1886 



GLEANINGS IN l^EE CULl^UllE. 



413 



distance near the coast, the tliing- fish, sea-serpents, 

 and, most of all, the sl-ht of dear old America, 

 though the lirst glimpse was of the Ijarc sides of 

 the hills bordering on the coast. 



After a few days cf visiting at San Francisco we 

 started on our journey across the continent. Af tci- 

 we left the great ranches and enormous trees of 

 California, the scenery following was quite uninter- 

 esting. The Nevada plains and hills were studded 

 with clumps of sage-bush which soon grew monot- 

 onous; but the Great Salt Lake in Utah was inter- 

 esting, and I thought pretty. The mountains on 

 the opposite s!de showed signs of breaches quite 

 near the summits. 



We noticed some very curious and beautiful 

 canons, waterfalls, and glens. In the Rockies: but 

 we passed some of the most noted during the night. 



I thought Indiana's rolling surface, large groves, 

 and romantic scenery a lovely contrast to the drea- 

 ry, treeless plains of Nebraska and Kansas; but 

 when we came to Ohio 1 was charmed, especially 

 with Cleveland, the Forest City, where we spent a 

 short time. I went around the city a little, and saw 

 the great aqueduct, which cost several millions of 

 dollars; and we saw the cemetery where Garfield is 

 buried; and we also saw beautiful Lake Erie. 



I wish I could visit you at Medina; but circum- 

 stances were such we could not stop, and we came 

 on to the "Knickerbocker" State, with its great 

 farmhouses and whitewashed fences which really 

 struck me first. 



I entered school in the beginning of January, and 

 have enjoyed my first school life exceedingly. 1 

 am attending- a seminary for ladies and gentlemen, 

 which is under the auspices of the church. The 

 teachers are all very pleasant, and we have strictly 

 moral influences. The name is Schuylkill Seminary, 

 and it is at Reading, Berks Co.; ne.xt fall, however, 

 it is to bo moved to Fredericksburg, Lebanon Co., 

 where mamma expscts to settle down. 



With kind regards to your famili', and best wishes 

 for the prosperity of your magazine and business, 

 T am as ever, sincerely yours, Au.v M. Kkecker. 



Norristown, P.i., March 2), 18ij. 



Some of our readers will remember that 

 this same little girl wrote a letter over two 

 years ago in regard to the life and customs 

 of the people in Japan. We also had an en- 

 graving made at the time, of a Japanese 

 lady riding in a " palanquin " (see page 127, 

 1884). We are glad to welcome her back to 

 this country, and hope she is educating her- 

 .self to go back to ti life of service for the 

 Master. Ernest. 



HOW" A LITTLE GIRL STARTED IN 

 BEE-KEEPING, AND SUCCEEDED. 



HOW SHE MANAGED 5 SWAUMS OF BEES THAT Kt.EW 

 OUT AT ONE Tl.ME. 



alight; two I threw water on, and drove them back, 

 and mine 1 threw water on. The bees got nearly all 

 out when the queen came out. I i-an into the house 

 and got two tablespoons and caught the que(Ml be- 

 tween the two spoons, and the bees went back. 

 That winter one of my stands died. Last summer 

 they swarmed twice. One day last summer there 

 was a swarm came here. Father said if I would 

 hive it 1 could have it. This I did, and I had four 

 stands then. These made about 80 lbs. of honey. 

 Father got about 3000 lbs., nearly all comb honey. 

 He put 77 stands in the cellar, and they are winter- 

 ing well. We take Gleanings, and mother says 

 she can not get along without it. 



Grace Jewell, age U. 

 Shell Rock, UutlerCo., Iowa, Mar. 26, 1886. 



Thank you, friend Grace, for your very 

 excellent report. You are the first one, if I 

 am correct, to demonstrate the soundness of 

 Mrs. Harrison's suggestions (see p. 317 ; i. e., 

 that the children have bees of their own) and 

 report what Ihcn have done witli their own 

 capital. I don't think your father regrets 

 at all giving you the swarm, on the condi- 

 tion that you could accomplish a certain 

 thing with them ; and now you are able to 

 perform most of the operations in the apiary 

 successfully. I doubt very much whether 

 one of the veteran bee-keepers could have 

 managed those five swarms as well as you 

 did. and your report of how you managed 

 them is certainly interesting. You say that 

 you drove back two swarms with water. Did 

 you use the spray of a force-pump, or did you 

 siinply dash water on them with a dipper ? 

 I should also like to know how quickly the 

 swarm returned after you gave them a show- 

 er-bath. You know it is doubted by some 

 whether throwing water has any effect in 

 inducing tlie bees to cluster. — Your queen- 

 cage of two spoons is quite novel. It seems 

 to me there would be some danger of killing 

 the queen. However, in your hands no 

 doubt it answered very well. You have done 

 so well that I think you certainly deserve 

 a chromo, and an extrti nice one too. I have 

 told the mailing-clerk to send you one. Let 

 us have other reports from the little folks 

 who have bees of their own. Ernest. 



fATHER has kept bees for eight years. Three 

 years ago he said if T w-ould take the bees 

 and racks out of one hive, and put them in 

 another hive I could ha\e them, when I got 

 them out. He told me to put them back in 

 the hive I took them out of, for they would not go 

 into the other hive. This hive then was mine. They 

 did not swarm that summer. The next summer 

 they swaimed twice. The last time they swarmed, 

 father and mother were away from home. While 

 thev were gone, five stands swarmed. I got two to 



FACTS FROM ACTUAL EXPERIENCE 

 AND OBSERVATION. 



FIJO.M OUIl YOUNG FRIEND CHARLIE. 



fRIEND ROOT:— Bees wintered well here, and 

 are now in fine condition. They began gath- 

 ering pollen March IS and 19, but have gath- 

 ered very little since, on account of so 

 changeable weather. We have been feeding 

 some. We had one weak swarm run out of honey 

 one night, and the next morning 1 brought apart 

 of them to life by warming them, l)ut they did no 

 good. 



One evening, a short time ago, we moved a 

 swarm two miles. When we fixed them up the bees 

 were spread about, all through the hive. After we 

 had got them home, sawed the entrance large, and 

 in other ways badly jarring them, we looked into 

 the hive, and were surprised at finding them drawn 

 up into winter (|uarters, and any amount of thunu>- 

 ing and pounding ftiiled to make a single bee move. 



