e,3G 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 



Well. 1 suspect, friend W. Z., you just felt 

 like wiiiing as you did, because you knew 

 it would hit me exactly. Iluber has arrived 

 at the age of nails and hammers, or pretty 

 neax-ly so. Only yesterday I scowled up my 

 face, and was going to remonstrate pretty 

 earnestly at the awtul clatter somebody was 

 making while I was trying to talk : but aft- 

 er I got where the sounds came from I found 

 it was Iluber with a three-cent hammer, a 

 tin dish of nails, and a lot of sticks such as 

 the girls have to put in the A B C book to 

 keep the edges from getting injured in the 

 mails. His face was so full of enthusiasm, 

 and he was having such a real good time, 

 that I let the scowl on my face slide off, and 

 I turned around and went away, and didn't 

 scold a bit. Yes, let even the girls have 

 their nails and their hammers and bee-hives, 

 and whatever else they take a notion to, tliat 

 will not do them harm, and especially these 

 things that will teach them to love rural pur- 

 suits and (Jod's own liandiwork. Yes, I re- 

 member when I wanted to make a corn- 

 planter, when I was a small bov. my father 

 objected ; but I told him if it did not work I 

 would take every nail out, without l»ending 

 it. and bring them all back to him. I did it, 

 too, and 1 think it taught me a useful lesson, 

 to remember that nails cost monev. 



LETTER FROM ONE OF OUR JUVE- 

 NILES AFTER SHE HAS GROWN UP. 



FROM 2.5 TO V,?,, AND OVER 12,5(1 I.BS. OF HONEY. 



any 



lATHEK came through the winter with •„'5 

 I stainls. They hegan swarniiiiji- the rJTth of 

 April, and tliey just kept swarming- until, aft- 

 er all he has said against the old plan, he was 

 compelled to hive in bo.\es, hall-barrels, or 

 thing-. He is a nurseryraaii, and while attend- 

 ing- to his trees, building- the new house, and stich 

 little jobs, he hadn't much time to look after the 

 industrious pets. They increased to Sf, and lie has 

 taken only about 50 lbs. to the hive, and left them 

 plenty tor winter. The honey is good, well tiavored, 

 and thick; but the little scamps have put in a spot 

 of l)ee-bread every once in a while in the most of it. 

 I have just been watching the bees dig- tlie'Mri- 

 polis " otf the sides of an empty hive. They carry 

 it away in their leg baskets. I suppose they want it 

 to chink up cracks with. Father has killed some 

 loaded specimens for me, but I suppose they will 

 not reach you in very good shape. There were all 

 kinds ai the work— Holy-Lands, blacks, and hybrids. 



AI.SIKE Cr.OVER. 



Father lias some alsike clover. He makes hay of 

 it, and likes it better than any other clover. Sever- 

 al of the neighbors have sown test pieces of it, and, 

 so far as 1 can learn, they are well satisfied with it. 



When I "chipped in " once you mistook me for a 

 juvenile. I am one of those carefree, independent 

 "old maids;" and as I signed only my initials, sev- 

 eral who wanted to learn something about Oregon 

 wrote to me and addressed me as"A. M. Hall, Esq.," 

 and " dear sir. ' I enjoyed the joke very much, bnt 

 still I thought it was a little rough on the innocent 

 inquirers, and so I shall give my proper name this 

 time. Anna M. Haf.i,. 



ileaverton, Oregon, August 111, 1S8.5. 



Thank you, friend Anna, for your kind re- 



port. The spots of bee-bread you say you 

 saw through your comb honey are very unu- 

 sual, and I should think likely it was caused 

 by something in the arrangement of the sur- 

 plus boxes in regard to the brood-nest. I 

 have often noticed the bees carrying their 

 propolis in the same way they do their pol- 

 len, and I believe you are right in your con- 

 jecture that they wanted it to chink up with 

 in anticipation of winter. The specimen 

 yoti mailed showed the gum still adhering 

 to the little leg.— I believe that some of the 

 best friends I have in the world, Anna, be- 

 long to the class which you are pleased to 

 say you represent. You see, women who 

 do not get married always want something 

 to do. 1 happen to be one of those indi- 

 viduals who always have lots of schemes 

 and plans, and so 1 am always needing skill- 

 ful helpers. Well, women who are free from 

 the care of families are just the ones to help 

 me. I help them, and they help nie. Isnt 

 that a pleasant relationship V 



MRS. CHADDOCKS LETTER. 



She Proposes Starting- a Class in Botany 

 Among the Juveniles. 



T.ESSON I.— THE PUMPKIN. 



WANT to study botany; and as it is such lone- 

 some work studying any thing alone, I wonder 

 if the juvenile readers won't helj) me. Let's 

 begin with the pumpkin. How many of the 

 little folks can tell me to what family it belongs? 

 and who will tell me about the two kinds of tlowers 

 found on the same vine? Descrilie the stamens in 

 each, and tell me where the pistil is. This is a 

 short lesson, but 1 believe in short lessons and quick 

 answers. Mahai.a n. Chaduock. 



Vermont, III., Aug. 30, 188.5. 



Mrs. v., I do not know very much about 

 the botanical character of the pumpkin, but 

 I do know this : That Italian bees seem ex- 

 ceedingly fond of the large squash and 

 pumpkin blossoms. The other morning, 

 when I was picking green corn I btimped 

 one of these great posies with my rubber boot 

 (for it was a dark and wet morning), and out 

 came so many Italian bees, one after the 

 other, that I almost began to think they had 

 started a nucleus there. Some years ago a 

 held of pumpkins near our apiary yielded 

 honey enough to settle the hive (m the spring 

 scale a little every morning, when the 

 weather was favorable. The tiouble about 

 our juvenile class, 1 fear, will be this : There 

 will not be room enough for a tenth part of 

 the answers. 



^ I im 



HOW TO CATCH BUMBLE-BEES. 



A N( 



El. 



I.AS. 



WILL write a letter for the juveniles. Under 

 one of my strongest colonies of bees was a nest 

 I of bumble-bees, which annoyed me very much. 

 Whenever I went to pull the grass about the 

 hive, out they would come, and smoke would 

 do no good; they would follow me all over the apia- 

 ry. Yesterday one stung me on the head, and how- 

 to get them destroyed 1 could not think. If I moved 

 the hivi' I was afraid I should destroy too many 

 bees. My daughter told me to "jug them," and I did. 



