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THE FLOWERS AND THE BEES. 



BY B. H. R. 



Twas Spring. Bach tendrilled vine, each shrub and 



tree, 

 Were clothed in tender green, the buds set free. 

 But some in discontent were prone to linger, 



Till Beauty, in her tlight among the trees, 

 Did pause and lightly pressed them with her finger. 

 Her fairy touch, distilling magic power. 

 Bach lagging bud burst fourth a perfect flower. 



The gladsome news went floating on the breeze 

 O'er hill and dale, and left the fields aflame 

 With blossoms. Then arose glad jubilees 

 Among the birds, and from the echoes came 



The burden of repeated song. The bees 

 From dreams awolce ; in wonder and delight 

 They murmered low and took a sudden flight. 

 Bach year since then, when earth and skies are 



warmed 

 And floral fragrance fills the air, the bees have 

 swarmed. 



—InUr-Ocean. 



Aggressive Work Weeded. — J. 



C. Armstrong, Bromley, Iowa, on Aug. 

 8, 1887, says : 



I think that the time has come when 

 bee-keepers should be the aggressors, 

 and commence suit against some of 

 those who are asserting that honey is 

 being manufactured, and compel them 

 to bring on their proof or pay the pen- 

 alty of their falsehoods. You ask 

 where the money is to come from ? 

 The heavy shippers of honey are the 

 ones to prosecute ; for it is they who 

 are injured by it. The small bee-keep- 

 ers, who sell their product at home, 

 are not aiiected by it. 



The IValioiial Flo^ver. — Mrs. L. 

 Harrison, Peoria, Ills., on August 13, 

 1889, writes : 



I lately attended a picnic given by 

 the Scientilic Society of Peoria County. 

 I consider myself " part and parcel " 

 of Agricultural, Horticultural and Sci- 

 entific gatherings. I questioned some 

 of the prominent botanists, with ref- 

 erence to their choice for a "national 

 flower," among them Dr. Stewart, who, 

 as authoritjf on botany, has a national 

 reputation. He said " that the Asters 

 were indigenous to this country, and 

 in no country in the world did the}' 

 flourish as tliey do here ; but that the 

 Golden-Rod had much in its favor, by 

 reason of its name." In interrogating 

 a representative of the Scientific Soci- 

 ety of Fulton county, who was present, 

 he said that he could not see why we 

 could not vote for a " national flower" 

 Avithout buying a book ; and that puz- 

 zles me. I am in favor of the Golden- 

 Rod, both heart and soul. 



We do not know, but presume Mr. 

 Prang thought that the most desirable 

 way, at least for him, for we learn that 



he has sold many thousands of the 

 books. The Golden-Rod is evidently 

 away ahead in the race. 



Asters and Bees. — W. Harmer, 

 Manistee, Mich., on Aug. 12, says : 



Please name the blossom which I 

 mail to you. It grows in the woods 

 here ; I got it from a neighbor who 

 said that she had quite a scramble to 

 get it away from a bee, as it alighted on 

 it after it was plucked. Of course she 

 knew not the innocence and harmless- 

 ness of a bus}' bee in search of sweets 

 a long way from its home. I do not 

 know that it is plentiful, and as I did 

 not gather any of it, I would like to 

 know its value for bees, and on what 

 kind of soil it would feel at home. 



It is one of the numerous family of 

 Asters, rich in honey, and thriving on 

 almost any kind of soil. 



The Richest Legacy that parents 

 can leave to their children is not a 

 matter of silver or gold, or bonds or 

 real-estate. It is not a thing of cash 

 but of constitution — not of good in- 

 vestments, but of good health. 



The young man or woman that has 

 inherited from his or her parents, a 

 sound constitution and its concomitant 

 of perfect health, has no earthly rea- 

 son to complain of parental shortness 

 in the matter of a legacy of dollars. 

 They have received a capital whicli is 

 far more valuable than money, or of 

 anything that money can buy. They 

 liave received that wliich lawj'crs can- 

 not melt away, or flnaneial storms de- 

 stroy. The superb pricelessness of this 

 legacy should not be lost sight of, by 

 parents or by those whom they have 

 brought into this world of weaklings, 

 of sick and suSering men and women 

 whose burdens of ill-health are trace- 

 able to their ancestors. Let all care 

 for such an important matter, so that 

 the future generations may inherit this 

 priceless legac}'. — Pittsburg Bulletin. 



Maj. W. C. Stevens, of Ann Arbor, Mich., 

 formerly of the Ninth Michigan cavalry, 

 still owns and uses the horse that he rode in 

 the army. He bought him in Kentucky in 

 1863 and rode him in many battles. 



Johannes iirahms has just completed a new 

 work, "Deutsche Fest und Gedenkspruche," 

 for double chorus a capella. The novelty is 

 to be performed for the first time under Voa 

 Bulow's conductorship at the Hamburg mu- 

 sical festival in September. 



The sail} of the contents of the late M. 

 Cabanel's studio has produced about $28,000 

 for paintings, sketches and drawings. His 

 well known pictiu-e of "Cleopatra Experi- 

 menting with Poisons Upon Condemned 

 Prisoners" fetched $4,000, and his "St. John 

 the Baptist" i.2,5W. 



ELECTRIC NOTES. 



The phonograph has lately been employed ■ 

 abroad in diplomatic correspondence. ' 



The formal opening of the Chic&go Electric 

 club took place in the new quarters recently. 



Telegraph poles in India are made of iron, 

 on account of the destruction of %voodeu ones 

 by the white ants. 



Professor Blake is experimenting with the 

 view of perfecting a system of telephonic 

 communication at s«a. 



Coal cutting machines run by electricity 

 are now so far perfected that they can cut 

 between 300 and KOO tons per day. 



The Niagara Falls convention of electri- 

 cians gives promi.'se of a full attendance and 

 an exceedmgly interesting exhibit. 



In 1868 the average charge per telegraphic 

 message was $1.04, and the profit 41 cents. 

 In 1888 the corresponding figures were 31 

 cents and 8 cents. 



In Spain the native electric light compa- 

 nies have been so uiiFiiccessful that the whole 

 matter of lightning has been turned over to 

 English companies. 



SCIENTIFIC SQUIBS. 



It is proposed in France to substitute death 

 by electricity for the guillotine. 



The maximum intensity of the light from 

 the Eiilel tower is 500,000 carcels, giving a 

 range of 137 miles. 



It has recently been proposed to use an 

 alloy of zinc and phosphorus in boUers to 

 prevent incrustation and pitting. 



After more than twenty-seven years the 

 pearl oyster has produced pearls off the Ma- 

 dras coast in sufficient quantities to be worth 

 the expense of fishing. 



A steam carriage in which coke is used as 

 fuel has lately appeared in France. The 

 driving is effected by two hind wueels and 

 the speed attained is about fifteen miles per 

 hovu-, twenty-eight and three-quartei" gallons 

 of water being sufficient for a run of twenty- 

 five miles. 



Both the French and German governments 

 have provided facilities for the examination 

 and certification of electrical instruments, 

 and it is now found that apparatus bearing 

 the official indorsement brings a better price 

 in Continental markets than non-attested in- 

 struments.— New York Times. 



An authority upon provisions estimates 

 that half a pound of butter a week is a good 

 allowance for each person; half a pound of 

 coffee a week and a pound and a quarter of 

 sugar for each person make liberal allow- 

 ances. FamiUes are apt to differ in these 

 respects. 



Smoke extends from California to western 

 KJmsas, a distance of 1,000 miles. At first 

 the smoke partially shut off the rays of the 

 sun, making the air cooler, but now it adds 

 to the already high temperature. It is sup- 

 posed to be caused by the mountain fires in 

 Montana. 



A very desirable corner of the earth is the 

 Puyallup reservation, which the Puyallup 

 Indians are ready to hand over to piu"- 

 chasers, in whole or in part. Some of the 

 finest hop growing laud in America is on 

 this reservation. "Washington territory is 

 famous for its hops, which are quite as good 

 as those of Kent. 



