HIO 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 



pursuit of bee-keeping-, she found both pleasure, 

 heiilth, and profit in the occupation. We found the 

 surrounding's so delightful, and the fruit so fine, 

 that we unconsciously formed ourselves into a 

 fruit-committee, not only for the sampling- but the 

 g-atheriug of fruit, as will be seen by the loaded 

 apron in the sketch. 





COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE, ON FRUIT. 



But as time and tide wait for no man, we literal- 

 ly tore ourselves away from this charming apiary, 

 and, bidding our fair hostess and her mother adieu, 

 we were again on the road, and were soon before 

 the home of the Crane Bros., on the western bor- 

 ders of Charlton. We found one of the brothers, 

 W. J. Crane, at home, and we immediately adjourn- 

 ed to the apiary. Mr. C. had 25 colonies of especial- 

 ly fine Italians. Many of them were bred from a 

 Doolitlle queen. He assured us that they were a 

 very mild strain; but a prod on the Rambler's ear, 

 and another on J. I.'s neck, gave us decided opin- 

 ions to the contrary. The president lectured us up- 

 on our undignified appearance, and coolly stood 

 near the hive. His courage, however, was of an 

 artificial nature, as his ever-present veil was over 

 his face. Mr. Crane's apiary was located beneath 

 a group of noble maples, giving, we thought, too 

 much shade for the highest profit; but Mr. C. gave 

 a very good showing for both comb and extracted 

 honey. We had but a few minutes to spend with 

 Mr. C , and found that himself and brothers, like 

 the Parent Bros., were living in single-blessedness 

 also; and as we cast our eyes over the well-kept 

 lawn, the buildings, and the farm, we were im- 

 pressed with the fact that the C. brothers had adopt- 

 ed a high standard of excellence, for the attainment 

 of which they were working. 



How often, in an extended ride through the 

 country, we come to just such neighborhoods as 

 this! We know from the looks of the farms and 

 the people that it is a " peaceable street." The 

 farms are models of neatness. If there are many 

 fences, as there are usually in the East, they are 

 substantially built, and are free from hedge rows 

 of briers and elders, and there is scarcely a nox- 

 ious weed to be seen in the well-kept fields. The 

 cattle and all farm stock look well fed, contented, 

 and happj', and of the most improved grades. The 

 buildings are commodious, well painted, and have 

 all of the modern improvements. As a general 

 thing, lawsuits are not bred in such neighborhoods. 



If the moral standard is equal to the material, there 

 is nothing to make lawsuits from. That every 

 reader of this will make his standard in all things a 

 little higher, is the wish of the Ramblek. 



Friend R., we suppose the happy-looking 

 chap on top of the bee-hive, with his hat 

 full of fruit, must be yourself. From the 

 look of his countenance we judge he cer- 

 tainly must be having a good time. We 

 suppose the other fellow on his knees, pick- 

 ing up pears, is the president. Who would 

 not like to visit bee-keepers, if that is the 

 way they are treated V Now, I wonder if it 

 never occurred to your bachelor friends 

 that even a weed in the garden itself would 

 not have amounted to very much without 

 the companionship of womankind. Men 

 and women can have a good time in raising 

 fruit and in raising bees, each one off alone; 

 but I am sure they can have a hundred 

 times more enjoyment in the kind of part- 

 nership that God designed from the begin- 

 ning of the world. I suppose it is not a sin 

 to live in single-blessedness ; but I do think 

 it is one of the saddest blunders that ever a 

 man made, and I am quite sure that my 

 wife thinks as I do about it. The union, 

 liowever. to reap the full rich experience 

 planned by the Creator, should be a union 

 also with Christ Jesus. Such a union, with 

 God's blessing, neither man nor aught else 

 in this wide universe could put asunder, 

 even if it tried. Bees, fruit, flowers, with 

 good men and women to enjoy and appreci- 

 ate them— can any thing furnish a better or 

 happier picture V 



THE ABBOT SPHINX. 



NOT POISONOl'S. 



FRIEND ROOT:— I send you a worm to-day that 

 Mrs. Crommie got from one of our vines. Is 

 it poisonous, and what harm can it do? When 

 you hit it, it makes a noise like winding a 

 watch. Perhaps friend Cook can tell us 

 something about it. W. ( rommie. 



Cobleskill, N. Y., July 6, 18J-8. 



Prof. Cook replies : 



The fine beautiful caterpillar sent by Mr. W. 

 Crommie is the larva of one of our beautiful 

 sphinx moths, Thyreris Ahbotii. This moth is rare, 

 but is found over the whole country. The beauti- 

 ful moth comes in May, and lays its eggs on the 

 gr<)pe. It expands S'i inches. It is brown in color, 

 striped with darker brown, while the hind wings 

 are yellow, bordered with brown. The caterpillar 

 is mottled with yellow, brown, and black; while on 

 the back, near the end of the body, is a polished 

 black spot, or tubercle. This larva is full grown 

 about August 1, when it is full 2'/2 inches long. 

 This insect, like all the species of this family— 

 SpMnghicB— pupates in an earthen cocoon, just be- 

 neath the surface of the earth. 



As will be seen, this moth is one of tlie interest- 

 ing humming-bird moths, and so related to the 

 tomato sphinx, the beautiful larva of which— yes, 

 I mean just that— is often found feeding on the to- 

 mato. The moths are generally cr.puscular, or 

 twilight flyers, though some, like the Abbot sphinx, 

 fly in the hot sunshine. They have large tapering 

 bodies and very long tongues. Their wings are 



