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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 



Just one thing more, my good friend : If 

 the police regulations could only " regulate 

 or restrain" (prohibition would be out of the 

 question, I suppose) the growing evil of — 

 riot intemperance this time — but those very 

 bustles you have alluded to, Uncle Amos 

 would feel happy, even if no one else did. 



THE STARVING COLONY. 



THE AI.FILAHIA. 



Starvation's form sat grinning- at their door— 

 Their only guard— what need had they of more? 

 They called a meeting- then, in Sally Hall, 

 To see if they had means to live at all. 

 An aged warrior cried, " My race is run, 

 While many more of yours have just begun. 

 Three cells are left— a scanty store, I ween, 

 And I would move we leave them for the queen. 

 We may die slowly— singly— one and ail- 

 But our dear queen must be the last to fall." 

 " I charge you now," she cried, with pleading eye, 

 "To tell us plainly if we have to die; 

 Tell us what foe we have to face or fear; 

 And quickly, too, or it shall cost you dear! " 

 "Arm ! arm ! ' he cried, " 'tis not the crack of doom 

 I come to tell; the 'filaree's in bloom! " 

 A shout went up that made the welkin ring, 

 And every bee began to whet his sting. 

 A round applause was given that shook the floor, 

 When all at once a scout stood at the door; 

 And he had that within his eye which told 

 That he had potent news to there unfold. 

 "Arm for the fight," he cried; "each warrior, arm !' 

 Each stood aghast, with terror and alarm! 

 And then the queen, to aggravate their fears, 

 Stood up and burst into a flood of tears. 

 The fainting queen fell helpless to the floor, 

 While all rushed pellmell for the door. 

 And then they raised the song they always sing. 

 When every bee is every inch a kiiu.i. 

 The scout and queen were then a happy pair; 

 For now she sang and wept for joy there. 

 But, hark ! The first-returning song she hears, 

 And, starting up, she wiped away her tears. 



I. 



"O my queen mother! I come, I come, 

 Over mountain, hill, and dale, 

 Through the deep and silent vale. 

 Every thing was dry and stale— 

 I thought the very skies looked pale." 

 II. 



" my queen mother! I come, I come— 

 I hied me to a vineyard bare, 

 Where oft the bloom is rich and rare- 

 Found only desolation there, 

 As I swept through the silent air." 

 III. 



"O my queen mother! I come, I come; 

 But further on— on lower ground. 

 A lovely green rosette I found 

 Not only one— but they abound 

 In great profusion scattered round." 

 IV. 



" O my queen mother! I come, I come; 

 I found the purple star was there; 

 And the green rosettes, so rich and rare, 

 Are coming up in thousands, where 

 The ground of late was stark and bare." 



"O my queen mother! I come, I come; 

 And here I now present to you 

 This shining drop of nectar new. 

 The purple star that's always true, 

 Now gives her first fruits unto you." 



VI. 



" O my queen mother! I come, T come; 

 A hundred now behind me stand, 

 With nectar from the vineyard land. 

 A sweet surprise the scout had planned 

 When we lay on the starving stand." 



The alfllaria is one of the most nutritious grasses 

 of California. It comes up first in well-worked, 

 clean ground, in the shape of a green rosette. The 

 rosette looks as if it were made out of small fern 

 leaves. In the middle of it first appears a small 

 purple star; then another and another, until the 

 gi - ass loses the shape of the rosette, and bears hun- 

 dreds of flowers. It lasts until the Mack sage 

 blooms. It lies so flat on the ground, when it first 

 blooms, and the bees are so thick on it, that I have 

 been often afraid of trampling them to death in 

 walking over a patch of it. 



Bees on this coast, so far as I have handled them, 

 are more vicious and vindictive in the honey season 

 than at any other time. In the dry season and in 

 the fore part of the winter, they hang in the upper 

 story of the hive, many times three inches deep. 

 They seem to be listless and lazy, and are ashamed 

 to look you in the face. I do not believe that over 

 five per cent are in the air, at any one time during 

 the whole time from the close of the honey season 

 until the opening of the flowers the next year. I 

 have thought that they keep only scouts out during 

 all this period. Two or three puffs of smoke will 

 settle them at this time, but it takes volumes of it 

 to take off honey, or to go into the brood-chamber 

 during the honey season. J. P. Israel,. 



Olivenhain, San Diego Co., Cal. 



Why, friend L, the very mention of alfil- 

 aria, especially as you put it, brings up 

 many happy memories ; and I want to say 

 to our readers, that, when I first set foot on 

 the soil of California, there was not a green 

 thing nor a living thing to be seen on the 

 mountains, and hardly any thing in the val- 

 leys — that is, without the aid of irrigation ; 

 but under the inlluence of a summer rain, in 

 just a few hours the whole landscape became 

 clothed with green, and a great part of the 

 green came from the 'filaree. When I was a 

 jeweler we used to have a certain kind of 

 work which we called " filagree." Well, the 

 filaree suggests just that. It comes up as 

 grass, and I am told it makes excellent feed. 

 The beautiful bright green has a sort of 

 mellow golden tint that is sure of captivat- 

 ing any one who loves nature. In the most 

 protected valleys I watched for the largest 

 specimens, hoping I might catch a glimpse 

 of the tiny flower, but I didn't; and inas- 

 much as there are thousands of acres of it, 

 and it comes up spontaneously everywhere, I 

 don't wonder that the bees rejoice when it 

 comes in and saves from starvation per- 

 haps thousands of colonies. I have so many 

 times watched the bees in their rejoicings 

 when the first honey came in from the soft 

 maples, that I can readily imagine your 

 poem to be true, at least in sentiment. 



