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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 15. 



gan to resume the work of revision, so long 

 suspended. 



This reminds me of an incident in my own 

 experience. The first revision of my worl<, 

 "The Hive and Honey-bee." had been about 

 one-third completed, when the return of my 

 disease compelled me to lay it aside for nearly 

 a year, and nothing could induce me to resume 

 It. My wife and mother had been for some time 

 noticing that the violence of the attack seemed 

 to be wearing away, and were daily hoping for 

 some more decided signs of improvement. My 

 mother, in joyful excitement, said to my wife 

 one day. "Oh! our dear one will soon be well 

 again, for I saw him in his study, with his pen 

 in his hand." They had both learned, from 

 long experience, how invariably, in my case, 

 were the cramp mental and the cramp digital 

 associated together. 



How often has Cowper's sad history awaken- 

 ed our deepest sympathy! and to think that he 

 never recovered from his last attack, but passed 

 away under the terrible delusion that he was a 

 hopeless outcast from all God's mercies! Let 

 me give some of its mournful stanzas from the 

 last original piece Cowper ever composed: 



THE CAST-AWAY. 



Obscurest night Involved the sky! 



Th' Atlantic billows roared, 

 Wlien sucli a destined wretch as I, 



Washed headlong from on board. 

 Of friends, of liope, of all bereft. 

 His floating home for ever left. 



He long survives who lives an hour 



In ocean, self -upheld; 

 And so long he, with unspent power, 



His destiny repelled; 

 And ever, as the minutes flew. 

 Entreated help, or cried, "Adieu!" 



No poet wept him ; but the page 



Of narrative sincere. 

 That tells his name, his worth, his age. 



Is wet with Anson's tear. 

 And tears by bards or heroes shed, 

 Alike immortalize the dead. 



I therefore purpose not, nor dream, 



Descanting on his fate. 

 To give the melancholy theme 



A more enduring date; 

 But misery still delights to trace 

 Its semblance in another's case. 



No voice divine the storm allayed. 



No light propitious shone; 

 When, snatclied from all effectual aid. 



We perished, each alone; 

 But I beneath a rougher sea. 

 And whelmed in deeper gulfs than he. 



Such a close to his sorrowful life is verily one 

 of the inscrutable mysteries of Providence. 

 God's judgments are indeed a great deep; and 

 when, to human sight, only clouds and darkness 

 are round about him, we are sure that justice 

 as well as- judgment is the everlasting founda- 

 tion of his throne, and that what we know not 

 now we shall know hereafter. 



Blessed be the teachings of that Book which 

 enables us to follow the flight of such a soul as 

 that of Cowper's from all the fetters and limi- 

 tations of diseased flesh and sense to the pres- 

 ence of Him who brought life and immortality 

 to light! 



" Through life's vapors dimly seeing. 

 Who but longs for day to break ? 

 Oh this mystery of being! 



When, oh when! shall we awake ? 

 Oh the hour when this material 



Shall have vanished like a cloud- 

 When, amid the wide ethereal. 

 All th' invisible shall crowd. 

 And the naked soul, surrounded 



With realities unknown, 

 Triumph in the view unbounded. 



Feel herself with God alone! 

 In that sudden, strange transition. 



By what new and finer sense 

 Shall slie grasp the mighty vision. 



And receive its influence ? 

 Angels guard the new immortal 



Through the wonder-teeming space. 

 To the everlasting portal. 



To the spirit's resting-place. 

 Can I trust a fellow-being ? 



Can I trust an angel's care ? 

 Oh thou merciful All-seeing, 



Beam around my spirit there! 

 Jesus! blessed Mediator, 



Thou the airy patli hast trod! 

 Thou the Judge, the Consummator, 



Shepherd of the fold of God! 

 Blessed fold! no foe can enter. 



And no friend departeth thence; 

 Jesus is their Sun and Center; 



And their Guide, Omnipotence. 

 Blessed! fortheLambsliall feedtliem. 



All their tears shall wipe away— 

 To the living waters lead them. 



Till fruition's perfect day. 

 Lo. it comes! that day of wonder; 



Louder chorals shake the skies; 

 Hades' gates are Inirst asunder — 



See thenew-clothed myriads rise! 

 Tliouglit. repress thy vain endeavor; 



Here must reason prostrate fall; 

 Oil ih' inefl'ahle for ever! 



Oh th' eternal All in all!" 



JOSIAH CONDER. 



Dayton, O., July 14. L. L. Langstroth. 



ANOTHER BEE-KEEPERS' UNION. 



A SCHEME TO PROSECUTE ADULTERATORS, AND 



TO URGE THE PASSAGE OF PURE-FOOD 



LAWS. 



I 



I would urge all honest bee-keepers who meet 

 in Washington next fall, to organize another 

 bee-keepers' union for the express purpose of 

 fighting the adulteration of honey. I believe 

 such a union would soon have ten times the 

 strength of our present one, because we are all 

 interested in this matter, except a few dishon- 

 est ones, and we will soon make it interesting 

 for them. I have known for several years that 

 a large proportion of the extracted honey sold 

 in eastern cities was adulterated. This is why 

 our dark honey sells for nearly as much as 

 white — it will stand more glucose; and this is 

 why the price does not go up in a poor year. I 

 am very glad to hear H. W. Wiley say. " There 

 is no variation in genuine honey, which would 

 make it similar to corn-starch glucose." And 

 I sincerely hope he will not be obliged to take it 

 back; for if that is true, we can easily trace 

 the honey back to the adulterator, and then 

 place a detective to watch until he gets proof 

 that will convict the guilty parties, if the evi- 

 dence of the chemist is not sufficient: but we 

 must have a union to furnish funds, and a strict 

 law against adulteration. If I go into a store 

 here and ask for maple syrup, the storekeeper 

 asks. "Which do you want — Vermont or Ohio?" 



" What is the price ? " 



" Vermont is 25 cts. per quart, and Ohio 3.5." 



Now, what do you suppose makes this differ- 

 ence? Is it the soil, the kind of trees, or the 

 law ? We know it is the Ohio law, and take the 

 35-cent can every time. I say, give us laws 

 that will increase the price of our honey, and a 

 union to see that they are enforced. We do not 

 make enough honey, even in California, to com- 

 pete with adulterators, and enjoy the fun; and 

 I can not see how any honest man can be op- 

 posed to laws that would remove this competi- 

 tion. J. F. McIntyre. 



Fillmore, Cal., July 26. 



[Mr. McIntyre is on the right track, and his 



