1901 



rHE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



95 



of this cross are very prolific. At the close of the 

 season I will tell you more of these bee8. 



Truly yours, H. M. Jameson. 



"To prove that bees can hear is easy, but 

 to determine the location of the organ is 

 more difficult." 



A Letter 

 from Deacon 

 Hardscrabble. 



Dear Brother Hill: 



" No thing is so perverse in nature 

 As a profound opinionator."" 



And in the face of that yon ask that I 

 write to you of my opinions of the "boys.'" 

 their sayings and their doings. Franlvly, 

 now, do you think it right to rout me 

 from my innocuous desuetude to talk of 

 otlier people's doings? And suppose 

 they do not like it, just think how the old 

 deacon will catch it ! Suppose I should 

 get as reckless as that persistent Doctor 

 who is trying to build a straw stack 

 which no sooner is well started than the 

 very foundations are Rooted from under 

 it. Suppose, again, that I should speak 

 my thoughts in epigi'ams, then would 

 .somebody Hasty-ly say that I was After 

 Thoughts of his. If I chanced to get 

 drowsy at my work, they would call me 

 a Somnambulist, and if I went to the 

 other extreme and let flow a torrent of 

 words, he of the Windy City would say I 

 had usurped his prerogative, and Wax 

 Hot and Cool Slowly. Should I write my 

 thoughts in Dolly Dialogues and get 

 prosy, then should I Do Little that 

 would be of value to you. Perhaps, 

 after all, I had better confine myself 

 to the Home Circle ; but should I do 

 that the Cook would revolt. Fact is, 

 the more I think of it, the less I think of 

 it. However, I will think of it at great- 

 er length and let you hear from me 

 again. 



I have been much exercised this spring 

 by some "(xolden Italians" which, from 

 the quickness of their operation must be 

 some sort of (xolden Zones. Calling them 



Itdiians is enough to make (Jaribaldi 

 rise from his grave. They are naught 

 but the crossest kind of Syrians. What 

 a mint of money the bee-keepers are 

 throwing away on queens each year I 

 They certainly are fond of hnm-bugs. 

 Rambler even asks to be taken in. I 

 wonder if any of the queen-raisers can 

 produce bees with tongues as remarkable 

 as their own ? 



That scheme of Rambler's to have a 

 little club of bee-keepers employ a man 

 to raise their queens for them from stock 

 of their own selection, seems worth con- 

 sidering; but it were well for him to be 

 careful how he advocates it, or some 

 Southland Queen will be throwing 

 Chunk Honey at him. 



What think you of the Triplets as 

 they appear in tiie March Review f 

 Sweet, aren't they? Only H. looks a 

 trifle frightened. I surmise he does not 

 like that end of the camera. He is only 

 being done as he has done others, so he 

 must not complain. 



Some day I should like to write to you 

 of the systems of the Swarthy Moor ; 

 but there is something in the set of that 

 jaw which reminds me of the late Sage 

 of Gramercy Park, and I hesitate. I 

 wonder if his "pointed" way of holding 

 queens has anything to do with it ? 



Here is something to remind you of 

 old times. Mary has been cooing around 

 wanting me to drop my writing and go 

 somewhere with her. She asked me to 

 whom I was writing, and when I told 

 her, she went off singing, "There is a 

 Green Hill, " etc., and in reply to my 

 remonstrance said : "Oh, never mind. 

 Papa, he is not so green as he looks." 



Let this suftice until some future day. 

 Yours as ever, 



John Hardsckabble. 



"The bee-keeper who understands the 

 language of bees can turn it to his 

 advantage." 



"The tickle, careless, indolent man will 

 as surely fail in bee-keeping as in any 

 other calling." 



