520 



ULEAN^[N(JS IN liEE CULTURE. 



JULY 



productive. Our course led us some distance east 1 

 from the railroad; and to a lover of natui-al scenery 

 this portion of the county would prove a disap- 

 pointment, for it can be truthfully termed monot- 

 onous. Sandy plains stretch out on every side, 

 broken occasionally by a tract of pine timber or a 

 barren hillock, where the sand drifts into heaps 

 like snow. Corn planted upon this soil averages 

 from six inches to two feet in height. White beans 

 have a hard struggle to exist. Potatoes grow to 

 the size of hickory-nuts. Saratoga chips are most- 

 ly made from Washington County potatoes. Run- 

 ning blackberries seem to be a thriving crop. But 

 this excellent berry is made gritty here by sand. 

 Strawberries are also raised to some extent, but 

 they are called by the degenerate name of " Sand- 

 berries," and are sold at a low price. Buckwheat 

 is a thriving crop, but there are some thorns in the 

 raising of this rose of the sand plains. Man .>■ times 

 a farmer will look over his broad acres as he lingers 

 at his door while the twilight shades are deepening, 

 and perchance speculate on the fine even growth of 

 three inches in height of his choice field of buck- 

 wheat. But in the morning a magic change has 

 taken place. The wind and drifting sand has com- 

 pletely covered it, and there is nothing but a bar- 

 ren sandy plain. 



After a few miles of laboi'ious driving we arrived 

 at the residence, large steam sawmill, and apiary of 

 Mr. S. Kuggles. One would suppose that a live bee- 

 man could scarcely got a living in a locality where 

 only buckwheat honey can be raised; but thou- 

 sands of acres of buckwheat make thousands of 

 pounds of honey, and it finds a ready sale in Al- 

 bany iwd adjacent cities. 



The first thing that attracted our attention upon 

 arriving at the residence was a person rushing 

 across the fields, waving a flag, and shouting like 

 one possessed. We heard a low, rumliling, ominous 

 sound, and began to think of cyclones. Just at this 

 critical moment the president got on his feet, and 

 those— those " trowsers "' of his enabled him to look 

 overall intervening objects. " Ves," said he, "it's 

 not only a cyclone but a turkey blizzard;" and they 

 swung in, in fine style, with the flagman close be- 

 hind, who proved to be Mr. Ruggles himself. He 

 considered turkeys a " tarnal bother," as the wom- 

 en-folks kept him running after them all the time. 



fV^' 



A "tabnaij bother. 



Mr. R., not feeling himself in proper habiliments 

 to meet so distinguished a person as Pres. Pierce, 

 retired to the house, and in about half an hour put 

 in an appearance, shaved and dressed for the occa- 

 sion. 



We found Mr. R. to be a progressive bee-man. In 

 two years he had progressed from 17.5 to20 colonies. 

 All who are posted in bee-lore will not be surprised 

 at this raj)id progress. It has been done time and 

 again, but you hardly ever hear a man boast of it, 

 and Mr. R. did not. In fact, he preferred to talk 

 sawmill; and another friend of mine who progress- 

 ed from 140 to 10 would persist in talking horse 

 when I wanted to talk bees. Still another, when I 

 talked bees to him, he talked onions. There is ter- 

 rible perversity in the human race. 



Mr. R. had a very handy honey-house, also a win- 

 tering repository. He manufactured his own sup- 

 plies, and had a good trade with his neighbors. He 

 uses the nailed section, and cut comb from the 

 brood-chamber to supply the sections with starters. 

 He had a Root foundation mill, but couldn't make 

 if work. We wished to see his extractor, but he 

 lent it a year ago and it had not been returned. He 

 characterized his neighbors as " awful lawless." A 

 30-lb. crate ot comb honey was left standing in the 

 mill a few minutes, and neighbors carried away all 

 but one pound. Mr. R. should not complain, as his 

 neighbors are very considerate. 



We soon got around to the sawmill again, and 

 this time shovels and scoops were the theme of con- 

 versation. Mr. R. showed us a device of his own in- 

 vention, to be attached to a scoop near the hand. 

 This adjustable handle enables a person to get a 

 firm hold, and at the same time prevents the hand 

 from being soiled in scooping coal or sawdust. 



--<ai 



RUGGT.HS' SCOOP-SHOVEL. 



But time was on the wing; and, having a long 

 drive before us, we bade Bro. R. farewell, and set 

 ovir faces toward renowned Saratoga Springs. 



Rambler. 



To he continued. 



CLOSE SPACING NOT DETBIMENTAL. 



FRIEND L. C. WHITING GIVES TIS SOME IMPOR- 

 TANT FACTS IN THE MATTER. 



T SEE that the editor and Dr. C. C. Miller are hav- 

 1^ ing some talk about the distance that hives 

 ^l should be from each other. When I com- 

 ^ menced in the bee-business T was very much 

 afraid that some bees would get lost and go to 

 the wrong hive, so I set the swarms eight feet apart. 

 When the bees increased I set a swarm between 

 each two of the old ones, and kept doing so from 

 year to year until the hives are but four inches 

 apart, and I found no more trouble than when they 

 were eight feet apart. I learned, when I came to 

 Italianize, that the strong swarms would attract 

 bees from the weaker swarms around them during 

 the flow of honey, but this straggling ceased as soon 

 as the flow was over. The bees were all in the 

 apiary somewhere, and I can see no objection to it 

 unless your bees become diseased, and then it is a 

 very serious trouble. I don't think that ten or 

 even one hundred feet would make them secure. 

 You may place a large apiary in an open field, and 

 the swarms nearest to the honey-flow will get more 

 than their share of bees. It may be one side to-day, 

 and the other side to-morrow. For convenience in 



