.>5U 



GLt^ANlKGS IN BEE CULTUHE. 



July 



HONEV-CAKES, PUI.LTNG OUT STINGS, ETC. 



Father had 13 stands of bees Jast I'all.aiKl has only 

 ten now. They are doing- nicely. Mother makes 

 honey-cakes. One of the recipes that father likes 

 best is as follows: 1 cup of honey; 1 of sugar; lot 

 butter; some milk; 2^4 lbs. of Hour; scant 'i cup of 

 shortening-; 1 eg-g; llai-ge toaspoonful of saleratus; 

 cin7iamon and cloves, 1 teaspoonful of each. Bake 

 slowly in two long- shallow tins. 



I have read, " Never pull a sting- out, because 

 when you get hold of it with your fingers you jam 

 all the poison into your flesh; but squeeze it out 

 and then you squeeze the poison out with it." I 

 see king-birds have been written about twice in 

 Gleanings. 1 will tell what I know about them. 

 It was in the honey season that we noticed them. 

 They would sit up on a high limb, frequently take a 

 circle, and alight again with a poor little bee. Fa- 

 ther got provoked and shot them and opened one. 

 The bird did not have any bees in its crop, or, rather, 

 we could not find any crop, but the gizzard was full 

 of bees. My uncle, Albert Peck, living at Wheat- 

 field, Mich., winters his bees successfully in the de- 

 pot, therefore the noise, of course, does not affect 

 them as some claim. Iva A. Peck, age 14. 



.Jackson, Mich. 



SECTrONS FOLDED AT THE HATE OF 1200 PER 

 HOUK. 



My bi-other Perl and I each put one-piece sections 

 together at the rate of 1200 in one hour. We did 

 not put that many together, but put up 20 in 

 one minute, which is at that rate. We put them 

 together Monday before' noon, ready for use. It is 

 pleasant work for us, and it might be we could do 

 better. They were the sections which Kred got of 

 you. Fred's bees have not swarmed this year, but 

 are lying out considerably, and making lots of 

 honey. Nettie H. Cuanston. 



Woodstock, Ohio. 



Thank you, friend Nettie. Why. we I'eel 

 as if we were acquainted with all the Cran- 

 ston children. On p. 47() we offered to give 

 auy of the juveniles any thing they might 

 choose from the ten-cent counter, providing 

 they could beat the record of Alfred Higbee, 

 who folded sections at the rate of 6ii per 

 minute. But here you have gone so far as 

 to fold 20 in one minute — considerably more 

 than (is per minute, is it not? When I first 

 read the statement, that you could fold at 

 the rate of 1200 per hour. Ithought it sound- 

 ed something like a ''fish-story.'' I accord- 

 ingly took your letter to the lady who has 

 charge of our sample-room ; and when I told 

 her there was a little girl down in Cham- 

 paign Co., ()., who could fold sections at the 

 rate of 1200 an liour. she said flatly that it 

 was impossible, and I almost felt inclined to 

 think she was right. About the best record 

 we had made in our sample-room was 750 an 

 hour, and that was by one of the girls who 

 had become quite expert. As we have some 

 girls here who can fold as many sections as 

 anybody ever did, I requested the one whom 

 I thought ccfuld make the best record to 

 keep count and see how many she could fold 

 in one minute. To my surprise she folded 

 20 the first minute antl 21 the second min- 

 ute ; but I tell you, she had no time for false 

 motions. So we are obliged to admit, friend 



Nettie, that the rate of 20 per miuute is en- 

 tirely possible ; and if the sections were all 

 piled on one side, and every thing in readi- 

 ness, the 1200 for a whole hour might be 

 made, providing the little girl or boy did not 

 get tired out. Well, friend Nettie, as you 

 have fulfilled the conditions we made on p. 

 476, please let us know what you choose 

 from the ten-cent counter, and we will mail 

 it to you. 



OUR friend l. c. root; his old home, as re- 

 ported BY a little girl. 



This spring papa bought Mr. L. C. Roofs place, 

 half a mile from Mohawk, New York. We left 

 Mickleton, New Jersey, on the 26th of March. 

 The farmei-s there were planting potatoes. Ar- 

 riving at Mohawk we were told there were six 

 feet of snow in the woods, and we found good 

 sleighing. All our goods were brought over from 

 the station on sleds. It was some time before we 

 saw a vehicle on wheels — every thing was on run- 

 ners. We like our new home very much. Mr. Root 

 had things fixed up very nicelj', especially for bee- 

 keeping. His cellars for wintering bees are com- 

 plete. He and others had about 200 hives in the cel- 

 lar last winter. We children were very much inter- 

 ested in seeing them take the bees out and work 

 among them. Mr. Root did not wear any veil. The 

 bees seemed to know when he came around. They 

 never thought of stinging him, but they did the 

 other men. 



Mr. Root was here a week, getting his bees ready 

 to ship. We became quite well acquainted with 

 him, and found him to be a very fine man. We like 

 him very much. We think jSIr. Root must be sorry 

 to leave his home here, as it is very cozy and com- 

 fortable. Papa has to hives of bees, 30 of which 

 are in Simplicity hives. He bought 30 of Mr. Root. 

 Mr. R. uses the Quinby hive. Papa's bees are doing- 

 well. They have been gathering honey from fruit- 

 bloom. They are building- up nicely. Young bees 

 were tiying to-day. He has a nice bee-yard to keep 

 them in. In our old home, papa always wintered 

 them on their summer stands. I think there wa.s 

 not a month during the winter but there was a day 

 warm enough for bees to have a fly. 



I am the elder daughter. I have one sister and 

 two brothers. I am 11 years old. We go to church 

 and Sunday-school. Two years ago I went to Sun- 

 day-school every Sunday in the year. My sister 

 missed only one Sunday, being sick. We lived one 

 mile from the church. Papa thinks you and Ernest 

 write mueli alike. Oftentimes in reading an article 

 he can not te!l which of you wrote it till he sees the 

 name. Hope L. Haines. 



Mohawk, N. Y., May 27, 1S87. 



A great many thanks. Hope. Your report 

 of our old friend L. C. Root and his home is 

 real good ; and we believe there are many 

 others who will bear you out in all the kind 

 words you have said of Mr. Root. While a 

 veteran reporter might have said a great 

 many things in regard to Mr. Hoot's former 

 home and surroundings which you have left 

 out, yet when we want to get at little details 

 — something that we all want to know — we 

 must confess that the little folks carry off 

 the palm. Your letter will be read with in- 

 terest, and we think it deserving of a nice 

 panel chromo, so we send you one. 



