1891 



GLEANINGS IN EEE CULTURE. 



693 



dling the laiva\ These very little larva^ are 

 easily killed by rough handling, or handling 

 them" in too cool a temperature. The end of 

 the instrument used should l)e very thin, and 

 conform to the shape of the bottom of the cell. 

 and before using be dipped in royal jelly, so 

 that the little larva will float above the quill- 

 point on this jelly in lifting it out. I find by 

 looking ovei' my record of this season, so far, 

 that out of iiixi cups used, as given in my book, 

 852 have been completed, and given nice queens; 

 and I do not see why friend Root can not do as 

 well, if the larvie are not injured in manipu- 

 lating them. Ct. M. Dooi.tttt.e. 

 liorodino. N. Y. 



RAMBLE NO. 44. 



SITTING AT DuOLITTLE'S FEET. 



From Syracuse to the outlet of Skaneateles 

 Lake there are some changes to make, and 

 some waiting to endure. Ordinarily, from 



yond. The weather being decidedly torrid, I 

 mopped the sweat from my brow foi' the twen- 

 tieth time, took courage and went foi'ward. 

 As I walked up the road that led to his house I 

 saw a man over on another road a qnartt-r of a 

 mile away, whom, from distant appearances, I 

 thought to be Doolittle. When lie turned up 

 the road and followed me I knew it was Doo- 

 little, and it was Bro. D. A short I'ide behind a 

 large dapple-gray horse brought us to the resi- 

 dence. 



As might be expected, he had the carriage 

 well loaded with bees in those well-known nu- 

 cleus boxes, which he had obtained from an 

 out-^piary. Nuclei were immediately formed 

 for cells, and during the forming of these nu- 

 clei there was an opi)ortunity for looking over 

 the bees. We found tlie colonies used for 

 breeding were of a beautiful golden color: and 

 what Mr. D. called live-banded were solid gold 

 to the tip. which showed only a tinge of black. 

 The bees were gentle to handle, and the orders 

 for them were giving Bro. D. all he could do to 

 fill them. His apiary and system have been so 



DOOI.ITTEE S HOME AND Al'IAKV. 



Skaneateles the journey is performed by stage: 

 but as I landed from the train I leained that a 

 little steamer was soon going up the lake. I 

 availed myself of the opportunity, and had a 

 delightful, i-estful, icfreshing half- hour's ride 

 until the dock at Borodino was touched. The 

 village of Borodino is a mile from tlie landing, 

 and forward I stepped with a light heai't. Bees 

 were merrily buzzing on i'aspb(M'ry bloom by 

 the wayside, and an occasional glance at them 

 revealed the golden Italians. Borodino is a 

 little village of KiO people: and inquiry of the 

 good - looking people I met revealed" to me 

 that Bro. Doolittle lived another mile be- 



much written about and illustrated that I do 

 not propose to treat on that subject in this ar- 

 ticle. Tlie camera was brought out, and one 

 view taken of the apiary and the residence: 

 and I can write only somewhat personally of 

 Mr. D. and his home life as I caught a brief 

 glimpse of it. 



Mr. Doolittle's hives are not so pretty as you 

 would think to tind in an apiary of such wide 

 reputation. A good share of them are painted, 

 but quite a number of the large hives are un- 

 painted. and show the marks of many years' 

 exposure. The hiv('s that Mr. D. winters in 

 his clamp are cumbersome double-walled hives 



