390 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUKE. 



May 



that will require 3733 for an aero, or an outlay of 

 J136 per aerc, to bo renewed annually atthe sameex- 

 pense, as every plant Avill be killed with the first 

 frost. Is it worth while to talk about setting out 

 such plants in quantity? 



FUUIT-BLOSSOMS. 



If I were not in a region Avhero fruit is quite 

 plentiful, I think I should certainly try to find what 

 kinds would succeed, and plant of them pretty 

 largely. I have succeeded in having honey stored 

 in sections during apple and cherry bloom but once, 

 and then only l)y a single extra-strong colony in a 

 few sections. But their influence in urging brood- 

 rearing is so great that Quinby, if I mistake not, 

 said the fruit-bloom decided the season. As to the 

 character of the honey, I have never observed 

 closely enough to make a positive statement, but 

 will rather put it in the form of a question: Is not 

 honey from cherry and plum rather disagreeable, 

 and from apple of fine flavor, resembling the odor 

 of ci'ab apple blossoms? If bees work much on 

 strawberries, I have never been able to observe it; 

 but on raspberries I have seen them work very 

 busily. The only objection is, that they come part- 

 ly in the time of clover bloom. C. C. Mili.eu. 



Marengo, 111., May, 1886. 



Friend M., over and over again I recur to 

 this subject, and I do tliink it is one of tlie 

 greatest importance. You say no one lias 

 yet demonstrated by actual trial that one or 

 more acres of ground can be planted, from 

 which the honey alone will be a profit. This 

 may be so ; but even if it is, why not devel- 

 op tlie ])lants where lioney alone is not the 

 only source of profit'? Bee-keepers should 

 raise buckwheat ; or if they can not do that, 

 induce others near them to raise buckwheat, 

 on the plan sufjgested by G. O. Goodhue, on 

 l)age 827. Buckwheat, alsike clover, rape, 

 and possibly raspberries, can be woi ked on 

 this plan ; and who knows but that we may, 

 in a lew years, raise basswood for the tim- 

 ber and for the lioneyV My basswood-or- 

 chard is getting to be a valuable piece of 

 property, and I should not be surprised if 

 the time would come when the timber would 

 be worth all it cost, to say nothing of the 

 honey. Unless we discover some plant that 

 yields honey in much larger quantities than 

 any tiling lit present known, it certainly will 

 not pay to raise plants to set them out, as 

 we should have to do with the abutilons and 

 spider plants. I presume you know there is 

 a new plant now under test. *8ee page 301. 



LETTER FROM TOUNGOO, BURMAH. 



FRIEND BUNKER TELI.S US OF THE CONFl>ICTS AND 



TRIALS OF THE CHRISTIANS AMONG THE 



IDOLATERS. 



fHB goods reached us in good order, with the 

 exception of a few glass pails and tumblersi 

 broken. Taking into account that the goods 

 traveled over 13,000 miles, and were shipped 

 and reshipped several times, this was not 

 bad. The iron-jacket cans, a few of them, got a dash 

 of salt Avatcr, and were marred by rust; but this 

 was soon remedied by a dash of japan varnish. We 

 wore all very much plei^sed with t)ie goods, espe- 

 cially Nellie and I^utbie, who soon found clover-heads 

 and other treasures in the gvags and strjvw. T^Pge 



have all been carefully collected for sowing, in the 

 hopes of raising some old home flowers. I had ex- 

 pected to have two Italian swarms of bees to begin 

 with, when the hives ordered of you should arrive; 

 but owing to bad packing.when they reached me both 

 swarms were suffocated. The first swarms to reach 

 Biirmah, and suffocated at that! I am much disap- 

 pointed, but hope for better success next time. I 

 have applied to thegovernment(agricultural office) 

 here for aid to make further experiments in this 

 direction as soon as this war is over. 



You have heard through the papers of the annex- 

 ation of Upper Burmah, and the deposition of King 

 Theebaw, and perhaps you have thought, with many 

 others, if you have thought of the matter at all, 

 " How quickly this Burman Empire has been ovei^ 

 thrown, and incorporated with Her Majesty's do- 

 minions!" But in fact, the work is far from being 

 completed. We have about 35,000 Christians in Bur- 

 mah; all the i"est are gross idolaters, except, of 

 course, Europeans. Now, the priests of these idol- 

 aters, " priests of Baal," have been preaching to their 

 people that King Theebaw, being the head and pro- 

 tector of their religion, has been overcome by the En- 

 glish because of the prayers of the native Christians ! 

 What a grand admission of the majesty and power of 

 the Christian's God ! So these priests say, "Let us kill 

 off all these Christians, and we shall win back our 

 kingdom." As a consequence, these pViests havebe- 

 com e leaders of war parties, and are scattered all over 

 Upper and Lower Burmah, burning, sacking, and 

 killing all who will not join them. The government 

 police arc idolaters, and have joined the insurgents 

 with their arms in many cases. 



The Toungoo Mountains run north and south 

 through Shwaygheen and Tavoy Districts, and 

 have a large population of Christian Karens. Of 

 those, 81 churches, or villages, or about 3500 bap- 

 tized adults, with a large nominal Christian popu- 

 lation, are under my care. A band of two thousand 

 or more gathered in the Shwaygheen hills, and at- 

 tacked the Karen Christian village, killing and 

 burning, especially burning, chapels, and cutting 

 up Bibles and other books. The government could 

 not meet the case, and could supply only a limited 

 number of arms. The people had no leaders but 

 ourselves, their missionaries, so we have been oblig- 

 ed to load our Christians to war as in the days of 

 the Israelites of old. The Karens, though poorly 

 armed, have met these idolaters, and have fought 

 them, and the slaughter has been great. The na- 

 five pastors continually quote the wars of the 

 children of Israel as their guide, and woe to the 

 man who seeks plunder. They bring all plunder to 

 the government officers for disposal. Hundreds of 

 these idolaters have been killed, and scores taken 

 prisoners. The leader, a priest of great note, for 

 Avhose capture the English officers had offered 500Q 

 rupees as a reward, was caught by my Karens ^ 

 few days ago, under my leading, and is now safely 

 shut up in jail awaiting his trial. His capture re: 

 minds me of Sisera of old, for he was captured 

 largely by women, though thought by his followers 

 to bo able to ajipear or disappear, jump a mile, or 

 take upon himself any form he liked, at pleasure. 

 The superstition of these idolaters is marvelous in 

 the extreme. Our troubles ai-e not at an end. The 

 people are in a state of great excitement. We are 

 in the midst of idolaters; we know not what each 

 day has for us, nor when the people will rise. I 

 Jeftvc to-nioriow to try to raise aians for njy people 



