GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov 



of honey and three swaruis of bees the same year. 

 Last year he had but three pounds. Papa put seven 

 swarms of bees into the cellar last fall, and lost five. 

 He had two this spring; they have swarmed four 

 times. He says they have made more honey now 

 than any time last year. There is lots of buckwheat 

 around here this year. Eknest K. Knight. 



Klsie, Mich. 



Very good, friend Ernest; and so your 

 papa thinks tlie sand induced the bees to 

 cluster. BnL it is a little tunny that they 

 should select your papa's hat in preference 

 to a nice tree. 



HOW QUINCY HEI.PS. 



I have a g-reat desire to learn something aliont 

 bees. Pa bought two colonies last fall, and he 

 transferred them this spring. He has had one 

 swarm, and we hived them without any trouble. I 

 imt on my bee-cap and hold the smoker for pa 

 while he handles them. Quincv Frasf.ij. 



Perdue, Tenn. 



HOW FANNIE'S MAMMA HIVED A SWARM. 



I got my right hand in a cutting-box, and got the 

 large finger cut very badly. I could not write any 

 sooner. Mamma had to hive our bees when papa 

 was away. One day she hived two that came out. 

 One went up high on a tree. Mamma got the hive 

 ready in the shade, then she got the ladder and 

 stood it up to go up to them. She smoked them 

 well and shook them into a large pan, and ciirried 

 them to the hive. ^A^N1E Styer, age 8. 



Medway, Ohio. 



VIOLET, AND HOW SHE HELPS HE II PAP\. 



When pa feeds his bees with sugar he takes the 

 water he washes cappings in to dissolve the sugar, 

 and boils it. so it will not grain. But ho didn't feed 

 this year, because the bees had enough lo winter on. 

 I hived a swarm of bees this year before I was 10 

 years old, and pa gave me half a dollar because it 

 was the first one I ever hived. T work for him more 

 since my brother died. Violet Fowls. 



Oberlin, Ohio. 



Yes, little Violet, it was worth half a dol- 

 lar, because, after you hived the first swarm, 

 your papa then knew you could hive more 

 swarms. We hope other papas will see it 

 as your papa did^ 



RESCUING FLOATING SWARMS— A NICE LETTER. 



We had two very bad seasons, and papa was com- 

 pelled to be away at work. In spite of all we could 

 do, our hives dwindled down to 9 from 2i. With in- 

 crease this season we got up to 15 again. A week 

 ago last Saturday it rained all night. Such a rain we 

 have not had lor years; and as we lay in bed listen- 

 ing to it we were delighted bej ond every thing to 

 think what a deal of good it would do, and how our 

 water-holes and ponds would be filled once more. 

 As soon as we got up in the morning we ran out to 

 see whether the big pond was full, and, lo! it was 

 full'. It reached up to the little one, so that you 

 could not tell where the one began and the other 

 ended. The garden was all under water, and the 

 hiv(^s tioating about, some on their sides and some 

 upside down. We had to wade in after them, and 

 we did not stop to change our clothes or run after 

 the smoker. We got them all out on dry ground, 

 and five is all that will be able to pull through. As 

 it kept on raining, we could not tell what to do to 

 get them dry, though we did our best to make them 



comfortable. We don't keep any whisky in the 

 house, or we might have made them a hot 

 toddy. This is sad news to have to write, to tell pa 

 at San Marcos. We had taken only 25 lbs. of honey, 

 as we were an.xious to get all the increase we could. 

 The first pollen our bees gathered was from the 

 algeritas, or Mexican currant, in January. It is 

 very nearly white. The leaves are just like holly; 

 the berries are very nice, red, very thick on the 

 twigs, but not bunched like currants. When cook- 

 ed there is no flesh, but plenty of juice, skin, and 

 stones. When made into wine it bursts the bottles. 

 There is a large poppy growing here. We thought 

 it was a thistle for a long time, though it has a 

 poppy -looking tiower. We noticed the heads; then 

 when we cut it, milk came out as from the poppy at 

 home. It is generally white-Howered; but where it 

 grows on sandy soil, a purplish red prevails. 

 Hondo City, Tex., May 13, 1888. Fred. Hailes. 



Thank you, friend Freddie. Your letter 

 is real interesting, and we are very sorry 

 that the date of publication has been delay- 

 ed so long. We thought we had picked out 

 all the best letters, but it seems we had not. 

 We are very glad to know that you have such 

 good helpers in your father's absence. You 

 must have had quite an experience in gath- 

 ering together the tioating hives. 



MRS. HARRISON'S LETTER. 



SHE TELLS WHY SHE DID NOT ATTEND THE COLUM- 

 BUS CONVENTION. 



ELL, children, yoii have not heard from me 

 in a long time. I believe that I've been 

 dull. You've heard, haven't you,that"all 

 work and no play makes Jack a dull boy?" 

 Why should that not apply to a girl as well as 

 to Jack, or to a man or woman? You have heard 

 the story of Sir Charles Napier's dog, haven't you? 

 When he was a small boy he tied a rope around his 

 dog's neck, and made him pull him across the river. 

 The dog didn't enjoy this very much, for it was hard 

 work; but he didn't want his master to drown; so 

 ever afterward, when he saw him go near the water 

 he would catch his clothes and hold him. 



Last year, when I came home from the bee-con- 

 vention at Chicago, 1 was very sick. Now, my folks 

 don't enjoy the luxury of a sick woman very much; 

 they like to have a well one around a good deal bet- 

 ter—especially if she is a good cook. So they had to 

 take a turn at the spit, make tea and toast, and be 

 told it was poor stuff. So this year they were like 

 Sir Napier's dog— they hadn't forgotten it; and 

 when I began to talk of going to Columbus, Ohio, to 

 the convention, they said, " Oh ! you are not able to 

 go that long journey; you might get sick." And, 

 don't you think? they made me believe it. 



You see, I got very tired getting ready; and if I 

 went 1 had to travel all night. I was so tired that I 

 felt sick all over; and after I had had a night's rest 

 I was real chipper, and sorry that I did not go. An- 

 other time, I will not get ready— I'll go. In a few 

 days 1 was rested, and took a drive into the country. 

 I didn't get ready this time, but went. Didn't have 

 adriver? oh, no! that would spoil the fun. It al- 

 ways seems as though the strength of the horse ran 

 along the lines to me as I drive. Lucy, the five- 

 year-old, was my company. 

 Do you know that horses can talk ? not as we do. 



