462 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 



ary, either with or without help. The man would be 

 the cheapest in the end. I pay from $300 to $400 a 

 year and board. I have work in the winter; but I 

 value their services at just half in the winter what 

 I do in summer. Another thing I wish to mention 

 here. I have had twenty applications for men who 

 have learned apiculture with me, for every one I 

 can furnish. The demand for practical apiarists 

 who are really worth something-, is away ahead of 

 the supply, and that, too, at wages about double 

 what farm hands can get. 

 Michigan. S. W. James Heddon. 



Dear friends, I am very glad indeed to get 

 the above answers, and I am glad, too. to 

 know that in the main they pretty nearly 

 agree with my own experience in hiring help. 

 My great business in life has been in em- 

 ploying help ; and not only have I done it 

 for personal gain, but I hope and believe 

 that the inspiring motive has been to solve 

 this great problem of '" something to do." 

 Now, then, I think you pretty nearly all 

 agree that it is not a discussion between 

 men and boys ; neither is it a discussion be- 

 tween men and women ; but the whole mat- 

 ter hinges on this : The faithful and the 

 unfaithful, or, if you choose, the half-heart- 

 ed and the whole-hearted. I have some- 

 times decided that I could not wear myself 

 out any more in running after boys ; but in 

 a very little time I would decide again that 

 one good faithful, whole-hearted boy, was 

 worth more than half a dozen mtn who were 

 intent only on passing the hours and get- 

 ting their pay. The one who enters heart 

 and soul into his work, and strives to make 

 it a««ccess, is the one that is helping. We 

 are just beginning to pick strawberries. As 

 we are getting 18 cents a quart for them, it 

 pays to go over a large extent of ground for 

 only a few berries. As fruit is very scarce 

 in our market, everybody is hungry for it. 

 My first mental question was, " Where is 

 the boy who will get these few berries— who 

 will get them all, and not waste his time, 

 nor eat the greater part of them?" I in- 

 stantly fixed my mind on one boy whom I 

 knew would be faithful in every respect. 

 He would not need any watching, and there 

 would not be any doubt in regard to the re- 

 sult of his search. He could not get them 

 all before schooltime, so help was needed. 

 After running over in my mind at least 

 half a dozen, 1 decided on one of the very 

 smalle^. He has all the qualifications of 

 the other one, and I am sure, without say- 

 ing any thing to him about it, he will not 

 eat a berry without permission, during his 

 two hours' work. A few days ago when I 

 was discussing with the foreman about 

 trusty boys, this boy overheard our remarks, 

 and looked up with a bright, manly face. 

 Said he : " Mr. Root, am I a good boy?" 



"Yes, H.," said I at once, "you <(re a 

 good boy;" and I mentally added, " May the 

 Lord bless your faithful, honest little 

 soul." And my prayer is now, " May God 

 help us to so educate our children that'there 

 shall be more faithful, honest ones." It 

 needs no spirit of prophecy to say that such 

 ones will rise. Why, no matter how many 

 crowds are going here and there for work, 

 there will never be enough of the real honest 



and true— the real genuine nobility of the 

 earth, and the salt of the earth. May God 

 help us ! 



JlE^Dg 0F QiWl^i 



FROM DIFFERENT FIELDS. 



HONEY STATISTICS. 



The following are the rest of the statisti- 

 cal reports, which came too late for inser- 

 tion in our last issue. Some of the corres- 

 pondents were away— or, at least, in the far 

 corners of the United States, so that their 

 reports came in a little late. 



ARKANSAS. 

 W. H. Laws, Lavaca. W. C. 6-2. 

 a. b, 2; outdoor. 



CALIFORNIA. 

 G. W. Cover, Downieville. N. 6 31. 

 a. 80; outdoors; b. 80; in box and Langstroth hives outdoors, 



W. W. Bliss, Duarte. S. E. 5-23. 



a. 5; outdoors; b. 15; outdoors. The season so far is far 

 above the average. 



Win. Muth-Rasmussen. Independence. E. 5-S;0. 



a. 2; outdoors; b. don't know; probably the same. 



J. ]'. Israel, Olivenhain.Cal. S. 5-20. 



a. 7><; outdoors; b. 10; outdoors. No cellars for bees are 

 used here. 



R. Wilkin, San Buenaventura. S. W. 5-25. 



a. 6; outdoors; b. 5; outdoors. 



GEORGIA. 



J. p. H. Brown, Augusta. E. C. 5-22. 



a. 10; outdoors; b. 20; outdoors. Bees mostly kept in the o'.d 

 box gum. 



INDIANA. 



T. H. Kloer, Terre Haute, .'i-27. 



a. 5; nearly all on account of queenlessness. Wintered out- 

 doors, b. There was little loss during winter, but during the 

 present month many have died of starvation, dwindled away, 

 or swarmed out. Bees are just beginning to make a living. 



KANSAS. 

 Frank H. Howard, Garden City. 5-23. 

 a. 10; outdoors. 



BIICHIGAN. 

 W. J. Carroll, Otsego. S. W. 5-26. 



a. 90 in cellar, loss 1; 10 outdoors in chaff, no loss. b. The loss 

 in this neighborhood is very light, not more than 10 per cent. 

 Bees winteied in chaff are in much the best condition. 



MINNESOTA. 



A. F. Bright, Mazeppa. E. 5-24. 



a. 25, cellar; b. 20, cellar. The loss in cellar was compai-ative- 

 ly light, greatest loss being after their removal from the cel- 

 lar, on account of the cold backward spring. 



MASSACHUSETTS. 



A. A. Sanborn, Westfield, Mass. S. W. .5-22. 



a. Loss very light outdoor, b. Loss very light; both meth- 

 ods. 



OREGON. 

 George Ebell, Baker City. E. 5-23. 

 a. 100 per cent. b. Outdoors in chaff. 



TEXAS. 



B. F. Carroll, Blooming Grove. 6-2. 



a. None; outdoors in S. hives, b. None; outdoors. 



VIRGINIA. 



J. W. Porter, Charlottesville. C. 5-24. 



All outdoor wintering in Virginia. My own bees mostly 

 slaughtered by foul brood. Bees generally wintered well; 

 small loss. 



WASHINGTON. 

 J. H. Goe, Mossy Rock . 5-24. 



b. 25; outdoors in common hives. The winter here was very 

 hard on bees. 



W. W. Maltby. Port Angeles. 5-23. 

 a, b. 7, outdoors. 



WISCONSIN. 

 J. C. Sayles. Hartford. S. E. 5-20. 

 a. 2, cellar; b, 2, cellar and outdoors. 



HEAVY LOSS IN A LARGE APIARY, BY THE MISS- 

 ISSIPPI FLOOD. 



I have just had a severe loss among my bees. I 

 live in the Red River Valley. I had 4a5 colonies on 

 the first of April, and their increase from that time 

 in three apiaries. On the 30th of April several 

 levees broke in my neighborhood, and the water 

 ran over my place. I put them up on pens four 

 feet high. The water rose so fast, and the current 

 was so strong, that I could not do any thing for 



