318 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 15. 



"Ila! ha! ha I Well, Mr. Hill, I have arrived 

 at the point now where such things amnse nie. 

 They used to wori-y me; but now my neighbors 

 have learned the facts by actual demonstra- 

 tion. Years ago I used to furnish buckwheat, 

 free, to all who would sow it. I did so until all 

 were convinced that the bees did it no harm. 

 No, no, Mr. Hill; bees do not harm any blossom; 

 on the contrary, they do good by assisting the 

 fertilization of all fruits and grain that attract 

 them by the secretion of nectar — honey. There- 

 fore I advise you to sow the buckwheat, with 

 the assurance from me that the bees will do it 

 no harm. I am surprised that your neighbor, 

 Mr. Elliott, has not taken more pains to con- 

 vince your neighborhood of the fact that bees 

 are a benefit to farmers." 



" Manum. you just mentioned fruit, as though 

 bees were a benefit to it; but I am sure they do 

 it great harm; for I did not have a single plum 

 last year, and but few apples." 



" Did you spray your fruit-trees?" 



"No. I did not. The bees worked on them so 

 much I knew there would be no fruit,. and the 

 spraying would be useless." 



" Did any of your neighbors spray their trees?" 



" Yes, my nearest neighbor south sprayed 

 three or four times, but he got only half a crop, 

 and he was one mile from the bees, and he 

 thinks if he had been two miles away he would 

 have got a full crop." 



" Well. Mr. Hill, I will tell you something of 

 my experience with my neighbors regarding 

 this matter. Some 23 years ago, when I com- 

 menced bee-keeping here in the village— I was 

 then in the harness business, you will remember 

 — all my neighbors were worried for fear they 

 would not be able to raise any fruit, cucumbers, 

 melons, or squashes; but by the second year I 

 heard no complaints. The bees were in my 

 own garden, and I purposely exhibited cucum- 

 bers, melons, and fruit, to all the neighbors, so 

 that all complaints were hushed. I soon locat- 

 ed an apiary at New Haven Mills, in an old or- 

 chard that had been neglected, and, consequent- 

 ly, had borne but little fruit for a number of 

 years. As a natural consequence, that neigh- 

 borhood was all astir over my locating an api- 

 ary in their midst, because, as they declared, 

 they could raise no more fruit or buckwjieat. 

 Of course, I felt hurt at the cool treatment I re- 

 ceived on all sides. I finally bought several 

 bushels of buckwheat at $1.00 per bushel, and 

 gave seed to all who would sow it. Some would 

 not take seed, fearing they would lose their 

 time; and even a few to whom I gave seed were 

 persuaded not to sow it; but two years chang- 

 ed all this, and no one was angry because of the 

 bees. Owing to the increase of my colonies I 

 was forced to start another apiary. This third 

 apiary 1 located in the town of Mankton, 

 where the same prejudice existed as bad as in 

 the other two locations; and I will simply men- 

 tion one particular case which happened on Mr. 



Wm. P. Chase's farm, located half a mile from 

 my apiary. This man was very much displeas- 

 ed at my locating an apiary so near him. Well, 

 that spring ho sowed two small pieces of land 

 to buckwheat. These pieces were several rods 

 apart, and both alike as to fertility, so Mr. 

 Chase told me afterward. While this buck- 

 wheat was in bloom, Mr. Chase and his help 

 were doing some work beyond these two pieces; 

 hence they passed near them every day. One 

 piece the bees seemed to work upon very busily 

 every day, while on the other scarcely any bees 

 were seen on it during its bloom. Consequent- 

 ly Mr. Chase would often remark to his men, 

 ' Well, boys, Manum's bees have not found this 

 piece of buckwheat yet, and I shall get a good 

 crop here; but they will ruin the other piece, 

 for they are fairly swarming on it.' And now, 

 Mr. Hill, I have a surprise for you. When it 

 came time to harvest this grain, the piece where 

 the bees visited the most, there was a fine crop; 

 while on the other piece there was not grain 

 enough to pay or the harvesting; and Mr. 

 Chase told me himself that, had it not been for 

 the looks, he would not have cut that piece. 

 He did, however, but made no attempt to thrash 

 it. To further satisfy you, Mr. Hill, suppose 

 we walk over to Mr. Chase's (he is now my 

 nearest neighbor), and ask him if bees injure 

 buckwheat or even fruits." 



"No, Manum, I am satisfied with your ex- 

 planation, and I shall not hesitate to sow buck- 

 wheat where I intended to. Now, Manum, be- 

 fore I go I will do an errand for my wife. You 

 remember you sent me three of your No. 1 po- 

 tatoes, with the request that they be cooked, 

 that I might test their eating quality. Well, 

 we did as requested, and my wife was so well 

 pleased with them that she wishes you to name 

 them ' Bristol Beauty;' and I think it an appro- 

 priate name, as I consider them the nicest and 

 best potato I ever saw." 



" Very well. You may tell Mrs. Hill that she 

 has named the potato, and hereafter they shall 

 be known as the 'Bristol Beauty;' and to rec- 

 ompense her for the good name, 1 will send her 

 some of my No. 3 seed ings, that you may get 

 into the seed." 



Bristol, Vt. 



A LETTEK 



DECOY HIVES. 



TO THE boys; and IF 

 NOT A BOV, .SKIP IT. 



By ChaUm Fmvlx 



Perhaps some of the boys who read Glean- 

 iN(iS will get the bee-fever this spring, and will 

 be possessed with a consuming desire for a 

 swarm of bees. 



Now, boys, ril tell you how to get them with- 

 out either begging or buying. Trap them. 

 You probably have trapped other game— rabbit, 

 quail, etc. Well, you can trap a swarm of bees 

 just as well, and it's just as much fun. You 



