492 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 



THE REASON WHY. 



I am a city boj', eight years old. We don't keep 

 bees; but when I come out to grandpa's I eat lots 

 of honey. When papa lived in the country he had 

 bees; but Uncle Henry says papa didn't get as 

 much honey as he does, because he didn't have 

 Gleanings to read, and find out how to tend to the 

 bees. Harry B. Stilz. 



Louisville,.Ky., July 3, 1881. 



STAYING OUT OF SCHOOL TO HELP ABOUT THE BEES. 



My pa has 17 stands of bees. I have to stay at 

 home from school to help my pa make hives and 

 sections. We have had about 7 swarms this sum- 

 mer. Elimu Moore, age 10. 



Centerville, Ohio, June 25, 1884. 



It may sometimes b8 necessary, Elihii ; 

 but I thiiik it is a rather bad plan to get in- 

 to, being absent from school. 



HARRISON'S FATHER AFTER HE GOT STUNG. 



My pa keeps 9 swarms of bees, and they are pretty 

 cross. One stung- pa over the left eye, and his eye 

 swelled shut, and he looked like a big bumble-bee. 

 We had a swarm of bees come out of a hive, and it 

 went off. My brother and I followed them, and my 

 pa went and hived them. Harrison Hill. 



Tracy Creek, N. Y., July 1, 1884. 



HOW anna HIVED A SWARM. 



This is my first letter. Last winter we had lour 

 stands of bees. This spring they increased to 13. 

 One day nobody was home but me and the baby, 

 and the bees swarmed, and I hived them myself. 

 None of the neighbors knew any thing about bees. 

 The bees settled on a little tree, and I carried a hive 

 under the tree, and sliook the tree till they all fell 

 in. Anna Dosch, age 11. 



Miamisburg, Ohio, June 18, 1884. 



AVHAT A BOY 13 YEARS OLD DID. 



Pa saw one swarm of bees go over, but he could 

 not stop them. Alfred Pyle, a little boy ^3 years old, 

 was g-oing by the woods; he saw a swarm of bees, 

 and settled them on a bush; he ran back home, and 

 got his pa to hive them for him, and they sawed the 

 tree down, and got the old swarm, and he had two 

 swarms of bees. Grandpa has 13 swarms, and they 

 have their caps full of honey, and part of the hives 

 full of honey. Wakren Kraner, age 13. 



Geneva, Ind., July 1, 1884. 



THE TWO SWARMS OF BEES. 



My brother has 13 swarms of bees; he has had two 

 swarms this year. They both came from one hive. 

 Last year he had two swarms that made 81 lbs. of 

 honey. He talks of g-oing- away this fall, and then 

 he says he will give his bees to me. I think I can 

 take care of them as Avell as he does. 



DUVILIOUS Apgar. 



Mt. Pleasant, N. J., June 34, 1884. 



j MORE ABOUT THE HONEY-DEW HONEY. 



I Pa has 2.5 colonies of old bees, and 14 young- 



I swarms, and we have about 203 lbs. of dark honey. 



I Pa thinks it is from that honey-dew. They think 



I they will keep it aTuWeed it to the bees in the fall. 



i There is much white clover here, and the bees are 



making honey fast. Pa gives us 5 cts. for every 



swarm of bees we see first. I have earned 15 cts. 



already. I shall be 15 years old to-morrow, and I 



thought I would write once more. Lucy Clark. 



Leno.\, Mich., June 3D, 1884. 



THE YOUNG BEE-HIVE MAKER. 



My father has 11 stands of bees. We have start- 

 ed a saw. We sell a good many hives. I help my 

 pa make hives. We got our saws of you, and we 

 like them very well. We run them with a horse- 

 power. We are going- to send to you for an engine 

 ne.\t summer. We want to get a six-horse power. 

 Charles C. Moore, age 11. 



Centre ville, Ohio, May 13, 1884. 



JOSEPH'S FIRST LETTER. 



My brother keeps bees. Three years ago he had 

 two colonies; last fall he had ten; but only two got 

 through the winter. He bought a swarm, but half 

 of them smothered while bringing-,'<hem home, and 

 the queen was among the dead, ky brother has 

 one of j-our ABC books. He bought a queen from 

 yoiL She swarmed, and left. 



Joseph T. Lambert, age 11. 



Madi.'^on Mills, Ky., June, 1884. 



A JUVENILE LETTER AND A JUVENILE POEM. 



My father is a physician. He has 23 stands of 

 bees. There seems to be a good prospect for them 

 this summer. When my sisters were married, pa 

 gave them one stand of bees each, and both stands 



; died. If you wish you may put them in the Blasted 



I Hopes. If any of the readers have a horse that has 

 the heaves, take equal parts of blood-root and lo- 



i belia, and give one teaspoonful at a feed; stir in 

 wheat bran. This is a sure cure. I will send a 



j poem: 



i SUJIMKR. 



I One bright summer day 



1 raked the clover bright and gaj-; 



The blossoms were red, the stems were green. 



And never a d.ay so hot that I have seen. 



1 The bees were humming:, the birds were singing, 



! .\nd the lark was soaring high ; 



j The flowerets were springing up 



: Toward the bright blue sky. 



I E. E. Stansbury, age 15. 



1 Long Bottom, Ohio, June 13, 1884. 



FROM a CANADIAN BEEGIRL. 



My pa keeps bees; he has 3 swarms. He lost 3 

 last winter. Our bees have not swarmed yet, but 

 we are looking for them to swarm every day. My 

 pa has an extractor, and he expects to extract some 

 honey soon. I have a little sister five years old. 

 She wants to write one too, but she don't know how. 

 I have another little sister, nearly two years old. 

 Her name is llosa. She will go out and get a stick 

 and play with the bees. One day she got stung on 

 the eye, and ma had to run and get her, and one 

 stung her on the head. Ella Gregg, age 8. 



Salford, Ont., Can. 



THREE SWARMS FROM ONE HIVE IN 13 DAYS. 



i We had 3 hives of bees. We have 5 young swarms. 

 I One hive swarmed three times in 13 days. Can any- 

 j body do any thing to make them work in the upper 

 I story';* There are but two of ours that work in the 

 j top stories — one old and one young swarm. Pa 

 does not smoke, ehew. drink whisky, nor play cards. 

 ! Orland Kraner, ago 13. 



\ Geneva, Ind., July I, 1884. 



Yes, Orland, any hive of bees can be made 

 to work in the upper stories, if there are bees 

 enough, and if there is honey to be had. 

 Lifting one of the combs into tlie upper 

 story is an excellent way to start them, and 

 that is one reason Avhy I have a preference 

 for Avide frames Instead of cases. You can 

 always get them started without any trouble, 



