166 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



Mar. 



love at first sight. She has not only become a good 

 bee-keeper, but a good house-keeper as well, and 

 has made me one of the happiest of men, all due to 

 bees. Friend R., bees have made me a fortune. 

 Just tell this to the boys who advocate bee-keeping 

 along with other business. It will give them a good 

 pointer. 



Here is another dollar inclosed, for which send us 

 your clean-faced journal another year. 



Our report for this season is about 50 lbs. per col- 

 ony, which, indeed, is a poor yield. Drought caused 

 an early cessation of the honey-flow. Last winter 

 was dry. The outlook now is fine. We had an 

 abundant rainfall in September, which brought up 

 the honey-plants. We are having plenty of rain 

 now. With good rains in April we shall have a fine 

 yield. 



The crops In this section, while not the best, were 

 fairly good, and we have plenty to carry us safely 

 and bountifully to the next. For these and all other 

 blessings, we return our thanks to the Giver of all 

 good. J. E. Lay. 



Halletsville, Lavaca Co., Texas, Dec. 33, 1887. 



Why, bless your heart, doctor, don't we 

 remember you at tliat convention is 1882 V 

 I have wondered several times why we did 

 not hear from you oftener since. I don't re- 

 member about the auburn-haired little wo- 

 man, but I do remember how enthusiastic 

 you were about the prospects in Texas over 

 the horsemint honey ; and I remember, too, 

 feeling sorry to think of the heavy expense it 

 must have caused you to come all the way 

 from Texas to attend that convention. I 

 have wondered several times whether you 

 were really paid for your pains and trouble ; 

 but I shall never worry about it any more. 

 Why, my dear sir, it may not have been a 

 bad investment had you traveled clear 

 around the world— yes, four or live times 

 over. Ask the auburn-haired wife what 

 she thinks about it. " Man shall not live 

 by bread alone." Now, friend L., let us 

 hear from you oftener. Tell us about the 

 bees, and tell us wliat your wife says about 

 our recent articles on bee-keepers' wives, 

 etc. 



REMEMBER THE POOR. 



A SENSIBLE REMINDER FROM MBS. AXTELL. 



Tip S the cold of winter is again upon us, and 

 2f\lbi ^® ^^*^ comfortably housed from the inclera- 



j^P" ency of the weather, let us look around us 

 ■^^ and see if there are not some who have not 

 the comforts of life. Do not let us be con- 

 tented by just giving them employment, or help- 

 ing them to get employment. Often we can suggest 

 to them ways by whi'^h they can better provide for 

 their wants, or how to take better care of what 

 they have. 



A family came under our observation not long 

 since, of actual suflfering from cold; although 

 they had a good plastered house and plenty of fuel, 

 their bed-clothes were small. Being poor, they 

 thought to economize by making short and narrow 

 quilts. The father came in our house one severe 

 cold morning, shaking as if he had the ague. He 

 said he had nearly frozen t^e night before, al- 

 though he had made several fires in their small 

 Stove. We began to inquire into the cause, and 



found they had a sick child that must be kept cov- 

 ered, while the father, with his clothes on, tried to 

 keep warm at the back side of the bed against the 

 north wall, with scant cover or sometimes no cover 

 at all. 



Next day, as he was our hired man, I looked up 

 some pieces of quilts and lounge tick, and sewed 

 one to one side of each quilt. These quilts could 

 then be put crosswise of the bed. The pieces 1 

 sewed on were long enough to tuck a foot or more 

 under the straw tick at the foot of the bed; then 

 with an extra small thick quilt thrown over the 

 foot of the bed, the clothing was sufficient. Before 

 this was done I had more straw put into the straw 

 bed, as they had only straw to sleep upon. Then I 

 made a long bolster and filled it with straw, reach- 

 ing from the head to the foot of the bed, and pulled 

 the bed out a little and threw the bolster back of 

 the bed, which stood against the north wall of the 

 house. 



The father did not know of this until he went to 

 retire for the night. The next morning, when he 

 came in to do chores, he seemed very thankful. 

 He said he had not slept so comfortable and warm 

 for a long time. The children's bed was also looked 

 after and made more comfortable. 



Not every family would allow one to take so much 

 liberty as the above; but when we err we had bet- 

 ter err on the side of doing too much for the poor 

 rather than too little. Some have said, " You will 

 hurt their feelings by doing so and so; " but I find 

 if we help the poor in the right spirit they will love 

 us all the more. If each reader of Gleanings will 

 find some poor family to personally interest them- 

 selves in, how much good we shall do ! Jesus says, 

 "The poor ye have with you always ; and whensoever 

 ye will, ye may do them good." 



JAPANESE buckwheat. 



In regard to the .50 cts. worth of Japanese buck- 

 wheat, Mr. Axtell thought it did well considering 

 the very dry year. It grew taller than the other, 

 and seemed of ranker growth every way. He hap- 

 pened to sow it near a hedge, and not more than 

 two-thirds of it came up; but from the 50 cts. worth 

 he got 3 pecks by measure. He says he was more 

 than pleased with it, and he believes it will do bet- 

 ter in this climate tlian any other buckwheat he 

 ever sowed, and he has had an experience of over 

 35 years. The bees in our home apiary, where we had 

 buckwheat, gathered enough honey to winter up- 

 on; but in our timber apiary, 4 miles away, where 

 was no buckwheat, we had to feed some. Our other 

 buckwheat yielded 8 bushels per acre; but if it had 

 done as well as the Japanese, it would have amount- 

 ed to 34 bushels per acre. 



A bee-keeper's SONG CALLED FOR. 



I wish some one could compose a good piece on 

 bee-keeping that could be set to music, to be play- 

 ed on an organ or piano— not a comic piece, but in- 

 structive and useful— one we could use in our 

 homes. I should like to play it for my company 

 once in a while. Such a piece would be nice sung 

 if played at our bee-conventions. I don't know but 

 in some of our back numbers there are a few 

 pieces that could be set to music, but we have dis- 

 posed of our bee-journals, so we have none, or but 

 few to refer to. Perhaps Rev. Mr. Clarke, of Cana- 

 da, or J. P. Israel, of California, could give us some 

 such poetry; Dr. C. C. Miller, with tune also. A 

 bee-book of songs would not be out of place, with 

 notes to sing the same. 



