230 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUKE. 



June 



OUR CARTOON FOR JUNE. 



¥OU see our friend has prepared himself 

 well for the work, had his veil all 

 tucked nicely about his neck, his 

 smoker in good trim, and had even tied his 

 trousers about his ankles, that there might 

 be no hindrance from unlucky bees getting 

 the impression that these openings were en- 

 trances to hives, and every thing seemed pro- 

 pitious as he started out on a fine May 

 morning, filled with the very commendable 

 idea of having all his bees on combs of a 

 uniform size. 



AN ABC SCHOLAR'S TRIALS IN TRANS- 

 FERRING. 



Only a week before, a neighbor had trans- 

 ferred the hives you see over toward the 

 fence, and the whole operation seemed easy 

 and simple. Since then, however, the fruit 

 bloom had vanished, and he had forgotten 

 the injunction of the ABC book, to beware 

 of trying to do such work, when the bees 

 were not gathering honey. As he scattered 

 his combs about, omitting to use a cloth to 

 cover the exposed sweets, as advised in the 

 book, the robbers began very quietly loading 

 up, and before he knew it, stinging was the 

 order of the day, in a way he had never 

 quite experienced before. His dog, which 

 had, until now, been very much interested 

 in the proceeding, suddenly beat a retreat 

 with a series of quick yelps ; next a chicken 

 that chanced to be near, started off with 

 alacrity, and finally his friend who was 

 present promised to see him againCr 1 ), and 

 bid him "Good day" rather unceremonious- 

 ly. He used his smoker, but they clung in 

 frenzied rage to his trousers, stinging 

 through, diving into his pockets and down 

 his neck, until he, too, was compelled to re- 

 tire from the field. While his friend is beat- 

 ing the air furiously at a little distance, an 

 innocent passer by in the road has started 

 his horse with a wonderful suddenness, and 

 has apparently no intention at all, of stop- 

 ping to recover the hat which he lias knock- 

 ed off, in trying to beat away the bees which 

 have gone over the fence to attack him so 

 furiously, when he "wan't doing nothin' at 

 all." 



Moral. — If you do not want your town's 

 people to vote you and your bees a nui- 

 sance, beware how you leave honey care- 

 lessly exposed, at a' time when bees are 

 gathering nothing. 



P. S. — Our engraver says he thinks the 

 man with the bee on his back must have 

 been the minister, but I think he is mistaken. 



SHADING REE HIVES. 



KILLING TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE. 



JF|>N page 124, of April No., friend Phelps 

 WW speaks of shading hives with a tomato 

 vine, trained on a trellis. Having 

 noticed that the tomato is very easily 

 "taught" to go in any way you want it to go, 

 the idea at once occurred to me, of having 

 them trained in the same way we do our 

 grape vines, and seeing some fine plants 

 down at my mother's, I begged one to be 

 put under a course of instruction. That you 

 may all try one, too, I give an engraving be- 

 low, of how I expect it to look in a month or 

 two. 



TOMATO VINE TRAINED TO SHADE A BEE 

 HIVE. 



We want 2 posts, 2 slats, and 3 wires. 

 I would have the top bar 3 feet long, and 4 

 feet above the ground. Make the plant 

 throw out 4 branches, 2 on each side, and 

 then pinch off all others. When any branch 

 gets to the top of the stake, pinch it off. 

 The fruit, having plenty of sun and light, 

 will probably be very large, and very early. 

 When you make a report of your hive, you 

 can also make one of your tomato plant. 

 Now, boys, who will beat me? If you will 

 send me a photo of them when full of fruit, 

 I will have the best one engraved. 



P. S.— Tie the branches to the stakes with 

 "pink ribbons;" or if that should not be in 

 taste, will the Ladies Department suggest a 

 better color? 



If any body deserves to have trouble, it is the 

 folks that will send bees and bees-wax, without put- 

 ting- their names on the boxes. They generally get 

 it too. 



It will hardly ever pay to send bees-wax by ex- 

 press. Go around to your neighbors, and scrape up 

 100 lbs. or a barrel, and then get a special rate on it 

 by freight. 



A great many, in ordering dollar queens, say 

 "Pick me out a nice one." My friends, who do you 

 suppose wants those that are left, that are not nice? 

 If you order dollar queens, you must take them 

 just as they come. 



