414 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE, 



May 



Now, do bees generally act so decent while being: 

 moved? Last winter we moved some swai'ms but 

 one-fourth of a mile, that became badly demoral- 

 ized. We wintered two large swarms this winter, 

 with entrances only 2\i by ^J inches; and in spite of 

 so little ventilation they came through, losing 

 scarcely any bees. In some hives, upper ventila- 

 tion right above the cluster was used all winter, 

 without causing any harm. 



We have over 40 varieties of honey-plants near us. 

 The mallow, which blooms as late as November, is 

 the latest. It Tias short leaves, flowers variegated 

 v.ith white and pink, and it produces snow-white 

 pollen. Ironweed produces white pollen, and the 

 bees get covered with a white dust while working 

 on it. Bees do not work on red clover and golden- 

 rod here, as the blossoms of the latter get so de- 

 stroyed by the old fashioned potato-bug, or, may be, 

 because the bees do not notice it. Hawthorn, 

 four kinds of smartweed, and several species of 

 autumn flowers resembling sunflowers, are good 

 honey-plants. 



It is queer indeed how bees find out honey so 

 quickly. One day last spring the cellar-doors were 

 left open. Some honey was down cellar. I was 

 near by at work, and I did not see a bee anywhere 

 about. Presently I left, but was back shortly after. 

 The cellar was just swarming with bees. I closed 

 the doors, and the bees came out of the cracks. 

 This started robbing. I find that bees are more apt 

 to flght on damp cloudy days than on bright warm 

 ones. On autumn mornings they often all mix up 

 in a big flght, but quiet down when it gets warm 

 enough for uU to go to work in the fields. 



Fall before last a gi-eat many bee-trees were cut 

 down. One was said to contain 203 lbs. of honey. 

 Last fall, not one was cut down. 



The morning of June 27, ISSH, was a bright one; 

 but at 10 A. M. it began raining, and rained until 

 ;3 o'clock. The clouds then broke away, and the 

 bees went to work. One swarm I noticed was un- 

 usually quiet. On looking into it, it was found 

 quiet inside also. Presently they began rushing 

 about, and so they were shut up. Then they be- 

 gan swarming. When they clustered the limb was 

 sawed off and taken to the new hive. While doing 

 so a small bunch dropped otf. When the swarm 

 was hived we looked and saw that the bunch that 

 had dropped oft' had risen up and clustered on the 

 tree close to where the swarm had clustered. Part 

 of them were brushed off and carried to the hive, 

 and the rest were shaken oft'. These then struck 

 directly for the new hive, which was not over a rod 

 •listant. Now, thi.s, although a first swarm, 

 came out at 4 p. m., two hours past the usual 

 swarming time. It may be likely that they pre- 

 pared to swarm in the morning, and as the rain 

 stoppol thern they had to wait until it was over, 

 which made them quite late. 



One sunny day last winter, when it stood only 33° 

 in the shade, I placed the thermometer on the 

 south side of a hive. It soon ran up to 8;5°, so it 

 was 60° warmer on the south side of the hive than in 

 the shade. Chahlie L. Greenftkld, age 14. 



Somerville, Butler Co., Ohio, Apr. 5, 188(5. 

 Very good, friend Charlie. Your ther- 

 mometer was placed ill the sun, and that is 

 why it recorded such a difference in temper- 

 atnre. In taking such observations, the sun 

 should never be allowed to shine directly on 

 the thermometer, especially on the bulb.' 



Every boy or girl, under 15 



years of age, who writes a 



letter lor this department, containing 



SOME .VALUABLE FACT, NOT GENERALLY 

 • KNOWN. ON BEES OR OTHER MATTERS, 



will receive one of David Cook's excel- 

 lent "five -cent Sunday - school books. 

 Many of these books contain the same mat- 

 cteithat you find in Sunday-school hooks 

 osting from 81.00 to $1X0. If you have had 

 one or more books, give us the names that we 

 may not send the same twice. We have now 

 in stock six different books, as follows; viz.: 

 Sheer Olt, The Giant - Killer, The Roby 

 i • Family, Rescued from Egypt, and Ten Nights in 



a Bar-Room. We have also Our Homes, Part I.,and 

 Our Homes, Part II. Besides the above books, you may have a 

 photograph of our old house apiary, taken a great many years 

 ago. In it is a picture of myself, Bine Eyes, and Caddy, and a 

 glimpse of Ernest. We have also some pretty little colored 

 pictures of birds, fruits, flowers, etc., suitable for framing. 

 You can have your choice of any one of the above pictures 

 or books for every letter that gives us some valuable piece of 

 nformation. 



' A chiel's amang ye takin' notes; 

 An' faith, he'll prent it. " 



WHAT TO DO, AND IIOAV TO BE HAPPY ; 

 A SEQUKL von THE WEE FOLKS. 



^ LATTER, clatter, whackity bang, tick, 

 tack, click, clack — '' What's all thkt 

 ^^■}i racket this time of the dayV exclaim- 

 ed I. The heavy machinery had all 

 slopped for the night, and I was sit- 

 ting at my desk, with pen in hand, prepared 

 to write something real nice for the little 

 folks. Racky tack, tick tack, cracky cracky 

 whack ! This only I received in response to 

 my question. " What in the world is all 

 that racket?'' I thought. '-I wonder"— 

 racky tack, ticky tack, ker squash— ''oh! I 

 know; it is one of the clerks who has been 

 working late hours to fill orders, and in his 

 blundering haste has tumbled a pile of goods 

 all over himself and on to the floor. How 

 clumsy some folks are !" 



There, there ! in my uncharitableness I 

 have just lost a fujlendid thought, and I can't 

 recall— racky tack, tick tack. Half disap- 

 pointed at the loss of a brilliant thought 

 that wouldn't come back, and half bewilder- 

 ed at such an unseasonable din, I was on 

 the point of saying, '' Ma, make the children 

 stop that incessant noise ; I can't write, nor 

 hear myself think," when I remembered 

 that I was married now, and that I wasn't 

 over home, nor was Blue Ejes, Caddie, or 

 Iluber, anywhere around to bother me as in 

 days just gone by. " Ma, make them stop " 

 has become almost a part of my nature, and 

 it crops out once in a while now. Racky 

 tack, tick tack. "Oh dear me ! what shall I 

 do? In this noise I can't think of any thing, 

 and ' Barney ' is calling for the ' Introduc- 

 tion to the juveniles.'" The noise seemed 

 to grow louder. Half curious, half out of 

 patience, I arose from my seat and sallied 

 forth into the compositors' room, then 

 through the long hall, and at last halted in 

 the clerks' ofFice. All was (piiet, save that 



