158 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



August 



Buckwheat and Memories. 



The world seemed bright, for the day was fair. 

 And the songs of birds were in the air. 

 There came from the pasture a dreamy 'loo," 

 And a 'caw" from , the woods where the black 



crow flew. 

 The soft wind rustled the corn so tall. 

 And the chipmunk frisked on the old stone wall; 

 And, looking so fair in the bright sunlight. 

 Was the buckwheat field with its bloom of white. 



Out in the field where the buckwheat was bloom- 

 ing. 

 A troop of glad children played, long years ago. 

 Their hearts, as they played in the sunshine and 

 flowers, 

 Were light with the joys only childhood can know. 

 And one— 'twas the fairest of all that gay party- 

 Was decked like a queen in a crown white as 

 snow. 



Over the field with its wealth of bloom 



That fills the air with a sweet perfume. 



Homeward bound with its burden, we see 



The heavily laden honey-bee. 



Its load of nectar the bee will bear 



To its hive, at the back of the garden, where 



Sweets of the rarest kind are made 



For the country home and the city trade. 



At home, in the city, a sick woman is lying. 

 Sad trailed is her face, but her sighs are con- 

 trolled. 

 The husband brings home a square of dark sweet- 

 ness. 

 And her face brightens up as the wrappings 

 unfold; 

 And her thoughts go back years to that scene in 

 the country, 

 Her playmates, the crown and the joy-spots of 



old. 



— Verner R. Woosteh. 



Lysander, N.Y.: July 8, 1901. 



None but an author knows an author's 



cares, 

 Or Fancy's fondness for the child she bears. 

 — Cowper. 



Plain ville. Conn.; July i:i, lyOl. 



Editor American Bee-keeper: Mr. S. Chase, 

 of Titusville, Pa., asks for information about the 

 building of hives that will keep out robbers and 

 thieves. It seems to me that the keeping out of 

 robbers depends more on one's system of manage- 

 ment than the kind of hive used. If one keeps 

 weak and queenless colonies or those whose queens 

 are diseased in early spring, or at other times 

 when honey is scarce, he must expect to have 

 many of them destroyed by robbers and his strong 

 colonies injured. I find the best safeguards 

 against robbing to be the keeping of nothing but 

 strong' colonies during a scarcity of honey; the 

 making of all increase during the honey-flow, and 

 being very careful not to let the bees get a taste of 

 honey at other times, by keeping the hives open 

 too long, or otherwise. I don't know how to keep 

 thieves away from our hives except by putting 

 them in a house-apiary; but to use large hives and 

 have strong colonies will causa the thief to pass 

 over ours and go els3where. 



If the hives can have lo"se bottom-boards and 

 be otherwise inclined to fall to pieces they will not 

 often be tampered with. I use Quimby-Dadant 

 hives and (Juimby-Hetherington standing frame 

 hives. Both of these hives, when filled with bees, 

 brood and honey are so heavy that no man can 

 carry them far. I keep half or two-thirds of the 

 bees in this locality, but my loss from thieves has 

 been only one colony during the last five years 

 and that is less than One-si.xth of those stolen in 

 the neighborhood. Yours respectfully, 



D. B. NoilTox. 



Stroudsburg. Pa., July 15, 1901. 

 Mr. H. E. HiLi>: I notice in the July Bee-keeper 

 that a subscriber wishes to know how to prevent 

 robbing. My grandfather used to prevent robbing 

 by catching the robbers in a box, holding them a 

 day or so, after which ha turned them loose, and 

 they would never return. The bo.x had holes bored 

 here and there into which were fitted % inch tubes 

 even with the outside of the box and extending in- 

 side five or six inches. The bees can get in but 

 are puzzled to get out. The box should be .set on 

 top of the hive; and if the colony is small the en- 

 trance should be contracted. 



Yours respectfully, W. D. Walton. 



We are still anxious to receive i^ood 

 articles for publication from our readers. 

 Send them along. We have never yet 

 had too much good material. 



Walker. Mo.; July B, ISIOl. 



Americas Bbe-keepek: In May number Mr. 



Ilaight tells us how to make a scraper out of the 



head of an old scythe. From his description it 



seems to me 'twould be kind of an awkward tool. 



