1887 



gleani:ngs in bee culture. 



259 



they take to pins a good deal as ducks do to 

 water. Perhaps it woiild not be well to 

 have these iron plus taken into a family 

 where they might be used in such a way as 

 to do damage. 



We have also the best quality of tinware ; j 

 but as our covered pails are mainly used for ■ 

 honey, to be given away with the lioney, ! 

 they "are our great specialty; and by the 

 way, friend M., it makes a gieat difference 

 who uses the tinware. A few days ago I j 

 asked ray wife how long a certain utensil ' 

 liad been' in use ; and although it is a piece 

 of tinware, slie said she had used it almost 

 ever since we were tirst married. I told her 

 I would throw it away and get a new one, 

 simply for looks' sake, if for nothing else. 

 Her invariable hal>it, however, is to have 

 tinware cleaned and wiped dry, and put up 

 on the shelf every time it is used. We nev- 

 er leave water standing in any tin utensil, 

 unless it is the water-pail, and I believe 

 that is always upside down (taking a rest, as 

 it were) in the nighttime. Rubbing occa- 

 sionally a little of some kind of grease that 

 contains no salt, in the joints, or on places 

 most apt to rust, will also aid greatly in 

 making tinware last. Some people, how- 

 ever, say this is too much trouble, and that 

 they would rather have a new one once in a 

 Avliile. and so they get a new wash-basin 

 every summer — a new dipper perhaps often- 

 er, or new water-pails, in the same way. 



I am glad that you found out what that 

 uncouth-looking handle was intended for, 

 friend M. In the appendix to the Potato- 

 Book Mr. Terry mentions that tlieir women- 

 folks always get their fingers sore in cut- 

 ting up potatoes for seed, and directs that 

 you wind a rag around the fore-linger, etc. 

 Now. this knife has the exceedingly thin 

 line steel blade he advises, and the handle 

 projects up along the blade so as to form an 

 easy natural rest for that same fore-finger. 

 I think we shall have to have a picture of 

 this knife, as it seems to be so exceedingly 

 handy for so many purposes. 



In regard to spectacles, I presume you 

 know, friend M., that for a good many years 

 of my life I stood behind the counter and 

 sold spectacles. A good deal of the time 

 my father stood with me, and we examined 

 faithfully and carefully the so-called "peb- 

 bleglasses," and compared them with manu- 

 factured lenses made of a fine quality of 

 clear Hint glass. Both of us soon became 

 satislied, and the testimony of dozens of 

 customers still further satisfied us, that al- 

 most as good glasses could be furnished for 

 a few cents as could be bought of the so- 

 called opticians for a good many dollars; 

 and I have for years advised myfiiends to 

 use such spectacles as we sell at 2o cts. If 

 they want something that will answer out 

 in the fields, to lay down on the work-bench, 

 or so as to have a pair in each pocket, get 

 three or four pair of the ten-cent ones at the 

 same time. One of the ladies who attends 

 our teachers' meetings owns perhaps half a 

 dozen pair of spectacles. Somg of them cost 

 as high as $2. .50 or even $3.00, but she de- 

 clares positively that a pair she got of us for 

 ten cents are a good,deal better glasses than 

 thBj highest-priced "ones. "; I '.presume the 



truth is, that some of the ten-cent ones oft- 

 en suit the eyes exactly, by what we might 

 perhaps call accident. The very glasses we 

 sell for 2o cts. are often sold for f 2.00 or 

 more. The jewelers and opticians who do 

 it, justify themselves by saying they can 

 not get along and pay their rent and other 

 expenses unless they have great profits on 

 certain lines of goods. It looks to me, how- 

 ever, as if they might as well say they could 

 not get through this world comfortably by 

 doing as they would be done by. 



Friend M., we luive not been able to find a 

 manufacturer of suspenders yet who would 

 give us such goods as we want. If there is 

 a manufacturer of this line of goods among 

 the readers of CtLeaninc}8, we shall be very 

 happy to make his acquaintance. 



BUMBLE-BEES. 



A FEW MORE FACTS ABOUT THEIK HABITS. 



HEN at lu)me on the farm, a lad of some 15 

 years, 1 was made interested in honey- 

 bees by some neig-hbors cutting down a 

 tree, robbing- them of their stores, and 

 leaving the bees, which I secured, yet of 

 no use more than to awaken a more lively Interest 

 in bees and their habits, as it was fall, and the 

 queen was killed. The next year father bought me 

 a colony of bees in a movable-comb hive, and from 

 that time on 1 have ever been a lover of bees. 

 About this time I took a notion to try and get a 

 colony of bumble-bees, so I made a box about six 

 inches square, with bottom board projecting, and a 

 ?4-in. hole for entrance; for a cover, just a piece of 

 board held on by a stone. I do not remember just 

 how I got the first nest into the box, but I did, and 

 every nest that I could rob I added the brood 

 part to it, and let them hatch. Tliey made quite a 

 strong colony. By the way, there are two or three 

 varieties here. One kind is small, with about half 

 of the abdomen a shiny black; another kind with a 

 band of red hairs across the abdomen. This is the 

 kind we boys liked to rob; it is true, they are more 

 vicious; but with that there was more honey. I 

 fancy there is also a large yellow kind, uot so good 

 for honey-gathering. My colony consisted of these 

 three varieties working harmoniously together. 

 About July or August 1 lifted up the lid. The cells 

 were just shining full of honey. Thinks I to my- 

 self, there will be a fine treat after awhile. Well, 

 one morning, when 1 thought the flowers were 

 failing, I lifted the lid again and "peeked in;" and 

 just at that time a bee "peeked out" and flew perpen- 

 dicularly to the side of my eye. While smarting 

 with pain I was much inclined to give the box a 

 kick and send it across the garden; but 1 did not, 

 and need not tell you why. Some days afterward, 

 noticing there was not much stir about the hive, I 

 lifted the lid again, and, to my horror, nearly all 

 the bees were gone and all the honey consumed. 



I have seen the drones and queens mating quite 

 a few times; also toward fall, on a ttne day, I have 

 seen one or two dozen drones flying about where a 

 nest is 8ituated,'.and young queens^ among them. 

 1 have also robbed nests when there would be sev- 

 eral young queens besides the old one. I ha<-e 

 found them in spring with one cell of honey and 

 one containing pollen and an egg in it, together 



