462 



(jLr:A:NiNGS in bee culture. 



June 



H. himself. After I had dictated tlie reply, 

 I had a feeling that I had been a little off 

 from the track ; and when it occurred to me, 

 T liastened back to the office to have the re- 

 ply cut down, or taken out entirely ; but it 

 was already on the press, and could not be 

 changed. For my part, 1 should like to see 

 the book ilkislrated in the way I suggested; 

 but when I said it needed as "many ilhistra- 

 tions as there were pages I was probably ex- 

 travagant. The book has had quite a boom, 

 if you have already sold one thousand. 



Now in regard to this other matter : 1 am 

 always glad to see the editors fully alive to 

 every item tliat appears in their publication ; 

 but it makes me feel sad to see tliem set a 

 bad example before their readers, by get- 

 ting into controversies, i^ditors are, liow- 

 ever, human, like other people ; and may 

 God give me enoagli grace and honesty of 

 purpose to own up frankly whenever I have 

 transgressed, or said more than I intended. 



OUR P. BENSON LETTER. 



HIVIN JENNY S SWAUM. 



^ENNY gethcred up sum moar tin ware includin 

 ^Iw' a horn, and when all were set agoin you jist 

 *\| otto herd em. My! if it wuzzent a racket. 

 ^^ But before this, Jack hed drawed a bead on 

 the swarm with his gun and let fly, sayin, " If 

 that air charge hits the old king in the face, ittlc 

 spoil his snoot for him." 



As mite be naterally e.xpected with sitch a racket, 

 the bees soon was all lit onto the lim. " She's a 

 suotly-goster," sez Sid. She ment it wuz a big 

 swarm. " Why, thuz mourn 3 bushel of bees," sez 

 Em. " Whattle 1 ever git cm into?" sez Jenny. " Git 

 a barl," sez Mary. So they got a barl that was layin 

 down on its side for a hen's nest, but just then 

 Jenny's bruther Will got home and sed that was his 

 hen's nest and they coodent no swarm of bees go 

 into it, not onlest he cood hev a peace of hunny. 

 Jenny flnclly had to prommice him the Ist peace of 

 bniuiy they made, and the barl was sot under the 

 swarm. "Now you must have a sheet under it," 

 sez Mary. " Woont a table cloth do?" sez Jenny. 

 " No, it must be a sheet." So she got the sheet and 

 poot it under the barl and poot a cupple of sticks of 

 Are wood under the ej of the barl. Then it was 

 who shood shaik them down. " Jack izzcnt afecrd," 

 sez Em. " What if they should take after a feller?" 

 sez Jack. " I ges you kin run," sez Mary. So Jack 

 took a long pole, and the rest all stood back, and he 

 highsts the pole kind a carefull like, shets his ize 

 and makes 1 quick jiib at the lim, and then drops 

 the pole and runs like the hole swarm was after 

 him. Then they all laffed for he had missed the 

 limb and Jack cum back and tride it agane. This 

 time he hit the lim and sum of the swarm fell on the 

 ground, but floo back onto the lim. " The barl aint 

 in the rite place," sez Jenny. " Rub it with tanzy 

 and thale go in," sezEm. Will got sum tanzy and 

 rubbed the barl, and poot it in the rite place, but 

 before he hed time to git back out of the way, Jack 

 give the lim a offle big punch and down cum the 

 hole swarm, sum of em rite onto Will. " Mercy me, 

 I got to git outa this," sez Will and he begun to 

 scatter lively. Jack poot boath hands on his nees 

 and jest doubled himself up a laffin at Will, when 

 just then 2 or 3 bees steered straight for Jack. Kun I 



I guess he did run. Boath hands a tlyin like a wind- 

 mill, a strikin his hair and a nockin oft his hat. 

 Thay coodent coax him back no way. " Cum and 

 see them croll into the barl," sez Will. "No, I 

 haint well," sez Jack. " I got to go home and do 

 my chores. Sid, bring my gun and hat with you." 



HIS HANDS FLYIN LIKE A WINDMILL. 



In a little while the bees was pirty much all in the 

 barl, and the oddycnce was admirin them when 1 of 

 the dogs, being of a inquiring turn, came in ruther 

 close propinkquitty. A bee lit onto his back and 

 that dog gave 1 yelp and jumped mourn 10 feet into 

 the air. When he cum down he gave another yelp 

 and then he looked aroun to see whair the coal of 

 fire was on his back. Then he broke for the woods 

 like a streek of greese litenin, evrj^ spring givin a 

 yelp, and it was 10 days before that dog got back 

 home, lookin like hede bin throo a corn sheller. 



P. Benson, A. B. S. 

 Konldiided. 



DOOLITTLE DISPUTED. 



THE PIPING OF QUEENS. 



T THINK G. M. Doolittle is justly considered good 

 (M authority on most questions pertaining to bee 

 ^l culture, and the man who calls in question any 

 "*■ assertion he makes ought to be well posted on 

 the disputed point, and know whereof he af- 

 firms. I have been a bee-keeper for more than 30 

 years, and positively know that his theory (see page 

 434, June 1st) in regard to after-swarms and piping 

 queens is not correct. I agree with him as to the 

 time between the issue of the first swarm and the 

 piping of the first queen, and the issuing of the sec- 

 ond swarm, which, as he says, will take place with 

 almost mathematical accuracy in nine or ten days 

 from the first swarm; but I most emphatically deny 

 that there is only one queen allowed to leave the 

 queen-cells at a time, or that only one pipes at a 

 time, or that, as a rule, only one queen accompan- 

 ies the recond, third, or, in fact, any after-swarm. 

 I know it, because I have many times heard two or 

 more queens piping at the same time. I have seen 

 and caught several in the same swarm, and I almost 

 always And one or more dead queens under the 

 hive when it is moved to its stand after hiving an 

 after-swarip. There may be exceptions; but as a 

 rule there will be two or more queens with after- 

 swarms, but more especially third and fourth 

 swarms. Friend D., examine this question and re- 

 port. A Dewey. 

 Marshfleld, Pa., June, 1887. 



