14 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 



few fractions as possible. Were you to weigh this 

 honey now, you would find nearly every crato 

 would overrun from 2 to 4 ounces, as I set ray 

 scales so that, when the bar is just half way up it 

 will give 2 ounces overweight; and when the liar is 

 up, as it usually is, it overruns even the 3 ounces. 

 This is done to allow for shrinkage in case 1 hold 

 the honey any length of time. Now, in your case, 

 Mr. T., as you have only 3.5 colonies, and, as you 

 say, about 800 lbs. of honey, it will be necessary for 

 you to make but one grade, as you can doubtless 

 sell at home all the imperfectly filled sections as 

 well as what dark honey you may have." 



*' Well, Mr. M., I am very much obliged for the in- 

 formation you have given me, for surely I have 

 learned something here today about preparing 

 honey for market." 



Bristol, Vt. A. E. Mandm. 



There, old friend, j'ou hive given us one 

 of the most practical and valuable talks that 

 have yet come from your pen. In fact, you 

 have given us little glimpses that indicate 

 why you can not only m;inage out-apiaries, 

 but you also let us into the secret of man- 

 aging your fellow men and women, and 

 finding them work. Nothing vexes me so 

 much as to find that somebody has set an 

 entirely new baud at work handling sec- 

 tions of honey, without previous instruction 

 and drill. You may take an expert house- 

 keeper, or a man of genins, and even though 

 you may tell him what is wanted, he will al- 

 most certainly do as Mrs. F. did. 1 can 

 imagine just how the poor woman felt. Had 

 you not assured her that it was a small mat- 

 ter, in the kind and exceedingly careful way 

 you did, she might have felt "miserable all 

 that whole day, and possibly have lain awake 

 during the night. I know, because I have 

 found out afterward how easily good, well- 

 meaning people may have their feelings 

 hurt. A new clerk in our ofllce spilled some 

 red ink, and it got on tlie edges of some new 

 books. She supposed there was no remedy, 

 and worried about it until she made herself 

 almost sick. She. with otiiers, thought the 

 red ink would have to be scraped off in 

 some way. When it was mentioned, one of 

 the women in our bindery department in- 

 stantly replied, '' Why, bless your heart, that 

 is the easiest thing to fix in the world. Put 

 red ink all over the edges of the spattered 

 books. See here." She then picked up 

 some books thnt were made in just that way. 

 The very anxiety to do every thing just right 

 often results in making new hands nervous, 

 and getting them into just such troubles. 

 Where our old hands carelessly make expen- 

 sive mistakes, we are in the habit of allow- 

 ing them to pay for making it good— that is. 

 if they prefer to do so. It sometimes helps 

 them to be careful. But allowances must 

 always be made for novices. Perhaps you 

 will never know how much you lightened 

 the heart of poor Mrs. F. by your very kind 

 and Christianlike wdy of fixing the matter. 

 I have heard of gilt-edged honey, friend M., 

 but I do not know that I ever saw any 

 "Snowfiake." I am greatly in favor of 

 making different grades— where the crop is 

 large, even as many as four grades ; then 

 let your customer buy what he wants, and 

 get what he pays for. 



WHERE SHALL "WE FURNISH OUR 

 CHILDREN RECREATION, ETC.? 



AT HOME OR IN READING-ROOMS. 



Mr.Editor:— Friend Terry's article, headed "Our 

 Homes," has occupied my mind much of the time 

 since I read it; but I must confess that I differ 

 greatly with its author. I've been a resident of 

 this city rather more than:half a century, and I've 

 paid some attention to how the boys and girls of 

 my time turned out; and it is a great pleasure now 

 to spend a day with one of my schoolmates and 

 talk of old times, and make inquiries with refer- 

 ence to the success in life of those whom we knew 

 in childhood days. During these visits, how often 

 I've been addressed in this way: 



"Lucinda, doesn't it surprise you, the way the 

 boys of wealthy families that ufed to go to school 

 with us have turned outV Some died in early life, 

 drunkards; others in the poorhouse; while an oc- 

 casional ne'er-do-well is supported by relatives." 



These boys had warm, well-lighted, cheery homes, 

 with books and paperslin abundance; but it didn't 

 save them from wasted lives. How different were 

 the surroundings of Abraham Lincoln, sitting in a 

 log cabin before an open log flre, trying to solve 

 the mysteries of a spelling-book; burning on one 

 side and freezing on the other! The boys of the 

 pooi' bent-wood sawyer, who carried his saw-horse 

 from door to door, are the successful business men 

 of Peoria to-day; and I remember a poor widow 

 who daily bent over the wash-tub to support her 

 three little boys. She lives in altluence now, for 

 they occupy positions of trust and emolument, and 

 do not foi-get their self-sacrificing mother. 



Boys are not moths. They are not attracted by 

 light and heat; that is not what attracts them to 

 saloons, nor drink either. They want some place 

 where they can work off their surplus spirits, and 

 not be reprimanded continually. Freedom is what 

 they will have. Girls do not need reading-rooms, 

 for they have something to do Thej' can not get 

 time enough to do half they want to. They are 

 continually seeing some article of adornment which 

 they want to make. 



Now, in some of these towns where there are sa- 

 loons, suppose there should be a free reading-room 

 opened, well lighted and warmed, and furnished 

 with easy-chairs, the latest books and papers; and 

 near by, another large shop, furnished with work- 

 benches, tools, vises, lathe, etc., with piles of brick 

 and mortar, and the boys told, "Now you are free 

 to go to either place, and use all there is there." 

 Where would you expect to find the most boys? 



Now, in fancy let us listen at the keyhole of such 

 a building, during one of our long winter nights. 

 "Tom, what are you going to make?" 

 "I am going to make a sled, so as to be ready for 

 coasting— a big long one to hold a dozen. Won't it 

 be jolly, though?" 



"Ohfle! I'm going to make a toboggan. Charlie, 

 what are you trying to do? " 

 " Make mother a mush-stick." 

 "Oh! an't I glad of that brick and morlar? I'n) 

 going to build an arch, and see if I can't stand up- 

 on top of it; and if not, fall in. I heard father say, 

 that the reason the vault fell in at the cemetery 

 was because it was not keyed, and I've wanted:tQ 

 try on one ever since. Don't you know what a time 

 the jury l^qd PY^FI*'? couldn't a^ree; and whep thg 



