GO 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 



BLOSSOM, TOM, SEYMOUE, AND PETER. 



We have no bees. I have a little brother and a 

 little <;isirr. I li ve a COW named Blossom, and a 

 kitieu uamid Tom. We have two horses, named 

 Seymore and Peter respectivelj*. 



Missouri C. Shields, age n. 



Pond, St. Louis Co., Mo., Dec. 2, 1883. 



THE- swarm of bees THAT EDGAR FOUND ON A HILL 

 OF CORN. 



I have one colony of bees, and pa has nine. I found 

 mine on a hill of corn, when I was carrying water to 

 my uncle. I had only a box-hive to put them in, but 

 pa gave me a Simplicity, and I am going to transfer 

 them in the spring. Edgar Yocom, age 9. 



Williamsville, Sangamon Co., 111., Dec. 27, 1883. 



I suppose, Edgar, you mean you are going 

 to transfer them in the spring if they live. 

 But for that matter, you might transfer the 

 combs, even if they do not live, and then you 

 will have so much toward a colony in the 

 .spring, and a hive full of combs Is certainly 

 half of it. 



HELEN'S REPORT. 



Pa has 9 colonies of bees, all in box hives; he is go- 

 ing to transfer them in the spring. He sent for 50 

 Simplicity hives and 100 metal-cornered frames. He 

 has about 30 frames made. He could not get them 

 together very well. He does not like them as well 

 as all-wood frames. Pa and Uncle John tore a box 

 hive to pieces last summer. After they smoked the 

 bees into another hive, they cut all the honey out of 

 the hive and ma strained the honey. I like to work 

 with the bees. I am going to send my letter with 

 brother Edgar's. If you think this is worth a book, 

 please send Silver Keys. 



Helen Yocom, age 11. 



Williamsville, Sangamon Co., 111., Dec. 27, 1883. 



LUCY, AND HER GRANDMA AND THE BEES. 



Grandpa keeps bees; he has 13 colonies in box 

 hives. He talks of transferring them to the Lang- 

 stroth hive, as he has become interested by reading 

 Gleanings. Grandpa feeds his bees sugar, and 

 most of the honey. Grandma watches the bees, so 

 when they swarm we can get them. Grandpa says 

 he can go out into the cow-yard, yell as loud'as he 

 pleases, and she can't hear; but let the bees swarm, 

 and she is the first to hear them. 



Kizer's, Pa.,Dec.,1883. Lucy Ann House. 



J.,ucy. there is a text in the Bible which 

 says, " Where your treasure is, there will 

 your heart be also;" and almost anybody 

 can hear better about something in which 

 he is deeply interested. I presume that is 

 why your grandmother hears better about 

 the bees; she is thinking about them, and 

 her mind is on them. 



~50 gallons of orange-blossom honev. 

 It is now December. 1 do not suppose you hear 

 the merry sound of the little bee as we do. They are 

 as busy now on the wing as in the month of May, 

 but not as profitable, as they fly from hive to hive 

 trying to force an entrance; and if they find a weak 

 colony, they go in and take the honey. We have 

 flowers in the yard, and a few wild ones; but- it 

 seems that they have not got the fragrance, or 

 honey, as in the summer. Our orange-trees are full 

 of bright nj-anges, and in about two months thoy 

 will be white with bloom; then the little bees will 

 Hy for profit, for the blossoms afford a great deal of 



honey, as well as pollen. We extracted 250 gallons 

 of orange honey this year. Will you allow a little 

 boy the same chance as you do the girls — that is. a 

 bunch of envelopes? If you think that this letter is 

 worth a bunch, please send me one. 



Elbert A. Froscher, age lii. 

 LaGrange, Fla., Dec. 7, 1883. 

 Why, Elbert, it would be funny if we did 

 not allow a boy the same chance we do a 

 girl. People generally get it the other way. 

 — Now about that orange-blossom honey. 

 That is the biggest lot I ever heard of ; and 

 if it is as good as the oranges your father 

 sent us it must be beautiful. Will you ask 

 him to send us a sample in the little block 

 we send him by mail V If it is nice, we want 

 a barrel of it, sure — that is, if your paean 

 furnish it. And if the bees are working on 

 orange-blossoms now, tell him to manage to 

 save us some as near pure orange-blossom 

 honey as ho can. 



THE POOR BEES THAT HAD NOT A DROP OF HONEY. 



My papa has 54 colonies of bees, and I have one. 

 He got 350 lbs. of comb honey, and 1000 of extracted. 

 Pa went to a neighbor's this fall to help him intro- 

 duce a queen that he had got from you. He noticed 

 that the bees of one of the hives were acting oddly; 

 he told Mr. K. that ho believed those bees were hun- 

 gry. They opened the hive, and, sure enough, there 

 was not a cell of honey, and 1 was sorry when I 

 heard him say, " Just let them go." 1 would have 

 fed them. I will tell you next time how I got my 

 swarm of bees. This is the third letter I have writ- 

 ten, but mamma burned the other two. She thought 

 they were not fit to send. 



Charles A. Seabright, age 7. 



Blaine, O., Dec. 3, 1883. 



Charley, I am real glad indeed to hear you 

 say you would have fed those bees ; and I am 

 sure almost any of our juveniles would have 

 done so, even if they had had to buy the su- 

 gar for doing so. I am very sorry your 

 mamma thought best to burn up your two 

 first letters. You just tell her that Uncle 

 Amos can read children's letters a good deal 

 easier than she tliinks for. Tell her I don't 

 mind, even if the letters are crooked. I love 

 these little letters just on account of their 

 crookedness, and the juvenile twist that the 

 letters seem to take. 



LETTER FROM A 6-YEAK-OLJ). 



Mamma says 1 may print you a letter. I can not 

 write well enough yet. I go to school, both day and 

 Sunday school. 1 should like to see your baby, and 

 help rock it to sleep. I have a hive of bees, some 

 chickens, and 3 ducks. Papa says you call your 

 baby Huber. It is a very nice name. 



Minnie Myrtle Wright, age (i. 



Millerstown, Perry Co., Pa., December 24, 1883. 



Your letter is very .nicely printed, Minnie, 

 and you have got in the punctuation pretty 

 well, and have put in the capital letters 

 where they belong. I guess y<-jur mamma 

 advised you a little, did she not V 



FLORA AND THE BEES, AND HER HORSE. 



My pa has 17 hives of bees; 5 of them are Italians, 

 the remainder are blacks. 1 have a share in the bees 

 for helping to attend to them. We keep our bees in 

 the cellar when it is very cold. Wo all like to work 

 with thera, and take care of them. I live in the 



