1874 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Ill 



OIR OWN APIARY. 



JKpjHE weather is to-day, Aug. 39th, very dry, 

 2!L and sultry, the wind has blown the dust 

 and leaves about in such disorder that our 

 Apiary presents anything but a tidy appear- 

 ance. To add to our troubles, the cider mill 

 has commenced work and our bees were on 

 IkuhI punctually, as they were a year ago. 

 Although quite a number of stocks belonging 

 to others are kept in the neighborhood and if 

 we are compelled to resort to out-door feeding, 

 we shall have to feed the whole, yet we cannot 

 have our bees annoy our neighbors ; if they 

 continue to work at the cider mill we must feed 

 them sugar all they can all carry away. To 

 add to our troubles, already a suspiciously 

 large number of bees are crawling about in the 

 dust looking for all the world as if they had 

 had "too much cider." We are heartily glad 

 to-morrow is Sunday, for we are tired. Our 

 paper is out on time as usual 'tis true, but it 

 was only by working nights that we were 

 prompt this mouth. 



Oh ! that it only would rain. 



Aug. 'dlst — We arose yesterday morning feel- 

 ing that at least one day in the week our bees 

 would not be tempted, for cider mills fortu- 

 nately do not "work" on Sunday. Early in the 

 morning they seemed to be very thievishly in- 

 clined for they buzzed querulously from hive 

 to hive in a manner that betokens an unheal- 

 thy excitement, and gi'eed for gain not to be 

 procured through the ordinary path of honest 

 industry. We can readily imagine the feeling 

 that a gambler or burglar must have after tirst 

 pocketing dishonest gains ; perhaps he has just 

 abandoned an honorable calling because times 

 are dull, and full of an unhealthy excitement 

 at such a sudden and easy way of getting mon- 

 ey he may for a time evade stinging reproaches 

 of a guilty conscience for having appropiated 

 without equivalent, the honest, innocent, earn- 

 ings of his fellow men; but does not the time 

 come when he feels that he would be far hap- 

 pier with the most meagre fare or plainest 

 clothing for his wife and family, could he only 

 once more lie down at*ight with the old feel- 

 ing, that 'twas all his own and honestly gained, 

 and that no one of his fellow beings had been 

 in the least wronged out of their honest earn- 

 i ngs ? Have bees any conscience ? are they 

 just as happy while robbing their neighbors'? 

 We mused thus while studying their move- 

 ments this Sabbath morning. 



Later, after the dew was off, we were pleased 

 to see them launching out in an opposite direc- 

 tion from the cider mill and when they began 

 returning laden, and with that weary happy 

 Sium, that surely betokens honest labor, our 

 curiosity was aroused. By nine o'clock a per- 

 fect stream of bees were pouring out in this 

 same direction, and they hurried out of the 

 hives to tile in with the throng in a way that 

 seeemed to indicate none would be left. 'Twas 

 only an hour and a half to church time, yet we 

 clambered over the fence, and "poured" in the 

 same direction, our enthusiasm being kept up 

 by hearing their hum over head. After pass- 

 ing through a piece of woods about a mile 

 from home we found about a half acre of Bone 

 set, or Thoroughwort, (Ewpatorium Perfolia- 

 tum) and the view on coming suddenly out on 



this mass of bloom, literally dancing, and joy- 

 ous, with our Imported Queens young grand 

 children, was indescribable. The blossoms 

 were nearly on a level with ones head and the 

 music the bees made was decidedly different in 

 tone from that around the cider mill or the out 

 door sugar feeding either for that matter. 

 Their little selves were all dusted with the 

 snowy pollen and their happy hum seemed to 

 indicate that they, like ourself, felt such a 

 feeling of thankfulness to our Creator for the 

 beautiful world he has given us, that even ex- 

 istence is a pleasure. As this, could not em- 

 ploy all of them we went farther, and in a 

 dense wood beyond found acres of White snake 

 root (Eupatorium Lageratoides) not yet quite in 

 bloom, but still visited quite plentifully with 

 bees. Another plant interested us still more, 

 but before describing it we will say that for 

 several years past we have in the fall noticed 

 bees coining in ladeu, that had a queer white 

 spot on the tuft between the roots of the wings. 

 This sometimes had almost the appearance of 

 a drop of white paint having fallen on them. 

 In vain did we sally out with the determina- 

 tion of rinding what plant gave this white 

 powder, for we were invariably baffled, and 

 riually consoled ourselves by thinking it must 

 be from thistles. To-day however, no bees 

 were on thistles, and yet this white spot was 

 plainer than ever as they hurried into the hive 

 to unload, and also when they hied to the 

 woods again. The bells were ringing for 

 church, and we were more than a mile away in 

 the woods, yet with uncovered head we stoop- 

 ed in mute wonder over the solution of the 

 riddle that had perplexed us so long. The 

 plant was the wild Touch-me-not, {Impatiens) 

 so familiar to urchins on account of the won- 

 derful pods that snap all to pieces when touch- 

 ed. Well the honey is secreted in a spur in the 

 bottom of the flower, and the I>ee can only 

 reach this by diving down into it almost out 

 of sight and when the coveted treasure is ob- 

 tained he backs out with a ludicrous kicking 

 and sprawling of his legs, and in so doing the 

 down on his back is ruffled up the wrong way. 

 Now this would be pretty certain to get the pol- 

 len dusted all over him, but nature to make 

 sure has planted a little tuft that bears the 

 pollen just on the upper side of the entrance to 

 the flower, and in his struggles to get out the 

 white pollen is brushed all into his back most 

 effectually, to be carried to the next flower 

 and so on. 



As we hastened homeward with a boquet 

 composed of the different plants named, we 

 passed by a quantity of what is called here, 

 Rag weed, or Bitter weed, (Ambrosia Artemis- 

 ioifolia) here too the bees and nature were at 

 work. Since Darwin has partially enlightened 

 us we might say too perhaps, that "Natural 

 selection" was at work. This plant bears the 

 male, or pollen bearing flowers on tall racemes 

 somewhat similar to corn, while the seeds are 

 produced lower down where the branches 

 leave the stem. As bees only work occasion- 

 ally on this' plant they are not really necessary 

 to its fertilization as in the case of the Touch- 

 me-not, and accordingly we And that it produ- 

 ces hundreds of the male or pollen bearing 

 flowers to one of the seed blossoms. Now is 

 there not something analogous in this to the 



