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GLEANINGS lis BEE CULTURE. 



May 



gret our cotton honey. The averag-e picking is 200 

 lbs. a day. It takes about 1500 lbs. in the seed to 

 make a bale (.500 lbs. lint). Maggie Dii-lehay. 

 Millord, Ellis Co., Tex., Dec. 34, 18S7. 



Thank you. Maggie. You have given us 

 (luite a history of the cotton-plant, in a few 

 words. It is the more interesting to me, be- 

 cause I was so much puzzled, as you may 

 remember, when 1 saw the dry cotton-stalks 

 during the last of February, when I went to 

 the exposition at New Orleans. 



A SEVERE STINGING. 



My pa keeps bees. The very first swarm came 

 out on the 4th of June, 1887, and pa was not at 

 home. As ma went to hive them they flew on her 

 like a set of yellow-jackets, and stung her all over 

 her head and hands. They would not leave her un- 

 til we dashed a couple of pails of water over her. 

 It made her so sicK that wo thought she would die, 

 and we sent for the neighbors. It acted just like a 

 rattlesnake bite. We could not get any thing to 

 help her until she drank sweet cream. We sent for 

 the doctor. He gave her some aqua ammonia to 

 put on where she was stung, and some powders to 

 take. He said she would not have lived until he 

 got here if it wore not for the sweet cream she 

 drank. G EcjitGiANA Hoke, age 11. 



Elkhart, Ind. 



My young friend, I am sorry to tell you 

 that the matter of remedies for bee-stlngs is 

 involved in a great deal of uncertainty. 

 May be the sweet cream your mother drank 

 did her some good, and, on the other hand, 

 who can say slie would not have recovered 

 without any thing, just the same V Very 

 likely the cold water thrown on her had the 

 effect of allaying the fever, and perhaps 

 reviving her. We have tested every reme- 

 dy tor bee-stings that has come up, until we 

 are well satisfied they have no effect what- 

 ever. This refers to single stings. Where 

 a person is stung a great many times, as in 

 the case above, throwing on cold water or 

 wet sheets may help the patient in the way 

 I have indicated. 



A whole FAMILY OF BEE-KEEPERS. 



Dear sir I tke pen in hand to let you now that 

 papa has bees and my brother has bees and gran- 

 papa has bees and uncle will has bees and uncle 

 Eaber has bees and Isaac W has bees and uncle An- 

 son has bees and pierce has boos and Hariet Smith 

 has bees and I believe I Will Close for this time 

 from the hands of Artmechia Fi.uhahty. 



Well, well, my young friend, I am glad 

 that you have so large a family of bee-keep- 

 ers. We have inserted your letter entire, 

 just as you wrote it. Perhaps after seeing 

 it in print you can see where you might 

 have shortened it some. You begin by say- 

 ing, "■ I take pen in hand to let you now," 

 etc. As your letter was written with ink, 

 we presume it was, cf course, written with 

 a pen, so you see it does not give us any in- 

 formation by telling us about it at the start. 

 Fuither on, you say that '' papa has bees, 

 and my l)rother iins bees," and so on 

 throughout the letter. "Has bees and" 

 might have been used only once. You did 

 not tell us wliere you live, and so we could 

 not send you any little book. Now, my lit- 

 tle friend, I do not want to complain ; we 



simply want to point out these things, that 

 you and lots of the other little folks may be 

 more careful. By the way, you addressed 

 the letter " Medney, O.," in consequence of 

 which it took a good while for it to reach us. 



THE BLUEBERRY. 



Mr. Root:— Please tell us something about blue- 

 berry-plants. Are they grown for any thing in par- 

 ticular? Are the ones that grow on the mountains 

 the same? Is there much sale for them? How 

 much are they worth per 1000? A Juvenile. 



Friend Juvenile, I am sorry to tell you 

 that most if not all of the attempts at grow- 

 ing the blueberry under cultivation have 

 failed. A man bv the name of Staples has 

 been for yeais swindling people by pretend- 

 ing he had plants that would grow under 

 cultivation. After receiving the money be 

 simply sent dry sticks ; and after he was 

 published he started out under another 

 name ; but our agricultural papers have so 

 thoroughly ventilated him I guess his busi- 

 ness is pretty well done up. I believe the 

 general decision is, that the blueberry be- 

 haves obstinately under cultivation ; at least 

 it does in most soils. If somebody can tell 

 us where there is half an acre or more under 

 cultivation, and bearing good crops of ber- 

 ries, I should like to know it. 



TH'i BEE. 



The little busy bee. 



It carries loads so large; 

 It never once complains. 



And never makes a charge. 



The little bee, it is so clever! 



It works from dawn till dark; 

 They always choose good weather, 



And know just when to start. 



It gathers honey all the day. 

 Although the sun beats hot; 



It stores away its honey, 

 And then awaits its lot. 



And this, I'm sad to say. 



Is very bad indeed ; 

 For there is some one watching 



To do some cruel deed. 



The apiarian waits 



Till thej' have filled their combs. 

 Then he gets the extractor out. 



And desolates their homes. 



Then why should not we 

 Take a lesson from the liee? 



Improve the time which God has given, 

 Precious to you and me? 

 Paw Paw, W. Va. Clara Streby. 



Thank you, friend Clara. If you wrote 

 these lines, and I guess you did, you have 

 done very well indeed — rather better, I 

 think, than the average poetry that is sent 

 in. We have to be a little careful about ac- 

 cepting poetry from little folks, sometimes, 

 because there are so many nice little poems 

 on the bee in books, and it is a very easy 

 matter to copy them off. I do not mean to 

 say the little folks are dishonest, for they do 

 not realize, sometimes, I think, what they 

 are doing. 



