1887 



(JLEAiM^G^ i^ HKE (JULTUHi:. 



21; 



In one corner stood a small building in which he 

 wintered his bees; and, throwing open the door, 

 he explained that the walls were double, and pack- 

 ed with sawdust, and the tioor deeply strewn with 

 the same. At this time, however, the Hoor was 

 covered with a matting of dead bees, and the close, 

 unpleasant air, made it unadvisablc to step with- 

 in. Probably in the fall every thing was made 

 sweet and clean before the bees were packed 

 away, but I could not but think that our way of 

 outdoor wintering, where the bees are sure to get 

 pure fresh air. is preferable. 



"Outdoor wintering." said our friend, "would 

 not do for this location. Our winters are too se- 

 vere." 



"The severity of the wintex'," I returned, 

 " would make no difference if the bees were prop- 

 erly protected." 



"But the depth of the snow— they would be 

 smothered," he insisted. 



" We are careful, after every severe storm, to 

 see that the entrances are free from snow." And 

 then, stirred with a sudden remembrance of cer- 

 tain mistaken assertions regarding our winter 

 management, 1 added, with some warmth. " a.id 

 we never disturb our bees by rasping off the bot- 

 tom-boards with abent wire or piece of hoojMron!" 



" Ah ! well," was the mild reply, " a way that 

 pleases one may not please another; " and, drop- 

 ping the supject of wintering, we passed on to the 

 shop, with its medley of hives, frames, extractor, 

 and rows of kegs and bright tin pails. Here the 

 inexhaustible subject of marketing honey was 

 touched upon, and this Vermont bee-keeper won 

 my profound respect by assuring me that dispos- 

 ing of his honey was the simplest part of his busi- 

 ness. <lf two bee-keepers, the one finding a ready 

 sale for his comb honey because of its beauty and 

 the care he bestows upon it. and the other building 

 up a reliable mai'ket for his extracted honey, the 

 latter, in my opinion, deserves by far the greater 

 credit. 



As we were leaving, I asked if he would lend me 

 a few bee-journals for a day or two. it had been so 

 long since I had seen one. 



" I should be glad to oblige you." was the reply, 

 "but I am not taking any. A few years ago I did 

 take Root's journal for a short time, but I soon 

 found out that it couldn't teach me any thing. We 

 old bee-keepers," he continued, with a (juiet smile, 

 "when we have once thoroughly learned our les- 

 son, don't need the advice of bee-journals." 



As we passed out the gate, admiring, Mary 

 whispered, " How wise he is!" And then, giving 

 my arm a little squeeze, she added, " How glad I 

 am that we thought to give you this pleasure!" 

 And Charley, walking before with a little pail of 

 clover honey swinging fi-om his fingers, glanced 

 back with a nod and smile. And, indeed, it had 

 been a pleasure; though when our host had cor- 

 dially urged that our visit be repeated at an earli- 

 er hour in the day, when hives could be opened 

 and the complete workings of his apiary exhibited, 

 I remembered the bees he had so unnecessarily 

 sacrificed, and excused myself with thanks. And 

 notwithstanding his assertion, I think too highly 

 of the class to which I am proud to belong, to be- 

 lieve there are many, even among " we old bee- 

 keepers," who have so little regard for the lives 

 of those who toil in ourbehalf. Nellie Linswik. 



l^ear friend Nellie, I am very, very glad 



you, have put in this plea for humanity for 

 bur little workers. I know there are many 

 bee-keepers who do cruelly crush and man- 

 gle the little fellows in the way you describe: 

 but no amount of argument will ever con- 

 vince me that it is the right thing for a 

 Christian man in a Christian country to do ; 

 and I am very sure it does not pay, either, 

 in dollars and cents. I have seen colonies 

 become unmanageable by just such treat- 

 ment, and I have wondered several times, 

 Avhen discussing these matters in regard to 

 bees being a nuisance to the neighbors, 

 whether it were not ix)ssible that the whole 

 trouble originated in this kind of mismanage- 

 ment. I hate to be bothered with a smoker, 

 when I am in a hurry ; but by means of the 

 enamel sheet to be placed over the fiames 

 before the cover is sluit down, I can almost 

 invariably close the hive quickly, and .ifith- 

 out killing even one bee. Why didn't the 

 man take his pipe along with him, if smoke 

 he mu.^t, and drive the poor little chaps 

 back with the fumes of tobacco Y Much as I 

 object to such a way of doing, 1 think it 

 better than to kill the bees without scruple. 



A POOT-POW^ER BUZZ SAW^ FOR ONLY 



10 CENTS. 



RIGGING Ul" X BUZZ-SAW TO BE RUN BV A SEW- 

 ING-MACHINE WHEEL AND TRE.\DLE. 



Up few days ago. at an auction sale 1 purchas- 

 2K\Ki ^^^ '* Wheeler & Wilson sewing-machine for 

 ^N|? ten cfnt.x. lam real i)r()ud of m>' purchase I 

 ■^■*- Of course, the sewing attachments are "no 

 good," but it has a good Hy-wheel, treadle, 

 and a 6 inch belt-wheel. Now, 1 want to know if 

 one of those $~..50 saw-mandrels, with a si,\-inch 

 saw, could be made to do good work on this ma- 

 chine. I wanted a regular saw-table, engine, etc.. 

 but — whew 1 



I used to work in your saw-room, but It seemed 

 tome that those saws were just "sighing" for my 

 fingers, and that the rolls on that big planer were 

 just " groHning" for my thumbs. I "sighed" for 

 the office or the compositoi's' room (am still sigh- 

 ing), and felt quite relieved to get in the wax- 

 room. Since that I have learned hnic to saw. ami 

 how to be happy in doimj it. 



If I can't convert this machine into a foot-powcM- 

 saw, I know what I can do: I can put an emery- 

 wheel on it, swing it on my back, and go over the 

 country sharpening honey-knives, scissors, etc. 

 May be it would be too heavy, though. Since I 

 have thought over Mrs. Chaddock's experience as 

 book-agent (I admire her ambition) 1 have decided 

 not to take the machine around on my back. If I 

 can't make a saw of it I will take the machinery 

 out, and use the table for an aquarium stand. 



Groesbeck, ( )., Jan. 8, 1887. Walter S. Pouder. 



Friend P., this matter has come up sever- 

 al times before. A balance-wheel and 

 treadle is exactly what is wanted to propel a 

 buzz-saw, but the machine is too light for 

 any thing like heavy work. If the stuff you 

 wish to cut is only i inch, possibly I, or even 

 ^, a saw made just right would do the work 

 beautifully, very nicely, and true; but to cut 

 stuff foi- bee-hives needs all the strength of 

 a good strong man while standing on his 



