628 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 



inhabitants of Betlileliem and Bptjala were go- 

 ing in numbers to Jerusalem, while French pil- 

 grims were on their way to Bethlehem. Our 

 animals now got loose and galloped toward the 

 bees. The horse galloped past: but (xrey, find- 

 ing the upi'ight hives a good opportunity to rub 

 ofT the bees, roused the interior bees more and 

 more. I jumped back and tried with all my 

 might to send him awav. Beating and push- 

 ing availed nothing. He was now literally 

 covered with bees; and althougli only five 

 minutes had elapsed, he could hardlv move on. 

 We now got him far enough to put him near 

 the stung camels, and had now to carrv the 

 hives over the walls to clear the I'oad. They 

 weigh between 70 and 80 lbs. per hive. 

 We managed to clear the road, but the bees 

 were still more furious: and with veil and 

 thick leathern gloves on we stopped the pass- 

 ers-by, one at either end of the lane. Some 

 protested, some asked why, and manv. in fact, 

 were frightened by our strange looks. The 

 most of them could not understand the trouble. 

 We had to call out in all languages at the top 

 of our voices, "Bees! danger! destruction! get 

 away!" and gesticulating meanwhile to indi- 

 cate what we meant. They had to turn round 

 the olive-yard, taking considerably more time. 

 One Turk could not understand the trouble; 

 and although I could find a few Turkish words, 

 he insisted on its being the Sultan's road, and I 

 had no right to interfere. But the bees inter- 

 fered with him, and he understood that lan- 

 guage better, for he turned round and flepd. 



It was late in the afternoon. The bees had 

 quieted down so that we allowed first one and 

 then all to pass. I was expecting some govern- 

 ment notice, but it passed unnoticed. We ar- 

 rived at our destination. The donkey died two 

 hours after he got stiuig. The first camel died 

 a fortnight after. 1 could not beai- to hear any- 

 body shouting, and for numy weeks I started lip 

 from sleep by imaginary sounds, as knives, 

 camels, bees, and such implements as we had to 

 protect ourselves. It was very ruinous, those 

 dreadful adventures. It decimated the bees, 

 unnerved us, and several animals were killed. 

 Happily we found good pasturage in this vicin- 

 ity, and it is here I now move to every vear. It 

 takes the camels only one night. At d"aybreak 

 they put down their loads; the hives are put in 

 rows, and the bees not yet roused, so the hives 

 are opened, and all goes on peacefully, of 

 course. In the evening, while loading, the 

 bees now and then got out by some crack, or 

 badly fitting super. It was then quickly un- 

 loaded and rearranged. Stinging is, of course, 

 a secondary matter, for both man and beast get 

 their share; but these disagreements will have 

 to be overcome as long as we have hives and 

 supers; and there comes in a question. I hope 

 some of our bee-keepers will tell us their opin- 

 ion: Will a hive give the same amount of hon- 

 ey if the 36 combs are on a level instead of be- 

 ing on halves above each other? or if a frame is 

 made bigger, so as to give 15 frames the same 

 amount of square inches in comb. 



Ph. J. Baldknsperoek. 



Jaffa, Syria, July 24. 



Friend B., I believe you have had more ex- 

 perience, or at least more disastrous experience, 

 in moving bees, than any one else among us. 

 If any reader of Gleanings has ever had any 

 thing to match this, let him stand up and 

 speak. Having a row with bees and horses in 

 your own country, where you can use your own 

 language, is surely bad enough; but among a 

 traveling people, who speak all languages, who 

 can imagine your worry and trouble? I think, 



if I had been you, I should have declared, with 

 considerable vehemence, that I never wanted 

 to transport bees any more. I can not help 

 pitying the poor camels. I suppose you do not 

 have any humane society around there to ar- 

 rest you for cruelty. By the way, how mtich is 

 a camel worth, say compared with our horsi^s? 

 Friend B., I know exactly how you were un- 

 strung about the time you dreamed of the 

 melee as soon as you went to sleep. Our new- 

 east and west railroad has just been invading 

 my market-garden grounds. They go entiifly 

 through it the longest way; and the cut they 

 make is from 6 to 13 feet deep. I made friends 

 with the bosses at the outset; but the teamstere, 

 a great part of them, are a reckless, blasphe- 

 mous lot. I tried a little to stem their torrents 

 of profanity; but when the boss got mad and 

 swore too, it was pretty up-hill work. Finally 

 when a dozen teams with drivers and helpers 

 invaded our gi'ounds, and threatened to spread 

 their poor clay soil from the deep cut all over my 

 enriched land, I fought for my property and my 

 gardens. Of course, I had plenty of helpers, and 

 our own teams kept just before them moving the 

 rich surface soil outof their way. But when night 

 came I was not only thoroughly tired, but I 

 caught cold by being out in the rain without 

 any coat. I woke up in the middle of the night, 

 with a headache; and as soon as I tried to 

 sleep, the curses of the teamsters, the rattling 

 of the scrapers, and the general clamor, follow- 

 ed me in my dreams until there seemed no 

 peace, either awake or asleep. I opened my 

 eyes wide and tried to consider the matter with 

 reason; and when that did not stop the noises I 

 tried to drown them in sleep. Then I began to 

 think how thankful I should be if I were once 

 again just free from that racking pain in my 

 head. And I began wondering if I had not for- 

 gotten, in the many long years, of the blessing 

 of ^(e«ft?i., and the ability to sleep sound every 

 night. I did finally thank God then and there. 

 and in a little time peace stole over my troubled 

 senses. In the morning I awoke, refreshed and 

 free from pain, and nothing remained but the 

 memory of a couple of hours' misery in the mid- 

 dle of the night. Your mention of starting in 

 your sleep reminded me of it. 



AN A B C SCHOLAR'S EXPERIENCE. 



A LADY WHO HA.S HAD SUCCESS WITH BEES. 



I sent to you for two Simplicity hives about 

 two years ago. I have had six more made, and 

 now have them filled with bees. I had three 

 swarms last month. There is little or no white 

 clover here, but lots of willow, plum, grapes, 

 and basswood, in the ravines close by. Then 

 the prairies are full of different varieties of 

 goldenrod, besides the immense plots of corn 

 and pumpkin blossoms grown by the farmers; 

 also the buckwheat. There are only two peo- 

 ple besides myself who keep bees here. One is 

 a farmer about two miles out. He has only box 

 hives, and his bees swarm a great deal, but he 



