THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



193 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 

 How I became an Apiculturist.— No. 2, 



The city of Langrcs, (Liironcs, of old), situ- 

 ated on a high rock in the form of a promontary, 

 is naturally so strong a ])Ositiou that the Roman 

 emperors, Avhen Gaul was subject to their sway, 

 forlifiod it, placed it in eluirge of one of their 

 praetors, and constructed a system of paved 

 roads iMdiating from it. These communications, 

 several of which still exist, greatly enlarged its 

 transit trade, which continued to flourish, till 

 railroads were introduced, and refused to scale 

 the heights on which the city is located. When 

 I was twenty years old, its annual fair, held in 

 August and continuing eight days, attracted 

 merchants from all parts of France, and buyers 

 from the whole iieighl)orhood around. I was 

 then a clerk in one of its wholesale dry goods 

 stores. That year, the municipal administra- 

 tion, according to custom, in order to give more 

 splendor to the occasion, arranged for Sunday, 

 various games and amusements, to be followed 

 in the evening with a general illumination and 

 splendid fireworks. The scene of these sports 

 was between the cascade and the public or 

 white fountain, on the grand promenade. An 

 eloctrophore was erected to light at night this 

 favorite resort, which is a walk two miles in 

 length leading to the fountain, and planted with 

 hundreds of linden trees. 



It was in the afternoon, when, as with some 

 comrades, I was following to the shooting ground 

 tlie National guard and a company of liremen, 

 preceded by a brass band, I observed a group 

 of boys throwing sticks at a hollow tree near 

 the walk. Approaching, I discovered that they 

 were trying to smoke out a swarm of bees dwel- 

 ling in a big linden. Fully persuaded that the 

 tree guarded by the policemen, would prove a 

 sufficient protection for the bees, and believing 

 them to be out of reach of the boys, I passed on. 

 But on my return in the evening, to mj' great 

 astonishment, several boys were contending for 

 the spoils of the ruined colony. With their 

 knives they had cut away the rotten wood 

 bclow^ the swarm ; hut the numerous stings they 

 had received in their faces, show^edthat the bees 

 had bravely defended their stores, and the vic- 

 tory had been warralj^ disputed. As for the 

 bees, they were hanging In a cluster under the 

 lirst branch. 



The distress of that swarm, thus devoted to 

 certain death, revived all mj' predilection for bees, 

 and I felt an irresistible desire to save them, if 

 possible. With all the eagerness natural to a 

 young Frenchman, I came back to the city and 

 supped hastily. Then, provided with nails, 

 hammer, Avire, and thread, and carrying a store- 

 ladder, I went to a shop where I liad seen straw 

 hives for sale, and procured one. When I re- 

 entered the promenade, the citizens were already 

 gathered in groups, admiring the light of the 

 clcctrophorc, playing beneath the green vault 

 fonned by the lindens, while every leaf wassuc- 

 cessively tinged with all the colors of the rain- 

 bow. Too much preoccupied and overloaded 

 to think of stopping, I hastily left the main ave- 

 nue, (where everybody appeared to be annoyed 



or incommoded by either my hive or my ladder), 

 and turned into a lateral alle}', where the covet- 

 ed swarm was. My ladtler being a little too 

 short, I bad to exert my gymnastic skill to the 

 utmost, in order to secure tiie hive properly 

 above the clustered bees. The wavering light 

 of the clcctrophorc by turns helped and hinder- 

 ed me; for when it flared up the bees would be- 

 come excited, leaving the cluster and assaulting 

 my stove-pipe black liat. It was then that I 

 lirst noticed that bees have an antipathy to the 

 black color, for Avhilc my hat was the target at 

 which they aimed their thrusts, I received only 

 a single sting on my hand. After introducing 

 some few bees in the hive, I had the gratification 

 to see the whole colony follow and enter in an 

 orderly manner. I then came down, concealed 

 my ladder, returned home and retired to bed, to 

 meditate on Avhat remained to be done. 



To get possession of the bees was not very 

 diflicult ; but to decide where to place the hive 

 after the swarm was in it, w'as a much more 

 perplexing matter. The rocks that girdle the 

 city having limited its extension, gardens are 

 rare within its area, the yards are small, and the 

 streets themselves narrow. Hence it was im- 

 possible to think of setting the hive in a garden. 

 Mj' grandfather owned an orchard near the sub- 

 urbs, but as that spot was not enclosed, the hive 

 if placed there, might be upset by cattle or pilla- 

 ged by vagrant boys. The roof of the store- 

 house where I was clerk, though covered w'ith 

 tiles, had one of its slopes leveled in terrace, and 

 that part was covered with zinc ; and I selected 

 this as a suitable spot. 



As it was necessary to bring in the swarm 

 before daybreak, I remained awake the rest of 

 the night. Before four o'clock next morning I 

 was knocking at the shutters of his lodge, to 

 arouse the keeper of the city gate, which is kept 

 locked from ten at night till fiive in the morning. 

 Whether the man was really asleep, or whether 

 he merely feigned to be deaf, I know not ; but 

 could obtain no answer In vain did I olfcr 

 him the customary fee of two cents ; in vain did 

 I, with huge generosity, proceed to increase 

 the proffered pcrcpiisite to ten cents ! No re- 

 sponse could be elicited ! Finally, despairing 

 to see him before the established hour, it occur- 

 red to me that there was a breach in the Tall near 

 the college, through which the schoolboj^s used 

 to scale the ramparts. I ran thither, and llnding 

 the place with the pegs which had been driven 

 in the fissures still remaining, and descending" 

 by their aid, I went directly to my swarm. The 

 bees were all peacefully in the hive. Fasten- 

 ing my handkerchief under it with pins, and 

 passing some twine around it for greater security, 

 I took it up and triumphantly re-entered the 

 city. After installing the hive on the ziuc-cov- 

 cred platform, I unfa.>tened the handkerchief, 

 and came down to attend to the customers cf 

 the store. 



Immediately after breakfast, I vent up again 

 to see how mj' bees were getting on. 1 hej' 

 w'cre as regularly busy as though they had I^een 

 located there a long time. But, under Ihe burn- 

 ing rays of the sun, the zinc was alieady getting 

 hot, tliough it was yet far from noon. Fearing 

 that the heat of the zinc would compel the beea 



