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40th YEAP- 



CMCAGO, ILL,, APRIL 19, 1900, 



No, 16, 



I 



The Charms of the Apiary. 



Mead at the Wiscoimn Connentiuii, at jradi.son, Feb. 7, IDCX). 

 BY MISS ADA L. PICKARD. 



PASSING leisurelj- thru the old meadow white as the 

 driven snow with clover blossoms, we see a bee here, 



one there, and on everj- side ; but to the average passer 

 it is onl)' a bee, made with a 

 sting, flitting' from flower to 

 flower without purpose. 



To me, the bee is beautiful, 

 and, like man, it is •' fearfully 

 and wonderfully made," show- 

 ing forth the handiwork of a 

 wonderful Creator. 



Some authors have placed 

 the beetle as the highest order 

 of insects ; others claim the but- 

 terfly and moth entitled to a 

 first place ; while others, and 

 with the best of reasons, claim 

 for the bee the highest position. 



The moth and butterflj- are 

 admired for the glory of their 

 coloring and elegance of their 

 form, and the beetle for the 

 luster and brilliance of its wing- 

 covers ; but these only reveal 

 nature's wealth, and live and 

 die without labor or purpose. 



The bee, or "white man's 

 fl^'," as the Indians call it, less 

 gaudy, usually quite plain and" 

 unattractive in color, is most 

 highly endowed among insects. 

 It lives with a purpose, and is 

 the best model of industry and 

 economy to be found among 

 animals. 



Think of the bees, so frail 

 that they may be deprived of 

 life by the slightest pressure, 

 and how they toil on and on with that untiring energy from 

 dawn until dark, and what an aggregate quantity of the 

 most delicious and wholesome sweet those little insects will 

 store I What beauty the immaculate comb, filled with that 

 golden-colored, sparkling sweet, presents to the eye, mak- 

 ing a most luscious and delicate food for the table — a food 

 declared from the most ancient time until the present day 

 suitable for king or queen. Reflect for a moment upon the 



J/iss Ada L. Pickard. 



wonderfully delicate receptacle the honey is stored in — little 

 waxen cups or cells with walls about l-180th of an inch in 

 thickness, and also formed so as to combine the greatest 

 strength with the least expense of material and room. It is 

 certainly an enigma within itself. 



Apiculture opens the book of Nature to any who love 

 to look upon and study the marvelous pages she is ever 

 waiting to unfold. She is ever presenting the most pleas- 

 urable surprises to those on the alert to receive them, and 

 among the insect host, especiallj' the bees, the instincts and 

 habits are so marvelous that the student of this department 

 of nature is moved with wonder and admiration. 



By the habit of constant observation one becomes more 

 able, useful, and susceptible to pleasure. The wide-awake 

 apiarist who is so frequently busy with his wonder-working 

 companions of the hive, can never be lonely or feel time 

 hanging heavily on his hands. The mind is occupied, and 



there is no chance for dullness 

 or languor. The tendency of 

 such thought and study, where 

 nature is the subject, is to re- 

 fine the taste, elevate the desire, 

 and ennoble manhood. If our 

 youth, with their susceptible 

 natures, become engaged in the 

 wholesome study of nature, we 

 shall have less reasons to fear 

 the vicious tendencies of the 

 streets. Thus apiculture spreads 

 an intellectual feast, furnishing 

 the rarest food for the observing 

 faculties — that which the old 

 philosophers themselves would 

 have coveted. 



Must the male sex of our 

 race only enjoy this intellectual 

 feast? Nay 1 naj' 1 the Creator 

 never intended that the wonder 

 and beauty of nature should be 

 revealed to man only. Man and 

 woman were created equal, and 

 why may not the feminine en- 

 joy the pleasures and fascina- 

 tions that the apiary may af- 

 ford ? Why may not any person 

 who is cautious and observing 

 take up apiculture either as an 

 avocation or as an amateur ? 

 He must however be willing to 

 work with Spartan energy dur- 

 ing the busy season, and give 

 prompt attention to all its varied 

 duties. Enthusiasm, or an ardent love for its duties, is a 

 very desirable qualification, and promptitude is an absolute 

 requisite to successful bee-keeping, as neglect is the rock on 

 which too many bee-keepers have wreckt their success. 



Apiculture seems especially adapted to those whose life- 

 work is a dull, humdrum routine, that seems to rob life of 

 all zest. If more of our ladies, instead of seeking the office- 

 chair, the place behind the counter, or the position at the 



