1S'.>2 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



41)9 



t)(> si) many to n'spmid to loll-t-all as now . 1 

 spcaU from expcMiiMU't', for I used to follow the 

 calling of nnrsing bt-cs in tlic si)i'inji; lint I 

 found thai tlic wages were b(>low zero, and I 

 gave it up. bolitning that it was a bettor way 

 to keep none over the winter but goo(i strong 

 colonies with plenty of stores, and pi'otect them 

 against severe cold and piercing winds. 



As an illustration of this nursing business. 

 rii give an example: When I ft)und a hive 

 wiiliout a tenant tliis sjiring I cleaned it out 

 thoroughly, and tiien jiut it down cellar to pro- 

 tect it from moths. While doing this, one day 

 a queen with about a dozen bees was discover- 

 ed. 1 caged th(> (iue(>n ami laid her upon the 

 franu'S of a strong colony. whin> she remain(>d 

 for a couple of weeks. In my rounds I discov- 

 ered a small colony that was (jiKHMiless. I went 

 into the "good Samaritan" business. conRning 

 them to one side of the hive with a division- 

 board, and went for my (|ueen. Sh(» liad been 

 well treated, was pluinp and fat. and the "bees 

 welcomed her with open arms. I daily fed 

 them with warm syrup made from the best 

 granulated sugar, and all was merry as a 

 marriage-bell. I congratulated myself, like 

 tlu- '"country milkmaid. "" that I should have a 

 good strong colony to roll in the honey from the 

 clover. One day at mess they did not appear; 

 and on opening the hive there was not a bee to 

 be seen, but one comb well tilled with eggs. 

 What will my wages be? Mrs. L. Hahkison. 



Peoria. 111., June 18. 



[You hav(^ given us a glimpse of something 

 that is to") true. One great reason why bees and 

 fixtures of the apiary go so cheap is because the 

 stuff is odd sized, and made especially for the 

 deceased. Regular-sized supplies liave a value, 

 and. in the hands of a bee-keeping friend of the 

 family, ought to be made to yield a fair price.] 



WAX FLOWERS. 



WAX CROSS, UAUP, ETC. 



These may be made by fitting delicate white 

 flowers together in the shape of a cross or a 

 harp, pendulous Mowers and sprays droojiing 

 from the arms of the cross, the box to be lined 

 with jet-black cloth, without luster. Velvet is 

 best. 



Another way is to make a cross of seasoned 

 wood, and blocks of ditfei ent sizes for tlie base, 

 to represent marble slabs for steps, two or three 

 in numVier. Paint all pure white, and let them 

 dry, and cover with double white wax — not two 

 sheets of white wax. but sheets of double thick- 

 ness, such as is used in making nond-lilies. 

 Make an ivy-vine with small wiiite leaves and 

 flowers, or a rose-vine and plant, back of the 

 cross, letting a few sprays fall over the marble 

 steps; but the main vine twine gracefully 

 around, up and over the cross, as fancy dictates. 

 If a rose-vine, use a small leaf-mold and mostly 

 buds. 



FOR A BOtQlTET. 



Tack green leaves in a circle; two or three 

 autumn leaves are pretty put in. Do not use 

 many, as it makes too much yellow. Fill tlie 

 center with flowers 'and small leaves. Place 

 the smallest flowers at tlu- top of tlie bouquet. 

 Do not have thom all lie flat against the back, 

 but stand out distinct and loose, so as not to 

 look crowded and stiff. When the bouquet is 

 finished, press and tack on a few brown and 

 green stems at the bottom, the lower end of the 

 stems to stand out distinctly: then finish with 

 a ribbon made of wax. by cutting wax into 

 strips and folding into bows, and stick on, mak- 



ing it look like a ribbon tied round the stems 

 in a bow-knot. 



MOTTOKS IN UlirrK WAX. 



Use small leaves and (lowers, such as tlie dif- 

 ferent kinds of ivy, myrtle, or the lily of the 

 valli'y. Make letters out of seasoned wood. J4 

 inch thick, and paint white, and cover with 

 white wax when well dried. Tack the white 

 letters on to a background of black velvet, or, 

 what is better, put the letters on with a screw, 

 as Jhe wax is so easily broken if tacked on, 

 unless don(^ very gently and the room warmed. 

 If there are s(!veral words in the sentence, 

 divide it thus: " Worship the Ixjrd," at the top 

 in a half-circle; "in the," in the center; "Beau- 

 ty of Holiness" completing the circle at the 

 bottom. Touch tlx^ linger in the diamond dust 

 and press it upon (>acii leaf and llower, and 

 upon the letters. Lay the little spi'ig of leaves 

 and Mowers over the hitters tastefully, and tack 

 them on firmly with snuill tacks. To give 

 Mowers that soft velvety api^earance that is 

 called bloom, when making tliem dip them in 

 arrowroot powder for white Mowers; for pink 

 Mowers and fruit, use arrowroot and a trace of 

 carmine well pulverized together. 



Yon can not well use both diamond dust and 

 arrowroot, as they do not look well together. 

 Use diamond dust on leaves, and the arrowroot 

 for bloom on velvety-looking Mowers and fruits 

 by touching the finger in the diamond dust and 

 pressing it on w luui making them; or, when 

 done and ready to hang up, it may be sprinkled 

 over them, as it would fall off if handled much 

 unless pressed into the wax. 



SOME CURIOUS insects; what are thev? 



A neighbor, calling in to-day, told us of what 

 he saw in 1800, as he went through Laramie, 

 Neb., eii route for Pike's Peak, about a mile 

 and a half from tiie old fort and a few rods out 

 of the town of Laramie. A piece of ground 

 about one-fourth mile square (not square, but 

 containing that much ground) was literally 

 honey-combed by an insect that looked and 

 acted, he thought, exactly like our black honey- 

 bees, except that they were going into the 

 ground instead of hives, and had no stings; at 

 least he thought they had no stings, as they 

 were 'not irritated by the streams of wagons 

 passing into and out of Laramie, right over 

 their entrances, which were simply round holes 

 in the ground. The ground they occupied, he 

 noticed, was a little higher than the surround- 

 ing ground. He did not know but it w as caused 

 by the bringing- up of the dirt from underneath 

 and dropping it above ground, thus building it 

 up higher. I wonder if any of our Nebraska 

 friends have ol)serv(!d the lik(!; or, did he make 

 it up? He seems like a man of veracity. Were 

 they bees, or were they some other insects? If 

 they were bees, did ihey store honey in the 

 ground? He said it looked to him, as he passed 

 through them, as if there were bees enough to 

 make a dozen swarms. They were under the 

 horses and the wagons, literally filling the air. 



now to get the reks off the windows. 



When bees get into the house and on the 

 windows, I do not want to kill them; and the 

 windows can not well be opened to let th(>m out. 

 I take a (luart jar (a two quart will do ju'-t as 

 well) and iiold it in one hand, with the bottom 

 of the jar lowaid 1 he window and the month 

 toward rn(\ slanting upward so that it is not 

 quite l(!vel. and then I can very quickly pick 

 the bees off from the window, catching some by 

 one wing, others by both wings, and still others 

 by the thorax, and letting them loose in the 

 niouth of the jar. As they will all My toward 

 the light, scarcely one will fly out of the jar. 

 When all are put into the jar I hold it upright 



