1888 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



"My!" said Jimmie, "how nice and how 

 quickly that was done!" 



"Yes," said Sam; "father said we could 

 feed bees this way, even in cold weather." 



One of these, Jimmie took home and placed 

 over the cluster where the bees had been fly- 

 ing out heavily. Mr. Green had said that 

 this butter-dish of cnnrly would not prevent 

 the present flying out of the bees, but would 

 probably give them a better food than that 

 which they already had. 



About a week after, there came a warm 

 day and -limmie examined the colony which 

 had behaved so uncommonly to him, and 

 found the brood-nest was indeed soiled with 

 dark-brown spots — the nijirks of dysentery, 

 and the hive itself had an unpleasant odor, 

 lie carefully took out the soiled combs 

 which had no honey, and in their place put 

 a few clean dry combs which he happened to 

 have. Over the whole cluster, as before de- 

 scribed, two butter-dishes of candy were 

 placed, and the bees were allowed to shift 

 for themselves. It was a good strong colo- 

 ny when it went into winter qviarters the 

 fall previous, and now the bees were reduced 

 to about half. Still, Mr. Green thought they 

 would pull through if properly cared for. 



JaYENIIiE liE^fWEJ^-B©^. 



THE COLOR OF POLLEN GRAINS, AND 

 WHAT ARE THEYV 



If the little folks will take the pains to 

 turn to page 20o of the current issue, they 

 will see that our friend Mr. Doolittle says 

 something about the color of pollen — when 

 and v/hence it comes. Perhaps some of the 

 boys and girls will remember that T brought 

 this matter up about a year ago. For some 

 reason or other our young friends did not 

 seem to become very much enthused over 

 tlie idea. Perhaps the inducements were 

 not sutBcient to make them go to work. As 

 Mr. Doolittle has revived the matter, I pro- 

 pose to renew it in this department ; and in 

 the way of inducement we will offer premi- 

 ums as below. What I want is, that you 

 shall watch carefully the flrst pollen that 

 comes in, its color, and from what blossoms 

 it comes. To any juvenile who will report 

 carefully his observations, we will send, in 

 addition to the regular little book, any one 

 of the following free : 



New Version of the New Testament, paper bound, 

 larg-e print. 



Papeterie, a pretty box of stationery containing- 

 24 sheets of note paper and 24 envelopes. This is a 

 beautiful present for a girl. 



Knife, one-bladed, cocoa-handled, blades good 

 steel; a nice present for a boy. 



MAKING BEES THINK IT BAINS. 



My father has 13 colonies, and I have got two of 

 my own. I have taken care of them for two years. 

 I love to take care of thcra and see them swarm, 

 and hive them. If the>- don't go in I ;sprinkle a 

 little water on them, and they think it is raining, 

 and they go in and consider their new home very 

 nice. If they don't like it they go away. I am 13 

 years of age. Lewis E. Geer. 



Wallace, Steub. Co., N. Y. 



KEEPING SWARMS OF BEES FROM GOING OFF, TILL 

 PAPA COMES. 



I have to watch papa's bees when mamua is not 

 at home. I saw the queen [laying eggs. She is a 

 very nice bee. I have never hived any swarms. I 

 have settled them and sent for my papa, as he was 

 running a locomotive. I had to carry water till he 

 came. When papa got home they were all right. 

 Our bees come out everj' warm day, and we have to 

 pick them up and bring them in the house and warm 

 them. Sometimes we get stung. 



James M. Heverly. 



Snow Shoe, Centre Co., Pa., Jan. 31. 



the fourth-commandment breakers. 



They commenced bringing in pollen from the 

 water-elm on Sunday, the flrst day of Feb., in 1885; 

 commenced again bringing in pollen from the 

 water-elm on Sunday, the Jilst day of Jan., 188fi; 

 then again they commenced bringing in pollen on 

 Saturday (Mr. T. D. Waller's Sabbath), the 22d day 

 of Jan., 1887; commenced bringing in pollen from 

 the water-elm on Sunday, the 39th day of Jan., 1888. 

 Pa has 81 colonies of bees. The cold blizzard did 

 not appear to hurt them. They remain on their 

 summer stands in Simplicity hives. 



Lizzie L. Mullin, age 13. 



Oiikl and, Colorado Co.. Texas, Feb. 14, 1888. 



FREEZING AND UNFREEZING BEES. 



I have tried to perform the experiment you asked 

 us to, but the weather has'been so extremely cold 

 that every bee that chilled froze. I revived only 

 one in 24 hours, out of eleven. When the weather 

 was not so extremely cold they nearly all revived in 

 two days; but I never could induce one to walk 

 into its own hive after I placed them on the land- 

 ing-board. They would walk off and tiy flrst (they 

 will chill very quick). After they had once been 

 chilled I would go and pick them up and bring them 

 to life, and try it again. This I would do before I 

 was successful. Flossie J. Eldhidge. 



New Bedford, Mass., Feb. 4, 1888. 



from a little bov who has 7 sisters and 4 

 brothers; hoav he found a swarm of 



BEES. 



I found a swarm of bees one year ago last sum- 

 mer. I hurried home and told pa, and he went and 

 got them In his hiving-bo.x and brought them home 

 and put them in a Simplicity hive. They are as 

 good as any of his bees now. Pa gave them a pure 

 Italian queen last summer. I was coming home 

 from my sister's when I found them. I have seven 

 sisters and four brothers and three nephews. Our 

 bees did not make much honey last summer, and 

 some of them have starved already; but if pa had 

 been well enough to take care of them he would 

 have flxed them all right. He was laid up with a 



lame back over two months. 



Noble Purdy, age 12. 

 Killbuck, O., Jan. 13, 18S8. 



buckwheat; carpenter bees, etc 

 My papa got one pound of Japanese buckwheat 

 of you, and raised 50 lbs. It was a poor season for 

 buckwheat, it being so dry. We have loO stands 

 of bees. Last year we got only 15C0 lbs. of honey. 

 Our bees are all Italians and nlbir.os. I like them 

 best, for they are so gentle. Papa can go to the 

 hive without any smoker, and work with them. I 

 have a little brother. He was one' year old the 6th 

 of last December. We call him Huber Gilbert, after 



