9SJ0 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 1. 



and some time, perhaps away back in the days 

 of my ancestors: but as to suggesting a cure, 

 she is absolutely silent. 



To my mind, we live, and are intended to live, 

 by a happy combination of nature and art. It 

 is the glory of manhood and of intellect to go 

 into the domain of Nature, and make her boun- 

 teous storehouse tributary to his wants and 

 wishes, in order that the race may be elevated 

 to the highest possible point of attainment in 

 God-likeness of stature. Our eyes must he cvci' 

 toward our Father in heaven. Division of labor 

 is called for as a consequence, and thus arise 

 such occupations as that of the forester and the 

 gardener, from whose skill, where the forest had 

 stood in its uncouth grandeur, there now stands 

 the beautiful park with its well - appointed 

 walks, its flower-beds and tastefully arranged 

 shady trees and evergreens; the beautiful lawn 

 in front of the mansion, with the garden and 

 orchard close by, etc. So the physician, the 

 farmer, the merchant, and others of occupation 

 inniimerable. among whom, and last, but not 

 least, the keeper of bees, and he who supplies 

 him with hives, sections, and frames. 



Let us never decry any honorable occupation, 

 nor put the faultsof individuals as black marks 

 against a peculiar calling. When we defame 

 our fellow-men we besmirch ourselves: and 

 there is something that lies under the old prov- 

 erb, " Give a dog a bad name and hang him.'" 

 which suggests that, to speak evil of our fellows. 

 we exert upon them a hurtful influence, though 

 it may be indirectlv. R. W. McDonneli-. 



Gait, Ont.. Can.. Nov. 13. 



[Thank you, good friend M. A few days ago. 

 while spending an evening with Prof. Cook and 

 his good wife, the latter gave me an additional 

 fact in regard to the bromide of potassium. A 

 lady at an evening party was asked to take an- 

 other cup of excellent coffee. Slie declined, 

 saying that, although she would like it. it 

 would keep her awake at night. After that she 

 said it was so exceedingly good she would take 

 another cup. after all, for she could get to sleep 

 by taking bromide. Now. if that is one of the 

 uses of bromide of potassium, a caution is sure- 

 ly needed. A drug that will assist us to evade 

 the consequences of letting appetite induce us 

 to take a hurtful amount of stimulant would be 

 no blessing to mankind.] 



THE FALLACY THAT BEES REASON. 



THK COXVENIENCE OF THE ALLEY THAT DUJ!- 

 ING SWARMING. 



and the human mind naturally grasps at novel- 

 ties until they wear it so hard it won't hold 

 water any longer. 



Perhaps our friend ]Mr. Holbrook would want 

 us to believe tbat bees use reason when they 

 build their combs. We shall see how his theory 

 is now. Man, of all creation, is endowed with 

 reason in its purest sense, and I am inclined to 

 think that man is the only creature who pos- 

 sesses that article; and man himself can not 

 make and .cap a honey-comb — no. not with all 

 the light of the experience of ages, and all their 

 reasoning power to-day. In fact, I have read 

 of an offer of one thousand dollars to prove the 

 fact that any one makes comb honey. 



On first thought one is led to believe that 

 bees do reason when we have seen them do 

 something out of the ordinary, as they often do. 

 One might say with propriety, following Mr. 

 Holbrook's idea, that plants have reason. You 

 put a board on the sproiiting root of a plant, 

 then see it make a turn and reach the light. 

 Now. that plant reasons thus: '"Tliis plank is 

 right on my head, and it looks as though my jig 

 were up: but I'll try to follow this plank across 

 the grain, and I'll reach the light sooner than 

 if I follow lengthwise of the grain on the 

 plank.'" How's that for reason ? But do they 

 have reason ? I guess the answer most of us 

 would give would be a laugh. The Creator 

 endows the bees with — well, we call it instinct; 

 but we can never call it reason. 



I have noticed now and then something about 

 the Alley queen and drone trap. My experience 

 with it has been good. It is impossible for me 

 to attend the bees in the day time: but when I 

 go home late in the afternoon I can tell which 

 ones liave swarmed by their clinging to the 

 cage part of the trap. I just change the loca- 

 tion of the parent hive, and put the new hive in 

 its place, release the queen and what workers 

 are clustering on the cage. The result is, in a 

 few days I have a rousing colony, where, if it 

 were not for the queen-trap. I should run a big 

 risk of losing the swarm. But as it is now. I 

 am satisfied with them for my use. 



Olean. N. Y., Nov. 20. Geo. Shiher. 



THE DOVETAILED HIVE. 



A BIT OF MY EXPERIENCE WITH THICK-TOI" 

 FRAMES. 



On page 888 of Gleanings we read a very in- 

 teresting article bv C. C. Miller. It is his quo- 

 tation fro7n Mr. M. L. Holbrook. M. D.. that 

 particularly struck me as something peculiarly 

 interesting by reason of tlie fact that a doctor 

 would advocate the idea tliat bees reason. 

 Why! he must be a very devoted follower, even 

 to the furthest limits of the Darwinian theory, 

 even to insects. Perhaps if we should give the 

 doctor a little encouragement lie might even go 

 further and try to make us ignorant people 

 believe that clams use I'eason. What are you 

 laughing at? When they are hungry, don't 

 they know it. and absorb more nourishment? 

 and when you put them in prepared salt water, 

 don't they open their shells and live in peace? 

 Who dares say this is not reason ? 



Mr. Darwin, if I am right, found only very 

 slight traces of reason in the ape and dog; but 

 he never went any lower in the scale of animal 

 life. But here we have a gentleman whose 

 balance-wheel has got a start, and it has car- 

 ried him out of sight. Such things sound novel: 



Frioul Root: — Will you give me space in 

 your columns to give my views to friend Baird, 

 of Florida? I see by his letter that he is in 

 quite a maze as regards the proper kind of hive 

 to use. Brave fellow for coming out and asking 

 the questions he has in his letterl How I ad- 

 mire his pluck I I find that I, too, need consid- 

 erable advice on some subjects; and having 

 had some experience in selecting hives. I feel 

 like giving my own experience and trying to 

 give him my ideas and advice. 



When I started in the boe-business I lived in 

 Missouri, and my hives were the kind our 

 grandfathers used; viz.. tall, square box hives; 

 and after two years of worry and work, my bees 

 all died one winter, not having sufficient stores: 

 and. strange to say. I never took one pound of 

 honey fi'om them.' This was in 188.5 and '8(). 



In 1887 I learned foi- the first time there were 

 movable-frame hives, and my brothei- in Iowa 

 sent me a small model of one; but being dis- 

 couraged with my former attempts I allowed it 

 to be destroyed. I have seen nothing like it 

 since. In 1888 I came to Colorado, and for two 

 years I worked by the month for a living. Then 

 I got a place, and, finding bee-keeping profit- 

 able, I got some bees and started in the busi- 

 ness. Having them in old-fashioned hives that 



