1886 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



21 



"Now, ma, think about the poor little bees being 

 smothered to death with brimstone," chimed in 

 Jane. Then, turning to her father, she said, coax- 

 inglj^, "Please, pa, may we not keep them? Mr. 

 Brown said we could have them, and welcome, and 

 that you could tell Tommy and me how to take care 

 of them." 



Mr. Meek replied, " I was starting to take a walk, 

 and the day is so fine I do not want to miss it. As I 

 walk along I will think the matter over, and I will 

 meet you at the dinner-table, when we will talk 

 it over." With that he walked away. 



While Mr. Meek studied his Bible and his books on 

 theology very faithfully, he also studied about 

 m.any other things. He had read several works on 

 the management of bees. His father kept bees aft- 

 er the old plan, and when a boy he had become fa- 

 miliar with its workings. He thought it cruel to 

 kill the bees in a hive to obtain their stores. In his 

 travels since entering the ministry he had visited 

 many modern bee-keepers, and noticed with glad- 

 ness the advances which had been made. All the 

 bees near where he now lived were kept upon the 

 old plan. He had often talked to Mr. Brown and 

 others about trying the modern improvements; but 

 they had never been persuaded to try them. He 

 often thought of buying a colony and showing the 

 people around what modern bee-keeping is, in 

 hopes that they might be led by his success to adopt 

 some of the improvements. He knew that the 

 country afforded plenty of bee-pasture. White clo- 

 ver, that best of all honey-plants, abounded along 

 the roadsides and in all the ppsture-flelds and mea- 

 dows. He was certain that many thousands of 

 pounds of honey were wasted every j'ear, near his 

 home, for lack of bees to gather it. He also believ- 

 ed it would benefit the children, to have the care of 

 bees. He said to himself, "They will learn some- 

 thing, even if this colony does not live until spring." 

 His conclusion was, that the children might ac- 

 cept the offered gift. He understood very well why 

 tender-hearted Jane pitied the bees in the doomed 

 hive. When a boy, he himself had often shed tears 

 over the unhappy fate of similar colonies when he 

 saw them placed in the brimstone-pit. As Jane was 

 only ten years old, and Tommy eight, they knew 

 very little about any kind of work, and nothing at 

 all about working with bees. They would need 

 much counsel and help, which he was willing- to 

 give, provided they did their part cheerfully. 



As they sat at the dinner-table the children were 

 very impatient to learn the decision; but having 

 been well taught they waited for their parents to 

 introduce the subject. At length their father re- 

 marked, "I think Mr. Brown's offer a very good 

 one, and we had better accept it." 



Jane said, "Oh! thank you, papa; thank you, pa- 

 pa!" But Tommy dropped his piece of bread and 

 butter, and, clapping his hands together, said, 

 "Good! good! good!" 



It was always his custom, when much pleased, to 

 dance around on one foot, clapping his hands to- 

 gether, exclaiming, "Good! good!" but as he was 

 now sitting at the table he could not very well in- 

 dulge in the dance on one foot. 



Mr. Meek continued, " I allow you to accept the 

 offer, for various reasons. One is, pity for the poor 

 little bees doomed to die. They are now under the 

 sentence of death, and will bo killed unless we take 

 them and save them. Another is, that you children 

 may learn how to keep bees. The art of bee-keep- 



ing is a trade. If the bees live, and you care for 

 them, you will learn this trade; and the knowledge 

 you will thus acquire may be very useful to you in 

 after-life. Another reason is this: I should like to 

 set before our neighbors and friends the example 

 of a well-kept bee-yard. I am sure that many col- 

 onies of bees might be kept in our vicinity; and I 

 think if I could show the people how to keep them 

 profitably, I might advance bee culture in this 

 neighborhood. And now, Jane and Tommy, I want 

 you to remember that Mr. Brown gave the bees to 

 you. You are the owners of them; you are the bee- 

 keepers, and you must do the work. I will direct 

 you what to do, and will help you do what I think 

 too hard or too difficult for you. You must, in re- 

 turn for my services, furnish us some of your honey 

 for our table." 



We can not record all the conversation which 

 lasted through the meal, and was continued after 

 they had left the table. They then went out into 

 the yard, selected a spot where the hive should be 

 placed, and prepared a stand on which to place it. 

 Then the question arose, how best to remove it. 

 Mr. Meek's advice M'as asked. He said, "There is 

 in our barn a large sack. It will hold a nail- keg 

 nicely. Take it, put the keg into it, then tie it se- 

 curely. Take the buggy, place the keg it the buggy, 

 and drive carefully home, and not a bee can escape 

 to trouble you. When you place the keg in the 

 buggy, be sure to turn it bottom up, and then the 

 combs will not be so likely to break." 



Thus equipped the children drove away about 

 sundown, and a little after dark a shout at the front 

 gate announced that they had returned with their 

 precious load. Mr. Meek went out, and cai-ried in 

 the hive. He thought it best not to open the sack 

 nor place it on the stand until all the bees had 

 crawled back into the hive. He placed it in a posi- 

 tion favorable for their doing so; and in the morn- 

 ing, all being quiet in the hive, the keg was gently 

 drawn from the sack, and placed upon the stand. 

 Mr. Meek pronounced it light in stores, the combs 

 not filling more than half the keg. 



" They must be fed," said he ; and as it was now late 

 in the season, no time was to be lost. The children 

 prepared feed after directions given by their father. 

 They possessed a dollar, which they expended for 

 granulated sugar. They then made this into a thick 

 nice syrup by adding some water, and heating it. 

 A tin pan was borrowed from their mother, tilled 

 with this feed, a little warm, and the surface of the 

 syrup was covered with little strips of pine, split 

 from the kindling - wood, to keep the bees from 

 drowning in it. Jane then stood behind the hive 

 and gently tipped it back, while Tommy slipped 

 the pan of feed upon the bottom-board; the hive 

 being then let down he covered it and kept out 

 robber-bees. 



In the evening the children took the horse-blank- 

 ets and the buffalo-robe and covered the hive, com- 

 pletely protecting it from the cold, and enabling 

 them to take up the feed. The 'feed was always 

 warm when placed in the hive; and being thus 

 protected it was all taken by morning. They were 

 thus fed repeatedly. When the dollar's worth of 

 sugar had been fed, Mr. Meek said, "They surely 

 will do until spring, when they can be fed some 

 more if they need it. Now," says he, " thej' can re- 

 main here until the severe weather comes, when 

 we must place them in their winter quarters." 

 To he continued Fch. 1st. 



