354 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



June, 1918 



iiig. But this spring, when I found sealed 

 cells in one colony fwith plenty of room) 

 one day in late April, I believe I was secret- 

 ly and foolishly piCaoeu. I would have pre- 

 vented it if I had discovered it sooner, but 

 as I had not discovered it sooner, "let 'er 

 swarm ' ' I wrote in my record book with 

 glee. And she swarmed. It was the third 

 day of May when they came out, "aquiver, 

 ecstatic and singing. ' ' Probably it isn 't 

 good taste to quote one 's own lines, but 

 you see that's just how they did come, 

 "aquiver, ecstatic and singing." I sym- 

 pathized with the mood, feeling that way 

 myself. But we 've no right to indulge our 

 side-line taste for swarms. 



The hive that does not swarm at all, 



Tho you may think it funny, 

 Will beat the swarmer, plus the sivarrn, 



In gathering the honey. 



Anyway that's the general belief. 



Huge swarm of Texas side-liner, L. A. Cameron, 

 Bloomington, Tex. 



"How many bees did your father lose?" 

 I asked a freckled smiling boy one day. 

 He left the backyard camp-fire to come to 

 the fence and talk. "Oh, he lost a lot! " he 

 answered tragically. There were only eight 

 colonies in the yard at the time, so I in- 

 quired sympathetically how many there w^ere 

 last fall. "Ten," was the answer. "Oh, 

 well," I exclaimed, relieved, "he didn't 

 lose so very many after all." "Hm!" 

 ejaculated that small boy, with the scorn 

 the knowing ones often show for the unin- 

 formed, "there's 10,000 bees in every one! 

 Aint that a lot?" I admitted it was. 



* * * 



I 've never been an inspector like Mr. 

 Crane, but this spring I have examined hives 

 in two ' ' let-alone ' ' apiaries, wdiile Mr. Al- 

 len had the same experience in a third. We 

 did not enjoy it a bit. Moreover, I scorn 

 liome-made hives. These had no bee-escape 

 at the top, and an embarrassing quantity of 

 bur-comb. Many good combs were unwired. 

 and joggled nicely to piece's when moved 

 over fairly good roads ;for we bought some 

 o^ them in spite of everything, took tliem 

 with all their faults, and love them still — 

 the bees, that is, not the home-made hives 

 and the bur-comb and the drone-comb and 



the broken comb. ' 



* * * 



On page 281, May Gleanings, is an extract 

 quoted from Dr. H. W. Wiley, attributed to 

 Good Housekeeping, March, page 4-i. Ac- 

 cording to this quotation. Dr. Wiley says, 

 "When I went into the stores and asked for 

 ' corn syrup ' I was uniformly handed a can 

 of 'karo.' I sought in vain for the term 

 'corn syrup' on the label." But it's on the 

 labels of the Karo I get. Dr. Wiley. Eight 

 across the top runs the legend, ' ' A table 

 delicacy prepared from corn syrup of the 

 highest grade, granulated sugar syrup, and 

 vanilla flavoring. " Is there a mistake some- 

 where? As it evidently contains granulated 

 sugar, it may not be the complete substitute 

 for cane sugar that many people' have 

 thought. 



THE SWARM. 



If Swinburne, the melody-maker, 



Or Keats with his passion for beauty, 

 Or Wordsworth the chanter to duty, 

 Or Herrick or Shelly were here. 

 Where the air is alive M'ith strange humming 

 And filled with a going and coming, 

 Tha Queen of my bees, the Forsaker, 

 Fbrever would sing in your ear ! 



LTncounted, her people come winging, 



This hour that the high sun is warming, 

 This hour of their annaal swarming, 



This exodus hour of their year; 

 And above the hive h&me they are leaving 

 A great web of wings they are weaving, 

 As, circling and sailing and singing, 



They float and they plunge and they veer. 



Their wings are a gleam and a glimmer 

 In sunlight of- magical Maytime, 

 Till a flame that is brightei' than daytime 



Seems fla.shing its radiance near; 

 Such rythmical meeting and parting! 

 Such gav and bewildering darting 

 Athwart all the sijvery shimmer! 



Such brave and adventurous cheer! 



Like suu'motes they hover suspended, 

 Aquiver, ecstatic and singing ; ■ 

 Then slowly go swaying and swinging 



To a restful old cherry tree near, 

 ■ Till there on the tree hangs the wonder! 

 Draw close and fold over and undei- — 

 The song and the shimmer are ended 

 And only the silence I hear. 



O Queen, with your people around you, 

 Tlie pulse at the heart of the cluster, 

 How old are the instincts that muster 

 Such cohorts out, year after year ? 

 Is the swarm of your will and volition. 

 Or because of an ancient tradition ? 

 What honor code was it that bound you 

 To venture forth thus without fear.' 



It may be a dumb hidden yearning. 

 Some urge of which you are partaker. 

 That makes you, O Queen, a forsaker 



Of the fragrant hive, dusky and dear. 



You have left the o'.d home in the keeping 



Of princesses quietly sleeping, 



While you, when your scouts come returning, 



Must journey o'er woodland and mere. 



For the swarm will arouse from its resting, ■'■• 

 Take wing and fly off .without sorrow' 

 Straight into its dream of the morrow. 



Till the far cliosen "place shall appear; 

 And there, "of the deeps of its passion. 

 New cycles, of hqite .will it fa.shion, 

 For such is the goatl <fj its questiijg 



In the.' inVstrtnil spring of • "the' year. 



. .>',>V w.'! ■:i«i -•■:.l . . - : : 



