566 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 



or hive, as we use the old-fashioned box gum. We 

 don't know how to make any other, and are too far 

 off from you to buy them, and have them brought 

 here. John F. Bat.lahd. 



Cold Spring, Texas, Jan. 20, 1884. 



FUN IN THE APIARY. 



This hot July day finds us with an apiary of 49 

 colonies, all in good shape; but mamma says she 

 doesn't think we are going to have a very big- crop of 

 honey this season. We had two swarms go to the 

 woods, but papa went along with them, and brought 

 them back after they had settled. I just wish you 

 could see our apiary. We have grapevines for 

 shades, and some of the vines have nice clusters of 

 grapes on them, though they were set out only last 

 spring. We keep the ground smooth and clean, 

 and it is such a nice place to walk in evenings ! Mam- 

 ma and a little six-year-old brother and three-year- 

 old sister were out in the apiary one evening, and 

 they got to playing they were in town, calling the 

 two and three story hives the big houses, and the 

 one-story hives the little houses, and the bees in 

 front of them were the people; and while they were 

 walking around and talking, out hopped a great 

 big ugly toad from under one of the hives. Mamma 

 told the children he was a robber, so she arrested 

 him and bore him oft' to prison, the prison being Mr. 

 Wasson's pasture, which lies adjoining our grounds, 

 and the children thought it was so funny, and it 

 really did seem a little funny to see a great big 

 grown woman like mamma out playing with the 

 children that way; but T guess it makes her think 

 of the time when she, too, was a child. 



Eva Duncan, age 13. 



Lineville, Iowa, July 2;5, 1884. 



THE BEES THAT THE ANTS AND WORMS AVORRIED. 



My sister and I have each a stand of bees. Our 

 brother gave them to us. One we call strong, the 

 other weak. The ants have taken possession of the 

 strong one, and the worms the weak one. We 

 thought something must be done. We never had 

 done any thing with them but wait for the honey. 

 At last we took courage, and opened the weak one, 

 found about a cottee-cup of bees, no brood, only 4 

 cells. We opened it again, found no queen, but 

 fewer bees every time. Then we opened the strong 

 one, took out 4 frames filled with brood and honey, 

 and 6 or C queens-cells, uncapped. Now, we thought, 

 they are all right; they will soon make a queen. 

 The brood hatched out, but they have no queen. 



Our bees are the veriest savages, and we thought 

 if we could only get one civilized queen we might 

 get bees that we might learn to handle. They are 

 three-banded. We killed the worms in the one, and 

 changed the hive of the other. 



Miss Agnes Huddi>eson. 



Victor, Iowa, July V, 1884. 



My friend, you have described very vivid- 

 ly the way a colony of bees dwindles down 

 when they lose their queen, but I am afraid 

 that your attempts to make an artificial 

 swarm will not succeed very well. After 

 combs become infested with worms like 

 those, about the only way to save them is to 

 put one comb at a time in a strong stock of 

 Italians. A good strong colony of bees will 

 overpower the worms, and dig them out, 

 when a few bees and a great many combs 

 with worms in them would not turn out so 

 well. 



SWARMING TROUBLES. 



We bought one hive of bees last spring; they went 

 right to work on apple-blossoms, and that is about 

 all they gathered, on account of dry weather. The 

 early frost spoiled the goldenrod and all fall flowers, 

 and we had to feed them sugar. They increased to 

 three swarms. The first one came out when we 

 were hoeing cabbage; we heard a buzzing, and, as 

 we came to where they were, we found that they 

 M'ere swarming. It was a very lai-ge swarm. The 

 second one came out the 3d day of July. Papa was 

 not at home, and I went to get him. When he came 

 home the bees were all clustered on a tree. He 

 caught them and carried them to the hive, and they 

 would not go in, but went back into the old hive. 

 The next moi-ning we went to ride; and when we 

 got back they were just coming out of the old hive. 

 Papa told me to unharness the horse; and by the 

 time he got things fixed they were all clustered, and 

 he got them into the hive all safe. 



SPIDER PLANT. 



There was but one spider plant that came up, out 

 of an ounce of seed. Howard Butterfield. 



Saxonville, Mass. 



It seems to me that is a rather bad report 

 of the spider-plant seed, friend Howard — 

 only one plant in an ounce. We send you 

 another ounce, and hope it will do better. 

 There seems to be a difficulty with spider- 

 plant seed some way, but we have not yet 

 found out what it is. 



A four-year-old bee-keeper, and— a tobacco- 

 user! 



I am telling papa what to write. He says if I will 

 never put any more tobacco in my mouth, you 

 will send me a nice little smoker, so T won't any 

 more. I tasted grandpa's just a little bit, but I am 

 sorry I did, and papa says he will help me to quit, if 

 he has to use a stick once in awhile; but I guess 

 he won't, for I never will use it again. Papa takes 

 your journal, and reads it to me about how the 

 little folks say they do. Papa has lots of bees; they 

 don't sting me. They say I am too sweet. One 

 stung mamma on the foot; pretty near made her 

 cry. Papa says I must quit, or I won't have anj' 

 thing to write next time. So, good-by. 



Arthur Eshenpelder, age 4. 



Eaton, Ind., July 28, 1884. 



Friend Arthur, this is really awful, to 

 think that a boy of your age sliould be really 

 tampering with tobacco; and yet you are 

 only following the example set before you, 

 just as we children of an older growth or- 

 dinarily do. I think your papa is about 

 right, in saying he will have to use a stick; 

 but I really believe, my little friend, he won't 

 have to. I am almost afraid it would not be 

 the thing to give you a smoker, for the ex- 

 ample might set other children to tampering 

 with the poison, because of a promised pres- 

 ent; besides, our otfer of a premium is to 

 those who have got the habit fixed on them, 

 and who used it before they saw what has 

 been published in Gleanings. May God 

 bless you, and your papa also; and even if 

 he should be obliged to use a stick (which I 

 feel pretty sure won't be the case), I hope it 

 may not have the effect of in anyway less- 

 ening his love for you his boy, nor your love 

 toward him your father. Good-by, Arthur; 

 but, please stick to your tobacco-pledge. 



