THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



ly flattering to him ; forgetful of the f ct 

 "that in a Republican form of Rovernm 't 

 it is one of our inalienable rights to discuss 

 every question affecting our welfare." 



Now for Prof. Kiley's investigations in 

 the department of entomological research, 

 in so lar as they have been beneficial to 

 horticulture or agriculture, or to any of the 

 luunan family, in any of the pursuits of 

 life ; he has my thanks and my gratitude. 

 For his language and logic in his commu- 

 nication he has my contempt. lie says, 

 "she puts language into my mouth which 1 

 was never guilty of, (L e., misquoted him) 

 and otherwise falsifies my statements." 

 ]Iow otherwise could I falsify his state- 

 ments ? And again, "I ask the readers of 

 the Prairie Fanner, who are also readers 

 of the American Bee Joukxai,, to con- 

 sider what I have said on that subject over 

 my own name rather than the garbled ac- 

 count in question." 



Where "over" or under his own name, 

 has Prof. Riley given an account of what he 

 said on that subject, (the relation of the 

 honey bee to horticulture) at the last meet- 

 ing of the Illinois State Horticultural Socie- 

 ty ? What he may have said at any other 

 time, or place, in the New York Tribune or 

 elsewhere, "over his own name," is no proof 

 of what he said, or did not say at Peoria. 

 If Prof. Riley has said at a Methodist class 

 meeting that "milk is good for babes," is 

 that proof that he has not said at any other 

 time or place that "oysters and champaigne 

 are fine.^' Thus much for his logic. Now 

 for the truthfulness of his language. That 

 he did exi)ress himself substantially as 

 (luoted I affirm ; and for the correctness of 

 my assertion refer to Mr. Dunlap, or to Mr. 

 <laston, who took part in the discussion, to 

 Dr. Hull, and especially to Mr. O. L. Barler, 

 who I believe reported the proceedings of 

 the Society ; and finally to any member of 

 the Society who was present. And further- 

 more, that as far as his remarks were perti- 

 nent to the question under consideration, 

 (whether the honey bee was the ti'icnd or 

 enemy of horticulture) I believe my report 

 was a verbatim one. 



Now this very p(»lite and courteous profes- 

 sor says that I gave a "garbled account, 

 inisconstrue and falsify," now I shall not 

 say that his statements are as far removed 

 from the truth as he is from being a gentle- 

 man, and leave the public to judge the dis- 

 tance ; but think if tiiis polished and ur- 

 bane professor can stand such language and 

 such logic, I, being a woman, certainly can. 

 If I were a man, I should simply say C. V. 



Riley is a ; gentle reader, you know 



how it is yourself. Mrs. L. Harrison. 



Peoria, 111. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Three Hundred Years Ago. 



My object In writing now is to give some 

 t^xtracts from a book on bees published 

 nearly ;30(i years ago, and through it I will 

 endeavor to show that with all our l)oasted 

 knowledge of the bee we know but little 

 more than was known at that time. The 

 only ditference is that but few knew any- 

 thing of th(> liabits of the bee, to-day many 

 know it. The book is entitled "A Tlu atre 

 of Political Flying Insects," wherein the 

 nature, worth, work, wonder and right- 

 ordering of the bee is discovered and des- 



P 

 b 



cribed together with Scriptural and moral 

 meditations added. Written and pub- 

 lished by Samuel Purchas, M. A., in the 

 year of our Lord, 1000. The moral medita- 

 tions I would like to give the advice, would 

 be of benefit to our more modern bee-keep- 

 ers and there would be less backbiting, ill- 

 feeling and desire to over-reach each other. 

 S. I'urchas speaks of consulting writings on 

 the bee written many years before. His 

 book is dedicated to Lord Robert, Earl of 

 Warwick. I shall only give extracts that 

 relate to the bee so that you can form an 

 idea of his bee knowledge and compare it 

 with yours. 



In regard to queens, he says : If the queen 

 bee should fall from a swarm through 

 weakness her attendants will remain with 

 her and starve with her rather than forsake 

 her. The queen bee is a very amiable crea- 

 ture, of a bright color and more transparent 

 than other bees, she is somewhat yellow 

 about the belly and on her legs inclining to 

 a golden color, and the color intimates the 

 arincely nature and royal blood (could this 

 )e the Italian ?). If a queen bee miscarry 

 in the hive, or by flying forth for recreation 

 or impregnation, or otherwise stirreth not 

 forth, come in some mischance, all her at- 

 tendants are in mourning and confusion. 



The (|ueen is a royal creature, therefore 

 she works not, it is beueath her dignity to 

 drudge and toil. Though she has a sting yet 

 rather an ensign of power than an in- 

 strument of revenge, for she never useth it. 

 There is a magnetical attractive force in the 

 i queen bee, so that what the loadstone is to 

 iron so is she to the rest of the bees— where 

 she is, so will they be. 



In regard to drones, he says : Bees when 

 they are weary of the drones and have no 

 further use for them, and fearing future 

 want by their gormandising, sliow their dis- 

 like by molesting tliem. If this will not 

 cause "them to depart, set upon them and 

 slay them. Drones labor not, but to the eye 

 are goodly creatures, fairer and larger than 

 worker bees, make great noise and are vain 

 glorious. Observe them as often a« you will 

 and you will never find them carefully en- 

 deavoring their present or future good. Nil 

 diqiiKm tants mnita. 



As to workers, he says : AVorker bees arc 

 laborious in their youth and yet are not idle 

 in their old age. Even if she findeth not 

 honev in one flower goeth she to another. 

 They feed on honey, which over liberally 

 eateii i)roduceth cholera. No wonder they 

 are fiu-ious and choleric creatures. If con- 

 fined closely they will gnaw away the im- 

 pediment, though they have ease and air. 



The field wherein bees feed is not a whit 

 less from their feeding, but that oxen and 

 shee]) mav grow fat. Bees can with facility 

 dart out their stings, but have no power to 

 withdraw them, except from a dead bodv. 

 which she taketh no hurt, but in a live InMiy 

 she looseth both stiug aud life. It is a 

 fabulous conceit that a bee when she looseth 

 her stiug becomes a drone, for it i'* 

 not so, she dies. Bees though they be en- 

 gaged in a furious strife with other insects 

 wreck their s]ute by biting, and only when 

 transposed witii rage will they use their 

 sting, only to their own ruin and distrnc- 

 tion. She may trouble awhile with her 

 buzzing but can do no further hurt. Bees 

 smelling a field of cole-seed though three 

 miles awav will fly directly thither and be 

 not tempted with other blossoms on the way. 



