1888 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



311 



farmers who kept a few bees; that if these 

 farmers had box hives, he was to urge them 

 to try the new methods; using, as an argu- 

 ment, that a much larger amount of honey 

 could be secured. Sam was to take another 

 route with a similar purpose in view. As 

 there was nothing particular to do that day, 

 the boys decided to put the scheme into oper- 

 ation forthwith. Toward evening they met 

 together, considerably tired out. Jimmie 

 was disgusted, and out of patience. One old 

 farmer didn't believe in "them new iixins." 

 Another one said the bees would die in the 

 " new-fangled hives." Still another averred 

 he didn't want any more Jiives. There 

 w^as one good-natured old farmer who gave 

 him an order for one hive, and said he would 

 try it; and, by way of encouragement, ])aid 

 him cash in advance. This man had nice 

 bank barns and every thing "up in style." 

 But Jimmie declared that he was not going 

 to do any more canvassing for anybody. 

 He once tried book-peddling, and did not do 

 any better. Sam. however, met with rather 

 better success. lie secured several small 

 orders, and had them already booked. 



As the season would be drawing near soon, 

 the two boys decided that they would have 

 to take advantage of the very hrst wind ; 

 and as they attended school they would have 

 to do it outside of school hours. With the i 

 little money that the boys had scraped to- 

 gether they bought some more lumber ; had 

 it all nicely slicked up, right handy to their 

 buzz-saw. But, alas for all their" best-laid 

 plans ! They woke up one morning to find 

 their windmill completely demolished— not 

 by bad boys this time, but by a wind which 

 did not seem to care whether the hives were 

 made by spring or not. They found the tail 

 of the mill several rods away. The fans 

 were scattered all over the yard. 



"That's too bad," said Jimmie. "My! 

 that wind must liave blowed awful hard last 

 night." 



"Well, I guess it did," said Sam. " It blew 

 the covers off from nearly every one of pa's 

 hives." 



" Yes," said Jimmie ; " that old apple-tree 

 in the back part of our yard snapped clean 

 in two." 



The boys were talki ng and debating wheth- 

 er they should attempt to make any repairs, 

 under the circximstances. Upon conferring 

 with Mr. Green, the latter advised them not 

 to try to do any thing with the windmill. 

 He said he had long expected the mill would 

 meet with the fate it did, and he was sur- 

 prised it had stood the elements as long as 

 it did. 



" The trouble was," said Mr. Green, " there 

 was no throw-off to the mill. If you will 

 notice, most of the windmills on the farms 

 are so constructed that, during a heavy blast 

 of wind, the tail will turn the mill in such a 

 way that the wind strikes it at an angle. 

 If there should be such a wind as there was 

 last night, the fans of the windmill would 

 be parallel to the tail : that is, the mill would 

 present a knife edge to the wind. Had 

 your mill been so constructed, it would l^e 

 standing now." 



"Well,'' said Sam, "would you try to 

 build another millV" 



"No: I believe you had better use some 

 foot or hand power. Home-made windmills 

 have never yet proven to be satisfactory. 

 Sooner or later they are apt to meet the fate 

 that yours did. But you boys have learned 

 some valuable experience, and I do not be- 

 grudge the little money and time lost. It is 

 possible 1 may get a small steam-engine. 

 One would be extremely handy in many 

 ways on the farm. A small Shipman can be 

 obtained for about flUU.'' 



The boys, of course, were elated at this 

 idea. If they could obtain more orders 

 for hive-stiilfi perhaps he would get one. 

 Mr. Green said he would think it over. 



JaYEJ^mE liETTE^-B©;^. 



I first thought the little folks were not go- 

 ing to respond to my call for observations 

 in the matter of pollen ; but just a little be- 

 fore we go to press with this form, the little 

 letters come in all at once. We have sent 

 them the presents which they chose, and we 

 also extend to them our thanks. We are 

 glad to encourage investigation. " Investi- 

 gation" is a big word, little folks; but you 

 will get hold of its meaning if you watch 

 closely the bees. There is a practical bear- 

 ing on this matter of looking up the first 

 gathering of pollen. Friend Doolittle says : 

 " This early pollen is that upon which our 

 hopes depend for bees to gather our future 

 crop of honey, if we have any." 



THE FIRST POI^LEN MARCH 33D. 



I send my report. Bees hroug-ht in the tirst pollen 

 March 33d, of a reddish color, from soft maple. 



Augusta Fischer, ag-e 9. 

 Crete, Saline Co., Neb., March 3(5, 1888. 



POLLEN FROM SWAMP-ELM. 



The first pollen our bees brought inwasF'eb. 1. 

 It was from the swamp-elm. It was of a greenish 

 yellow color. Hattie Hall. 



Sparta, Chick. Co., Miss., March 34, 1888. 



POLLEN FROM PEACH-BLOOM. 



I watched the bees to-day, and saw them gather 

 pollen from peach-blossoms. The color was dark 

 brown. The jieaches are all killed here, so we shall 

 eat none this year. 



Gertrude F. Whitener, age 10. 



Hickory, N. C, March 34, 1888. 



POLLEN FROM ALDER-TAG. 



I saw the bees gathering pollen from alder-tag, 

 January 31. Color was yellow. I saw them gather 

 pollen to-day from Easter-blossom. The color was 

 yellow. Eugene H. Whitener, age 9. 



Hickory, N. C, March 30, 1888. 



POLLEN FROM WATEK-ELM. 



About the 1st of February the bees bring the first 

 pollen from water-elm. It looks yellow. About a 

 week later they bring some from slippery-elm and 

 wild plums, which is of an orange-color. My pa 

 has .50 colonies — 40 in large hives, and 10 in little 

 hives where he raises queens to sell. When pa 

 fixes his bees for winter he takes out the combs 

 from the upper story and puts in cotton-seed. 



August Oberkampf, age 11. 



Crane's Mill, Texas, March 30, 1888. 



