772 



TM® MMEKICSK WmW J@^KHMIL. 



THANKSGIVING. 



BY EITGENK SECOR. 



The threshing is over, the husking is done, 



The miiskrat has wisely prepared him a nest, 

 The squirrel his acorns has stored one by one. 



The wood-chuck has gone to his long winter's rest; 

 The winds of November, unfriendly and cold. 



Have blown the dead leaves of the last dyine year 

 Into eddies and heaps, where damp and the mold 



Invite to decay— yes, winter is near. 



The ruddy-cheeked orchard fruits.kissed by the sun. 



In thf days when hia smiles with warmth were 

 aglow 

 Are gathered, and waiting the frolic and fun 



When maiden and lover shall pare them 1 trow. 

 The full-fruited year with a generous hand 



Has emptied his treasures at many a door, 

 While health and good government throughout the 

 land 



Are causes for thanksgiving and praise evermore. 



Then gather the children and friends round the 

 board, 



The feast of Thanksgiving should be one of cheer, 

 The very best viands the farm can afford 



Should lend us their presence at least once a year. 

 Yes, roast the fat turkey and sirloin of beef. 



And season with currant and cranberry jell. 

 Pile high the baked beans, it is common belief 



That joy and good appetite seldom rebel. 



And then there's the pudding with raisins and 

 cream, 



What joy to the heart of the youngster it brings I 

 His highest ambition on earth, it would seem. 



Is reached when at grandma s he feasts on such 

 things. 

 The coffee, too, fit for a king or a queen, 



f And such we Al-L are by a God-given right,) 

 And doughnuts that carry ua back to the green 



Happy days of our childhood, in memory bright. 



But better than all the good things on the spread, 



And better than plenty in basket and store. 

 Is the feast of afTet-tion— that heavenly bread. 



We'd better go hungry than this to ignore. 

 Then may we each have at our Thanksgiving feast. 



The love that binds kindred and frienashere below 

 And remember that thankfulness may be increased 



If first toGod's poor onea, some kindness we show 

 Fore«t City, Iowa. —Iowa Homestead. 



iiM 



The Convention at Keokuk. 



Mrs. L. Harrison, in the Orange Judd 

 Fanner, has this to say about it : 



The meeting was very enthusiastic and 

 interesting, the Western States being well 

 represented, and delegates being present 

 from the Dominion of Canada. 



More samples of honey were on exhibi- 

 tion, from well authenticated sources, than 

 I ever saw oolk-cted together before. 

 SpanisL-needles gro'.v in great profusion 

 in the rich, moist bottom lands, of Western 

 rivers, and the honey shown was of good 

 body, of rich golden color, and of good 

 flavor. 



Button-ball honey is darker than Spanish- 

 needle, of good body and flavor; as this 

 brush grows in the water, drouth does not 

 aflfect the flow of honey from this source. 

 As the waters fall in the rivers, it puts 

 forth new buds and blossoms. It usually 

 blooms about July 4, but is sometimes kept 

 back by high water, and the bloom lasts 

 from two to six weeks ; ordinarily four 

 weeks. The blooming of these plants, 

 during the usual summer drouths, is a 

 good point in favor of migratory bee- 

 keeping. 



It was gratifying that so many bu.sv, 

 active, practical women of the West, who 



are bee-keepers, were present. They took 

 an interest in all the hives and bee-keeping 

 fixtures on exhibition, and as usual jumped 

 to conclusions without knowing why. 



Dr. C. C. Miller, of Marengo, lUinoi.s, who 

 is a musician and composer, as well as a 

 practical bee-keeper, did much to enliven 

 and relieve the monotony of the convention 

 by his lively and humorous songs. 



Eugene Secor, of Iowa, the bard of bee- 

 keepers, is the author of several songs, 

 designed especially to be sung at the re- 

 unions of this Society, and set to music by 

 Dr. Miller, and they had the thanks of the 

 Convention for their efforts. 



This is what the Iowa Homestead says 

 about the Convention : 



The sessions were enlivened by vocal and 

 instrumental music. Most of the songs 

 sung were composed by its members, set 

 to music by a member, accompanied on the 

 piano by a member, and sung by members. 



Besides the music, there were several 

 humorous rescitations by bee-keepers. 

 These were the spice of the meetings. Dr. 

 C. C. Miller was one to whom we owed 

 especial obligations for many pleasurable 

 surprises. 



Although reports from nearly all pres- 

 ent were to the effect that the past season 

 had been one of discouragement, if not 

 entire failure, it was evident from the 

 spirit of the Convention that bee-keepers 

 are of a happy disposition, and able to 

 gather many sweets from the bitter experi- 

 ences of life. 



The city papers characterized the Con- 

 vention as being one of the best-natured 

 and most intelligent lot of men who had 

 visited the city for many a day. 



Three sessions were held each day — 

 morning-, afternoon and evening. Many 

 interesting papers were read, and much 

 interesting discussion followed. 



Fifty dollars was voted to Father Lang- 

 stroth, who is in declining health. He is 

 recognized as the "father of improved 

 bee-keeping" in the United States. 



The Convention adjourned at noon, the 

 last day, to accept an invitation from the 

 Messrs. Dadant, who live near Hamilton, 

 Ills., to ride out to their apiary and comb- 

 foundation factory. Teams were provided 

 free for about fifty members, who availed 

 themselves of the generous offer. 



The Dadants are French, and they enter- 

 tained the Society with genuine 'French 

 hospitality. They are the largest manu- 

 facturers of comb-foundation in the world, 

 and their product is not excelled in the 

 world. 



Albany, N. Y., was selected as the place 

 of the next meeting, and Mr. P. H. Elwood, 

 of New York, was elected President ; 

 Eugene Secor, of Iowa, Vice-President ; C. 

 P. Dadant, of Illinois, Secretary ; and 

 Ernest R. Root, of Ohio, Treasurer. 



The Pamphlet Report of the meeting will 

 be issued next week. It will be sent free 

 to all members, and others can obtain it 

 for 25 cents at this office. 



Xlie "Farm-Poultry"' is a 20 page 

 monthly, published in Boston at 50 cents 

 per year. It is issued with a colored cover 

 and is finely illustrated throughout. 



We have arranged to club the Ameuu'.in 

 Beic Journal with the Farni-Poultnj at 

 ■S1.35 per year for the two. Or with the 

 iLi.i-sTR.iTED Home Journal at $1.75 for 

 the three. 



^^ MEFLIES, 



A Swarm Retiiriiiug to tlie OI(t 

 Hive. 



Written for theAincrican Bee Journal 



Query 739. — What is the cause of a 

 swarm returning to the parent hive when 

 it has a queen * A swarm issued on June 

 10, I caught the queen and put her into the 

 new hive, and they all came out and went 

 into the parent hive again. What caused 

 it '—Mrs. B. 



I do not know. — Eugene Secor. 

 I simply do not know. — J. M. Hambaugh. 

 I do not know. — P L. Viallon. 

 Dissatisfaction with their new quarters. 

 —J. P. H. Brown. 



I cannot say what the cause was. — H. D. 

 Cutting. 



That is hard to tell. Bees will act queerly 

 sometimes.— C. H. Dibbern. 



No one can tell without knowing all the- 

 facts. Are you sure that some accident 

 did not befall the queen ; — M. Mahix. 



Dissatisfaction with their quarters in 

 some way. Ten to one, it was too hot in 

 the new hive. Always see that a swarm is- 

 well shaded.— C. C. Miller. 



They were not suited with the new hive, 

 and they went back to get a new start for 

 the woods.— R. L. Taylor. 



I do not knovr. I surmise the queen, in 

 trying her wings, found them unequal to the 

 task of migrating. — A. J. Cook. 



"Give us something easier." I cannot 

 tell unless I know something of the circum- 

 stances, surroundings, hive, weather, 

 honey-flow, etc. — Mrs. L. Harrison. 



A few bees balled the queen for some 

 reason, and the rest of the bees thinking 

 the}' had lost her, returned. This is quite a 

 common occurrence. — G. M. Doolittle. 



That is hard to tell. A half dozen theories 

 might be presented, and any and all of 

 which might be correct under some circum- 

 stances. It is not an infrequent occur- 

 rence. — James Hediion. 



If a swarm has been regularly hived, it is 

 rare for them to come out and enter the 

 parent hive again. They generally skip 

 for the woods, leaving the beekeeper per- 

 plexed as to the cause. — G. L. Tinker. 



I cannot give an answer to the question, 

 as put. Bees are "funny critters" any 

 way ; and to give a reason why they do, or 

 do not do, a certain thing, requires a far 

 greater history than is given in the ques- 

 tion.— J. E. Pond. 



A practical bee man calls tliat sort of 

 thing a "freak in bees." You do not say 

 how long they stayed in their new quar- 

 ters, and what became of the queen that 

 you put with them. Knowing the particu- 

 lars of these things is very necessary in 

 order for the expert to make an intelligent 

 and reliable answer. I might guess that 

 the queen was sick or old at the time of 

 swarming, and died before the bees had 

 marked their location, or they indulged in 

 a " freak." as bees evidently sometimes do. 

 — G. W. Demakee. 



IVew Subscribers can have the Bee 



Journal and the Illustrated Home Jour- 

 nal from now until the end of 1891 for 

 $1.35. This is a rare opportunity for club- 

 bing two valuable periodicals for a slight 

 advance upon the price of one, and getting 

 the rest of this year free. 



