GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 1. 



room, and practice in tlie field. In the study of 

 entomology, for instance, when the insect AiJis 

 melUnca is studied in the class, a section of the 

 class," headed by Prof. Cook, go out into the 

 apiary, and the students manipulate the hive 

 while" Prof. Cook explains and directs. Our 

 camera caught a very good view of the class 



this endless menagerie and call tliem all pet 

 names! 



After an arduous day we sought rest with our 

 friend in his boudoir; but that museum was 

 too much for me. and I shall let the artist tell 

 the nature of my di'eams. 



The present president of the college is Mr. O. 



and kept as beautiful as a lawn. The hives 

 used are one-third Gullup, which I believe is 

 the professor's hobby; one-third L., and one- 

 third Heddon. 



I A commodious honey-house is located atone 

 side; two rooms are. devoted to the apiary. 

 Another is Mr. Larrabee's reception-room, and 

 in the rear is his boudoir, with a bed and a 1 



thus occupied. Nearly all protect themselves Clute, who, a great many may be pleased to 

 with veils: but Prof. C. will be seen at the left know, is the John Allen who wrote "Blessed 

 in the center of the group, without a veil. Bro. Bees." 



Larrabee is approaching with a bold shirt-front. The glorious Fourth of July was ushered in 

 Many graduates of the college have taken up with the distant boom of cannon. The college 

 bee-keeping as a business; and among those boys had made preparations to boom the big 

 who have made a stir in apicultural 'ranks is guns on the campus; but a lady in one of the 

 Frank Benton. cottages near was critically ill, and a request 



The college apiary contains about 80 colonies, for quiet stilled all noisy demonstrations, show- 

 nicely arranged on sloping ground, and shaded ine that the young men were truly gentlemen 

 with grapevines. The grotinds are_in grass, in their deference to the suftei-ings of othei-s. 



As there were celebrations in many towns a 

 few miles out. the college was nearly deserted 

 at an early hour. John H. L. said we would go 

 to Grand Ledge, about 13 miles out, where 

 there was to be a great celebration. On the 

 way we would hunt up Mr. Jacob T. Timpe, 

 the bee-man. We walked to town, secured a 

 ivery rig. and journeyed out through a monot- 

 onous country. We commented on 

 i ., the various phases of farm life, 



large farms, small houses, and no 

 barns: we saw but few places that 

 came up to our eastern ideas of 

 such things. The monotony of our 

 journey was at length I'elieved by 

 coming to a considerable hill. Bro. 

 L.'s love of home and his hills, and 

 his glowing patriotism, got the 

 best of him. and he was going to 

 enjoy that hill, even if it took all 

 day. Hurrah for the hill! The 

 Rambler shared somewhat his en- 

 thusiasm, and, after an exhaust- 

 ive time, swinging our bandanas 

 and hats, we proceeded to Mr. 

 Timpe's. We found him hard at 

 work in his apiary, close beside 

 the road. Said he to Bro. L.. 

 whom he had previously met. "Is 

 that the Rambler feller you have 

 with you?" 



Mr. T. had his yard full of hives 

 and nuclei, and was raising (lueens 

 at a high-pressure rate. We first 

 had the impression that the hives 

 were arranged by driving a load 

 into the yard and letting them 

 drop out at the rear, as we once 

 read in Gleanings; but Mr. T. 

 didn't do that way. A cyclone 

 must have picked up a hive here 

 and thei'e in various States, with 

 a few board fences and chicken- 

 coops, and landed them all in Mr. T.'s yard. 

 But Mr. T. had a new yard in mind, and no 

 doubt he now has one equal to the college 

 apiary. He handled his bees without smoKe or 

 veil, and seemed to be proof against stings. 

 Mr. T.'s were of the tive-banded order, and his 

 method of rearing a combination affair. Strips 

 of drone comb were cut (( /*( .'\lley. laivie in- 

 serted (I lit Doolittle. and the stiip pinned on 

 the side of a comb a la Timpe. We were shown 

 several very Hue queens. Mr. T. is a young 

 man, and evidently cut out for a progressive 

 bee-keeper. 



We went to Grand Ledge to celebrate; found 

 the little town full of people celebrating on a 

 roller toboggan slide, and rowing around in a 

 sort of duck-pond. The Grand Ledge from 

 which the town received its name was about 50 

 feet liigh. We soon tired of this tame celebra- 

 tion, and returned to Lansing via another route. 

 I dare not trust my friend near that hill again. 



UAMBI-ER AT THE AGBICUI.TUKAL COLLEGE MUSEUM 



cot. Every thing in the house and apiary is 

 kept in excellent order, and the Rambler really 

 enjoyed the few days' sojourn. It was ('(lual to 

 camping on Lake George. Several experiments 

 of a minor nature were in progress, and others 

 will be followed up. Our friend Larrabee was 

 just getting used to his new duties, and the 

 fraternity should not expect too much from the 

 first yeai's etforts. If bee-keepers have great 

 problems they can not solve, send them to Bro. 

 Larrabee, and he will give them due considera- 

 tion. This place, if any in the world, can con- 

 duct careful experiments, for tht^y have all fa- 

 cilities for practicing them. 



Connected with the college is a large and 

 growing museum. In it are specimens of beasts 

 of the field, historic and pre-hisioric; l)irds of 

 the air; fishes, great and small: insects of all 

 imaginable sizes, shapes, and colors; horned 

 toads- lizards, centipedes, repulsive spiders, 

 and. just to think of it! Prof. Cook can go into 



