1887 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



809 



venison, and moose beef; same way we have fat 

 beaver, otter, fat dog, and often bear, pheasant, 

 duck, and geese in abundance. Salt ? ah, well, if 

 I tell you we have a fine salt-spring 1 hope it will 

 not excite the greed of white fiends to rummage our 

 country for money-making. As for utensils, we 

 have pots and all kinds of dishes, made of clay. We 

 have a fine white hard clay. Wo have spoons, 

 scraper, and ladles, made of copper. The scrapers 

 are for cleaning and tanning skins. 1 don't wish to 

 make any further statements as to where and how 

 we get or make the copper basins, and I don't ex- 

 pect you to send the whole of my letter to the bee- 

 paper— only the bee-report, and I don't care an 

 acorn whether you send that either. 



Well, we had an extra honey-yield this year so 

 far. We have the second top on them all now, and 

 I believe they will fill them full. You ask me the 

 way we use honey as food and as a medicine. We 

 use it in johnnj'-cake, and then use it with the 

 cakes. We use it with buckwheat too. We use it 

 with dried meat; we use it with spruce to make 

 beer, which is a grand drink In summer. We use 

 it in preserving the fruit we gather. As for medi- 

 cine, we boil a weed I used to know as hoarhound; 

 strain and simmer down till very strong, then 

 add honey, about equal; take it cold, little and 

 often. It will cure the worst cold on the lungs. 

 Sometimes we use hemlock boughs instead of the 

 weed, not ground hemlock. We use it with cherry 

 bark too. Now, there is one thing I should like to 

 ask you about. We have used so much honey, we 

 have a great quantity of wax. We made a wigwam 

 to store it in. We used some of it in fat for light, 

 but it has accumuiated until I think we have 

 twenty pony-loads of it. A pony will carry 300 

 pounds a long journey. That would be 6000 pounds. 



I don't want to know nor hear what any of the 

 bee-men say about me and my bee-talk. It is 

 nothing to us. I don't care to tell them any more 

 about our bees; in fact, I haven't let my people 

 know that I told what I did last winter. White 

 men may stick to their theories. I have done my 

 duty to them, and that is all I have to say. We are 

 all well.,and happy, and hope you and your friends 

 are the same. Daniel McFadden. 



Raven's Peak, North Nipissing Ter., Aug. 31, 1887. 



We give the above as we received it ; and 

 were it not for the fact that friend Jones 

 has succeeded in a similar way for three 

 weeks, we might drop the whole matter 

 where it is. It seems that friend McFadden 

 does not care to be questioned any further. 

 It would seem as if this letter were a report 

 in regard to bee culture further north than 

 any thing we have had heretofore. North 

 Nipissing Territory can be found in detail 

 on a large and complete map of Canada; 

 and it is possible that some of our readers 

 may be able to give us more information in 

 regard to this new field for bee culture. 

 The principal thing that concerns us now is 

 to determine by experiment how long bees 

 may live, when filled and properly put away 

 in a chilled condition, buch cold-storage 

 rooms as those belonging to A. C. Kendel, In 

 Cleveland, are to be found in any of our large 

 cities, and will give facilities for securing 

 any degree of temperature, and any degree 

 of dryness of the atmosphere. Shutting off 

 the light and air are things that are easily 

 accomplished. It seems likely, from the ex- 



periment that friend Jones lias given us, 

 that bees put up in this way, filled witli 

 honey, would live until the honey is con- 

 sumed ; and in this apparently lifeless con- 

 dition, it is altogether probable that the 

 amount of food consumed would be but a 

 fraction compared witli that consumed by 

 an active bee. 



OUR p. BENSON LETTER. 



.INKS KOMF'OSKI) (IN SKKIN OF 

 JN HONKV. 



A liKK DHOWNKI) 



Smoll inscck frale 

 You thot to sale 

 In seas of feed 

 & took no heed. 



Alass! alass! 

 It came to pass 

 From bein to greedy 

 Thou now ai-t needy. 



Why wnzzent you content 

 To continyew to went 

 Among the flowers 

 In life's gay owersV 



Did you wish 



To be a flsh. 



That you cood swim 



Like a whale in such im- 



Mense quontitjes of hunn> : 



Or wert thou a duek 

 To jutnp in kerchiick, 

 1 n the hunny to tioto 

 Like a swift sailing bote, 

 And never to sink 



'sail on, sail on, o ship of state! ' . 

 In the drink? 



I spose with joy you loudly sung 

 As in the deep yourself you flung, 

 "Sail on, sail on, O ship of state." 

 But found you coodent when it was too 

 late. 



Yuro wings were made to Hy 



On hy 



Up tored the sky. 



Thou wast not made to go 



Belo, 



Whare see-weeds gro. 



O butifool crecher of lite, 

 Whitch wurks in the day & the nite 

 Youl coz your fond muther to sy 

 When never agane you cum ny. 



In f ucher lurn, 

 Howair you yum 

 To git a lot 

 Rite on the spot, 

 Doant take no notion 

 To sale in the otion. 



. Benson A. B. S. 



