m 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 



Every boy or girl, under 15 years of age, who writes a let- 

 ter for this department, containing some valuable fact, not 



GENERALLY KNOWN, ON BEES OR OTHER MATTERS, will receive 



one of David Cook's excellent tive-cent Sunday-school books. 

 Many of these books contain the same matter that you lind in 

 Sunday-school hooks costing from $1.00 to $1..50. If you have 

 had one or more books, give us the names that we may not 

 send the same twice. We have now in stock six different 

 books, as follows; viz. : Sheer Off, Silver Keys, The Giant-Kill- 

 er; or. The Roby Family, Rescued from Egypt, Pilgrim's 

 Progress, and Ten Nights in a Bar-Room. We have also Our 

 Homes, Part I., and our Homes, Part II. Besides the above 

 books, you may have a photograph of our old house apiary, 

 and a photograph of our own apiary, both taken a great many 

 years ago. In the former is a picture of Novice, Blue Eyes, 

 and Caddy, and a glimpse of Ernest. We have also some pret- 

 ty little colored pictures of birds, fruits, flowers, etc., suitable 

 for framing. You can have your choice of any one of the 

 above pictures or books for every letter that gives us some 

 valuable piece of information. 



CONDUCTED BY ERNEST R. ROOT. 



THE BOYS^ BEE-HIVE FACTORY. 



GETTING UEADY FOR A BOOM IN 15EE- 

 SUPI'LIES ; THE HUMAN HAND. 



TTpCCORDING to the advice of Mr. 

 ^rfe, Green, the boys decided to postpone 



jR* indefinitely their taking revenge on 

 ■■^^ Jake. As honey would be soon com- 

 ing in, he advised tlieni to get every 

 thing in readiness. The saw-mandrel and 

 saws which they had sent for liad arrived. 

 The next thing to be accomplished was to 

 construct a suitable saw-table ; and as it re- 

 quires considerable mechanical skill to 

 make a good strong table, Mr. Green 

 thought best to help the boys, as he had 

 done on the windmill. He accordingly se- 

 lected some pieces of hard wood at the plan- 

 ing-mill, and had it dressed out in shape to 

 be put together. The two boys, with Mr. 

 Green's assistance, soon had a good strong 

 and rigid saw-table. This they located in 

 the barn-loft, in position to be easily con- 

 nected with the windmill. When at last 

 every thing was in running order, as luck 

 would have it, or, rather, ''lad luck," as the 

 boys were pleased to call it. there was not a 

 lireath of wind. They waited two or three 

 days, and still no wind. On the fourth day 

 there was a very little breeze, but hardly 

 sufficient to keep the windmill in motion, 

 even without the saw-table and connections. 

 By this time honey was beginning to come 

 in. Mr. CJreen was needing some hives, 

 frames, and supers. The boys had no lum- 

 ber, and no capital to start with in the sup- 

 ply-business, and, worse than all, no wind ; 

 but Mr. G. readily consented to furnish 

 them the lumber, and pay them a certain 

 amount for manufacturing it into hives, 

 supers, frames, etc. As to the wind, he en- 

 joined upon them patience. He accordingly 

 purchased at the planing-mill some selected 

 white-pine lumber, planed on both sides, 

 some of it i inches thick for bives, and some 

 i inch for supers. After the lumber was 



piled and sticked up in the barn-loft, the 

 boys waited again for tiie wind. They could 

 hardly wait, for there was notliing else that 

 could supply them the re(iuisite power. As 

 it was hot summer weather there were only 

 light breezes, and these were not sufficient 

 to do them any good. Mr. Green told them 

 the\' would liave to wait luitil a thunder- 

 shower should come uji. and take advantage 

 of the wind which might accompany or fol- 

 low it. In the meantime, he gave the boys 

 a little lecture on being careful with buzz- 

 saws. Said he, '■ boys, you will never begin 

 to realize the value of your fingers until you 

 have lost one. No invention of man, how- 

 ever ingenious, has ever yet supplied us 

 with what God has given us. 



" Suppose, boys, that a man were to for- 

 get all about the use of hands, and should 

 suddenly find himself without any. Let us 

 then imagine that he has the power to have 

 made on the ends of his arms any thing he 

 pleases, for the purpose of doing the work of 

 the world. The tool, if we may so call it, 

 must be able to hold a hammer, pick up a 

 grain of sand, play on the piano, hold a pen, 

 repair a watch, open a liive, and, in short, 

 do the entire work of the world. What do 

 you suppose, boys, the hand would look likeV 

 How would you have such a hand madeV 



The boys realized at once that such a 

 problem could be solved only by an infinite 

 mind, and they were silent. Jimmie looked 

 at his hand, and seemed to see in it some- 

 thing more than blind chance. 



" A human invention for the purpose of 

 taking the place of the hand,"' continued 

 Mr. (Jreen, " would probably consist of a 

 great deal of machinery ; and even after the 

 hand were done it wouhl doubtless i)rove an 

 entire failure; but God uses only four fin- 

 gers, one thumb, five nails, nineteen bones. 

 skin, and muscles; and yet in the human 

 hand, our wisest men tell us, we iiave the 

 highest exhibition of God's wisdom of any 

 thing in the physical world." 



" I never thought so before," said Sam ; 

 '' but I believe that is all true— every word 

 of it— for I find my hand is jus/ the thing for 

 all my work." 



"A buzz-saw" continued Mr. Green, 

 " does not seem to recognize the difference 

 between a common board and your precious 

 fingers. In fact, it seems to take special de- 

 light in mutilating and tearing to pieces 

 some of the most wonderful pieces of work 

 that God has ever made. You may think 

 your little buzz-saw will not do a very great 

 amount of damage ; but a friend of mine 

 who was running just a hand-power buzz- 

 saw had his hand so mutilated on this same 

 saw that he had to have it amputated. 

 Now. boys, remember to be careful. Don't 

 ever let your fingers get near a running saw. 

 There is no need of it, and it is a terrible 

 risk to run. To avoid any possible accident, 

 I must insist on your using what sawyers 

 call 'push-sticks.' They look like the little 

 wooden pistols that the boys hold fire-crack- 

 ers in. On the under side, at the muzzle 

 end, a notch is cut, about half an inch 

 square. The object of the notch is to catch 

 hold of the lumber more easily and safely. 



" Now, boys," said he, " in shoving lum- 



