the good to be accomplished; all of the 

 men were favorably inclined to attend except 

 Jose Silvera, a sombre taciturn Mexican who 

 preferred to go up the river to a little half- 

 breed rancheria among his kind. The meeting 

 had been appointed for 2 o'clock Sunday after- 

 noon; and an hour before that time Fred and 

 the men from the Ghering ranch rode up to Mr. 

 Buell's wharf. The latter, with Mrs. Buell, 



the world was not all flint and iron, but there 

 was really flesh and blood and kindly feeling 

 Several religious and non-religious opinions 

 were represented, and nearly every nationality. 

 The West is noted as a land of mixed multi- 

 tudes, and so here to-day were gathered various 

 interests under the tule awning that had been 

 erected for the occasion. Improvised seats had 

 been made by placing boards across boxes; all 

 faces wore a happy look of expectancy, for this 

 was a new and novel experience to them; and, 

 though they did not realize it at the time, it 

 was an occasion that changed the current of 

 not a few lives. 



Mr. Buell made a few introductory remarks 

 respecting the objects in view, and stated that, 

 as various opinions were represented, he hoped 



