1897 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



203 



postoffice. Those Italian queens I sent for must 

 have arrived in the last mail." 



" Wa', I reckon so tu," said Gimp; " this'l! be 

 the third trip I've made, and mom says three 

 times and out." 



With a few divisions and a few colonies from 

 the trees, Mr. Buell had made a respectable in- 

 crease of his little apiary, and now the queen 

 phase of bee-keeping was upon his mind; and 



upon Gimp's return this evening he was marie 

 happy by the safe arrival of three beautiful 

 golden Italian queens. 



The queens in their neat little cages, with the 

 worker bees as escort, were examined with deep 

 interest by the entire family, and Mr. Buell 

 carefully studied the instructions for safely in- 

 troducing the queen to a colony of bees. He 

 was but a novice in bee culture; but the advanc- 

 es in bee-management in the last few years, 

 and the plain instructions that accompany 

 every phase of it. makes the attentive novice 

 equal to any emergency, and the professor pro- 

 ceeded confidently, the next morning, to intro- 

 duce his queens. Oq(fe of the colonies was already 

 queenless; and to this colony was due the queen 

 movement on the part of the professor. When one 

 colony greatly needs improvement, there are 

 others that can be benefited. It required but 

 little manipulation to place the cage containing 

 a queen into the queenless colony, and leaving 

 it so that the bees could release the royal occu- 

 pant. 



The next two colonies that needed improve- 

 ment were black bees; and in the search for 

 the black queens, as frame after frame was re- 

 moved. Gimp saved Mr. Buell much time in the 

 search, for it was his sharp eyes that found the 

 queen in both instances. His training with 

 Fred Anderson had not been without good re- 

 sults In various directions, and especially in the 

 management of bees. 



" Now, Gimp," said Mr. Buell, when the black 



queen had been caught, " what shall we do with 

 her?" 



"Do jes as Fred did with his old queens — 

 pinch thur heads off." 



"These queens look so nice, though black, I 

 do not like to kill them," replied Mr. Buell, 

 musingly. " Here, Gimp, just skip over to the 

 shop and get a couple of those old queen-cages 

 that Fred left here." 



"That's fine," said Mr. Buell, upon Gimp's 

 return. "We will now save these queens and 

 take them up to Matt Hogan; he may need 

 them." 



"That are so," said Gimp, slowly; "and ef 

 you give Matt the queens, mebby he will give 

 you suthin'. Wish he'd give us his shotgun." 



" Why, Gimp Dawson, "said Mr. Buell, in evi- 

 dent surprise; and then, said he, impressively, 

 " Gimp, you should not Jook upon a gift in that 

 selfish way. It. is our duty to help our neigh- 

 bor in every way we can; but when we help 

 that neighbor we shou'd not expect to receive 

 any thing in return. Why, my dear boy, if I 

 expected Matt Hogan to give me any thing in 

 return for the queens it would destroy much of 

 the pleasure I have in making the little gift." 



"That must be <o. seein' you say it," said 

 Gimp, in a hesitating tone; " but dad alius said 

 real good folks never got rich; they was jest re- 

 spectable; but dad was a curus man." 



"Yes," said Prof. Buell, in a musing way, 

 " jusi respectable; and in that way many a poor 

 man is rich and many a rich man poor. Oh how 

 mistaken is the world resppctiiig riches! Sordid 

 wealth has its pleasures for a day. The wealth 

 of a day well spent, of helpful deeds, are eter- 

 nity's jewels. 



"How far that little candle throws its beams, 

 So shines a g-ood deed in a naughty world. 



"Yes "(and as he said it Prof. Buell's hand 

 was laid gently upon Gimp's shoulder), "you 

 should learn from the good book that 'a good 

 name is rather to be chosen than great riches, 

 and loving favor rather than silver and gold.' 

 My dear boy, remember it." The queen intro- 

 duction had been completed. Gimp was now 

 directed to get the boat in readiness, and soon 

 the professor and Gimp were rowing toward 

 the Ghering ranch. 



From Prof. Buell's personal knowledge of an 

 enthusiastic lover of the honey-bee, he expected 

 that, after so many weeks' absence from his 

 pets. Matt Hogan would be examining his bees; 

 and, as he fully anticipated, so he found Matt 

 in his apiary. 



" Well, Matt, how do you find them?" said 

 Prof. Buell, as Gimp and himself adjusted their 

 bee-veils and approached the hives. 



"Sure, and they are doin' as will as can be 

 expected of thim, seein' the ap'ry has had no 

 father to it for so many days. The corner hive 

 over there was undermined by the badgers, and 

 it was cocked upsidewise. likeauldTim Brady's 



