1886 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



4^9 



bees become accustomed so as to I'oUow and search 

 under trees to sting-. 



Again, when we establish an apiary attiotlg- neigh- 

 bors, and provide no trees or hig-h fences to raise 

 the bees liigh in the air in their Hight to and fro, 

 the continual passing liccoraes a real annoyance. 

 Persons who are not used to tlie lumdling of bees 

 would regard their chances of liarm about as a bee- 

 keeper would so numy tlaslics of lightning; and 

 though he may never get stung, he will carry fear 

 with him as tliougli it wei-o a heavy wciglit; and, 

 being a very peaceable neighbor, he will say nothing 

 but wish himself a thousand miles from an apiary. 

 Hence, in locating an apiary the hives should lie 

 placed in a clear open space in the center of a dense 

 grove of trees, that they can not bo seen or heard. 

 Then when the "chronic growler "finds them in 

 mischief he will not be so hasty to declare evacua- 

 tion, but he will be awakened to the fact that there 

 are bees in the neighborhood, and will set out to 

 line them home and will figure damatjes. 



We should manage to kreii our bees from stinging 

 any one outside of our iiielosures, and then they can 

 not very well become a nuisance. If there were a 

 dozen cider-presses, groceries, or other places of 

 business, and all were obliged to be exposed to the 

 bees, and there were enougli bees to monopolize 

 matters, then the bees might become a nuisance, 

 and their removal might be necessary. There is an 

 exceptional raid made upon somebody's meal, rain 

 water, sap, eider, or kitchen; it can iu)t amount to 

 more than an ordinary damage, and ought to meet 

 an easy and ready settlement. When a neighbor's 

 poultry or stock plunder the pro])erty of anolhor 

 thej' don't cry, "Git for the timber" or back fields, 

 because they know the laws respect poultry and 

 stock, and our country is proud of them; and it is 

 going to be the same with bees as soon as peoi)le 

 can be taught their usefulness, and that they do not 

 " work for nothing." So long as wc can succeed in 

 selecting intelligent oflicers, the law is not going to 

 "throw down and drag out" respectable industries 

 for trivial offenses. 



There are those whom the sight of a lew liee hi\(S 

 affect as an "eyesore," though they reside many 

 miles away; who may talk, as it is cheap, and their 

 stupidity allows their ignorance to lead them to 

 law without a case. Having a neighbor (f ihis 

 "stamp," it is not best to "pull ui) stakes" to settle 

 down by another; l)ut while he "blows" we hliouid 

 endeavor to clear the way by our works and acts, 

 that others may seo that there ai-e some fools yet 

 living. 



It has been advis( d to entice tran(iuillity liy giving 

 sections of honey, etc.; and I am not eertain but the 

 effect, when given to a good neighbor, is the 'nost 

 advantageous- making them so loud in our i)raise 

 that the enemy is glad to retire for his own safety. 



The inquiry is often nuide, wliether tliere is any 

 law regarding bees, to which I might say that there 

 is none, other than what is in harmony with lh(> 

 reason of the case, and which is often greatly varied 

 by the designs and reasoning power of the reason- 

 er. When bees begin to filay their part in the 

 courts, then will the law regarding liees de\elop. 

 Out in California, Mr. Rohn was biought to law 

 for damages done by his bees to grapes. Eye-wit- 

 nesses testified and swore that the tongue of a bee 

 was so consti-ucted as to pierce the skin of a round 

 grape, and Mr. T5'ohn was beaten. If the same were 

 said of a cow's tongue piercing a sound SMuasli, it 



could not be more absurd. That is the kind of ma- 

 terial hurled at the bees, when their side is not 

 well represented; and of just such briclvs as that 

 will the wall protecting bees be constructed, unless 

 bee-keepers wake up and exert themselves in their 

 interests. At present I know of nothing better 

 through which to act, than the " Hee -Keepers' 

 Union." In fact, 1 do not Icnow but tluit that organ- 

 ization in doing as well as could be desired, except 

 that its shoi't roll of members should be lengtliened. 

 With ample backing, cases may be won, leaving 

 "marks" that shall ever be pleasing to ourselves 

 and the rising generation. For awhile, l)ee-keep- 

 ers have the opiiortunity to effect laws in their fa- 

 vor; but a supertiuity of drones may alter i-esults 

 surprisingly. C. W. D.avton. 



Bradford, Iowa. 



Eriend I)., I (luite a^reo witli vdu in re- 

 gai'd to the advaiit.'iges of a barricade in the 

 shape of bushes, trees, or a tall tight lioard 

 fence. I have been advisin.!? the same thing 

 for some little time back; Imt yon seem 

 to have gone over the ground uiore thor- 

 onghly in your past exptrience than I have 

 done. 1 do not believe that, as a nde, it is 

 best to purchase the good will of our neigh- 

 bors by gifts of honey. If they have sus- 

 tained "damage, for instance wliere clothes 

 are so badly soiled on washing-day tliat they 

 have to be rinsed over. 1 would send over 

 honey enough to pay them well for the time 

 occupied in making good the damage ; or I 

 wotild in any case be libei;il with honey or 

 money either, where it would help to make 

 permanent pleasant relations between our- 

 selves and our neighbors. 



It has been suggested that the whole mat- 

 ter comes in iint^ier about the same asi)ect as 

 the keeping of ])oultry. Chickens fre(|uent- 

 ly do a vast deal of mischief, ami make un- 

 told annoyance. How can it be got along 

 with V i suppose you ktiow there are 

 various ways. A Cliristian man (that is, 

 one who is a Christian— mind, I do not mean 

 one who professes) will either shut up his 

 chickens or move them away when he is sat- 

 isfied they are antioyinghis neigljbors. Our 

 nearest neiglibor is a good old lady who 

 lives right across the street, all alone by 

 herself. Well, her chickens showed a fond- 

 ness for promenading on otir sawed-stone 

 llagging across the lawn. We did not ifiind 

 so much the presence of the chickens as the 

 presence of something which didn't go by 

 scaring so readily as they did. In fact, it 

 tocik a scrub-broom and bucket of water to 

 restore the aitpearance of things. Well, 

 when our neighbor fomid it out (we didn't 

 tell her of it — she was bright enough and 

 kind enough to notice the troid)le her chick- 

 ens were making us) she said at once she 

 would sell the chickens, and asked me if I 

 would buy them. She did not put it in just 

 so many words, but it amounted to this : ]f 

 chickens nnike my neighl)or to olfend, I will 

 keep no chickens "while the world stands. 1 

 liave remembered this kindness many titnes. 

 !*;he is alofie in the world, and no doid)t her 

 cliickens were a good deal of cotnpany and 

 comfort to her ; but off went their heads ju.st 

 as soon as she found they ti'onbled us. May 

 (Jod bless good old Aunt Margaret! I wisti 

 thei'e were more Christians like her, even if 

 she does belong to the C;itholic ('hurcli. 



