1890 



GLEANINGS IN BEE UULTUEE. 



667 



I liivcd tliciu several times, hut they refused to 

 stay ainwliere hut iu the tree. I phiced a Ixix 

 over them, and at'tei- several days of \vin<l and 

 rain tliey went up into it. I smeared them well 

 with honey, and emjjtied tliem into a liive that 

 was rather weak. Next nu)rnins they all lay 

 (h'ad outside. My experience tliis yeai' has 

 heen. out of seven swarms iiived on foundation, 

 empty combs, or (Miipty frames. 4 went off: out 

 ■of :.':.' hived witli a frame of brood, none went oft". 



Is the following, reason or instinct? A large 

 spider was chasing a small one in a busii. A 

 line of web ran from the busJi to the toi) of a 

 fence. The little one ran up the line and the 

 big one after him. \^'heu about half way. the 

 little one was nearly caught, and he tui'ued 

 round and bit the line in two. He fell to the 

 fence, and the big one back into the bush. 



Lytic. Texas, Aug. 8. (Jeo. E. Haii.k.s. 



Friend H., you surprise me by saying that the 

 sting of the red ant is worse than that of a bee. 

 Tlii>y must be much larger. I presume, than any 

 ants we have here. Perhaps Prof. Cook can 

 tell us something about it. Why didn't you 

 [lOur coal oil on the ant colony? Surely that 

 would have '• fixed ■' them. — Your testimony in 

 regard to preventing new swarms from ab- 

 sconding, just about accords with our experi- 

 ■ence. — About the spiders, I should not call it 

 either reason or instinct, but only an accident. 

 I can hardly believe the small spider " ligured 

 •out" that cutting the rope would give him the 

 advantage. 



RAMBLE NO. 28. 



i\ sTKruKN rorxTY. 



We found, after a few days" trial, that the 

 c(junty-house of Steulien Co. is a model institu- 

 tion. Mr. Eli Carrington. the keeper, has held 

 his |)osition foi' eighteen y(>ars. The inmates 

 are well fed and coinfortaV)ly clothed, and their 

 spiritual wants are attcniled to by hearing the 

 gosi)el preached nearly e\ery .Sabbath. 



It is well known that temperance advocates 

 lay much stress upon the poverty-producing 

 i|ualities of a too free use of the bottle. In our 

 inv<'stigations in this home of the poor we 

 found substantial proofs of the statements. 

 Mr. C. infoi-med us that fully two-thirds of the 

 inmates were bi'ought there either directly or 

 indirectly by th(^ use of intoxicants. Here is a 

 man with a leg oft", caused by injury by cars, 

 while drunk: here is an excellent car|)enter. 

 al)le to earn the highest wages in his trade — is 

 handy at repairing or making articles at this 

 place: but just as soon as he earns money it 

 goes for drink, and he becomes a most degraded 

 drunkard. Hei'e is a young man, strong, 

 healthy, and capable of earning good wages on 

 a farm, and making himself an influence among 

 his fellow-men; but the <'arningof a little mon- 

 ey allows him to invest in degradation. So we 

 might enumerate other instances of wasteil 

 lives. But. oil! the saddest scene of all is a 

 death and burial of the poor — no friends to shed 

 a symijathizing teai'. A few men deposit the 

 body in its Mnal resting-i)lace. where no mark 

 is put up to indicate that a human being is 

 thei'e buried. A minister preaches a short ser- 

 mon to the living inmates, and they are soon 

 foi'gotten. The sad lessons leai'iied fi'om tlii'se 

 Itaupers. and the causi' which led to their mis- 

 eiy. will ever be renieml)ered by the Rambler. 



Hath has several tine churches. We attended 

 the IJaptist and Presbytei'ian. In the latter we 



found a vei'y lai'ge Sunday-school, and what is 

 reported to be the largest young meii's Hible- 

 class in the State of New York. There were 

 over 150 in the class, taught by the editor of the 

 leading paper of liath. We found one of the 

 secrets of his success in the /)C/'.sn//((/ work he 

 devoted to the cause. His religion seemed to 

 be the every-day kind, and the seasonable word 

 was spoken at all times and occasions. Would 

 that Sunday-sclu)ol teachers would go and do 

 likew ise all over our land I 



With the county-house as a center we direct- 

 ed our rambles in various directions. One very 

 interesting point visited was Hammondsport, 

 on Keuka Lake, the very center of tlie great 

 grape-growing industry of tJie State. The^cli- 

 mate near these lakes in Central New York 

 seems to be adapted to small-fruit culture, and 

 especially grapes: but on the shores of Lake 

 Keuka seems to be the natural home of this 

 rich fruit, and thousands of acres are under 

 cultivation. Thousands of tons of grapes are 

 sliipped in baskets and crates to be consumed 

 according to nature's way: but tons are also 

 tised in the manufacture of the various wines 

 known to the trade. The Pleasant Valley 

 Wine Co. is the largest concern of the kind, and 

 uses tons of grapes. The process in its first 

 stages is much like making cider from apples. 

 A similar grater is used, and for expressing the 

 juice a Boomer & Hoschert press is used. The 

 wine is then kept for a time in large tanks. It 

 rinallv is put into bottles, and stored in a dark 

 cellar. Candles were lighted, and we passed 

 between long rows of bcjttles piled up like stove- 

 wood, several thousand bottles in a [)ile. After 

 some weeks they ai'e taken from this pile and 

 inserte(l. cork down, in long racks, where they 

 remain a long time, but being often disturbed, 

 and put back again. In hot weather the men 

 who handle the bottles have to wear wire 

 nuisks over their heads, for there is danger of 

 i)eing severelv cut by bursting bottles. Our guide 

 had his hand bandaged from such a mishap; 

 and though it was cool weather at the time of 

 our visit, we could often hear the po]) of a burst- 

 ing bottle. Our guide infoiMued us that al)Out 



UAfKS OF WINE-BOTTI-KS. 



thirtv |):'r cent of the wine and bottles was 

 thus' wasted. Coming to the upi)er regions 

 again, we were shown machinery for washing, 

 for filling, corking, tinfoiling. and lal)eling the. 

 bottles, until tinallv they looked so enticing 

 the Ramblei' thought of getting one into his 

 pocket: but a reconsideration prevented. We 

 imagined how we should lik<'tosee the honey 

 business just boom in this way. and see all of 

 this work'done in a factory for preparing honey 

 for market; but this, perhaps, is an idle dream, 

 for honey does not pander to the perverted 

 taste and passions of men. 



Oiu' guide finally led us into a little carpeted 

 room with easv-chairs and a rouud table, 

 :ind invited us to sit down. Sevei'al bottles 

 wine - glasses were pi'oiMireil from the, 

 room. and. said he. "(Jentlemen. what 

 you lake?" My traveling comi)anion 

 lie had no choice. The Rambler said iiis 

 •hoice was n(jl to di'ink. A bottle of cham- 

 |)agne was. howev<'r. opened, and the glasses 

 filled. .Ml! it api)eared to be good wine; it 



and 

 next 

 will 

 said 



