^80 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 1. 



distance. Notwathstanding this, between us 

 the tree began to show evidences of falUng. 

 Anticipating a big skirmish when it should 

 fall, we put on our veils and lighied the smo- 

 ker. A few more blows of the ax, and the 

 monarch of the woods began to totter and fall. 

 Down it came with a cr-r-ash ! It was a little 

 lively around the knot-hole where the bees 

 wert' coming out ; but after we began chop- 

 ping and sawing again to get at the heart of 

 the tree where the bees were, they quieted 

 down. 



Just about this time we heard the chattering 

 voices of schoolchildren echoing in a distant 

 part of the woods. In a few moments more, 

 greatly to our surprise we found ourselves sur- 

 rounded by a whole school of children, who, 

 hearing that we were going to cut down a bee- 

 tree, had come to see the " fun." The school- 

 ma'am, who was doubtless equally anxious to 

 see some of the same sport, readily consented 

 to dismiss school at an earlier hour. The bees 

 had now quieted down, and the children be- 

 came bold enough to cluster around the log 

 where we were at work trying to scoop out the 

 bees and honey (?) with a dipper. There were 

 combs in plenty, but little honey. 



Jtist about as we had finished our task and 

 passed around several hunks of the delicious 

 morsel to the owners of eager eyes and hun- 

 gry mouths, I set up the camera again and 

 took another shot. In another view elsewhere 

 you will find the result. The most remarka- 

 ble thing about the whole picture is that the 

 children are bareheaded, barearmed, and in 

 some cases barefooted, while ive professionals 

 had veils on and smokers in our hands to pre- 

 vent getting stung. I did not realize the in- 

 congruity of the "situation till too late. Then 

 with as nuich grace and ceremony as I could 

 connnand I offered uxy veil to the prepossess- 

 ing schoolma'am. But this she kindly de- 

 clined. I then offered it to some of the 

 older girls, but with a like result. 



Did any of the children get stung? Only 

 one of tlie boys, I believe, who, while astride 

 the log, looking into the cavity, happened to 

 sit upon an unlucky bee. We all knew the 

 precise moment when the sting pierced his 

 pauts, you may be sure. 



The significant fact is, that those of us who 

 wore veils were stung n:ore than the children, 

 and the reason is very evident. When bees 

 are demoralized by pounding, as by the chop- 

 ping open of their cavity, they seem to lose all 

 desire to fly and sting. They just crawl and 

 crawl, and crawl up under the veil, and, fail- 

 ing to get out, sting. 



Some little time ago a lady wrote a story 

 which was submitted to us for consideration, 

 on the subject of bee-hunting. She went on 

 to state in this story how angry the bees be- 

 came while the tree was being cut open ; how 

 they took possession of the land for miles 

 around ; how it was not safe for man, boy, 

 donkey, or chicken to be anywhere near that 

 vicinity, and how cross the bees were for days 

 afterward. When I had finished reading that 

 story I came to the conclusion that thai writer 

 had never had any experience in bee-hunting. 



Did our bee-hunting experience pay in bees 



and honey ? Well, hardly. All the honey we 

 secured was eaten by the aforesaid school- 

 children ; and the bees — well, there were 

 ab^ut enough to cover perhaps two combs, and 

 before winter they simply died. That they 

 would have died anyhow from lack of stores 

 had they been left in the tree relieved our con- 

 sciences a little. But in experience and " piles 

 of fun," as the boys said, we were repaid 

 richlv. 



THE NEW STYLE OF SEPAR.\TOR AND .SECTION; 

 THEIR IMPORTANCE. 



Since the pages of " Stray Straws" were 

 " made up " we have received another Straw 

 from Dr. Miller, which, in order to get in this 

 issue, I insert right here : 



The new plan of sections and separators, as men- 

 tioned, p. 744, has interested me more profoundly than 

 any new thing in tee-keepiiig for some lime. I've 

 hardly .■settled down to a lixed opinion yet, but I am 

 thoroughly interested. A principal question with me 

 is tliat of cost. 



It is evident that the doctor, at the time he 

 sent the Straws, hardly knew what estimate 

 to put on the new devices ; but the more time 

 he has had to think of it, the more "pro- 

 foundly interested " he has become, and I 

 think this will be the experience of thousands 

 of others. 



The doctor need have no fears as to co.st. 

 The separators are all made of scrap that has 

 heretoiore been burned ; and as to putting the 

 pieces togeiher, that will be done by means of 

 automatic machinery in the factory bc;fore the 

 separators are stnt out. 



The reader will be interested to note what 

 Julius Tomiinson, J. A. Golden, and A. I. R. 

 say in this issue regarding these same things. 

 Ot late years our senior editor has somewhat 

 lost his interest in bees, or, at least, has been 

 compelled to turn his attention to other mat- 

 ters ; but when 1 showed him the new st3de of 

 separator and section, and explained their 

 merits, his face fairly glowed with enthusi- 

 asm. He was also "profoundly interested," 

 as will be evident by what he says elsewhere. 



I do not know but I may be mistaken; but 

 I believe the introduction of the new separator 

 and section will be a great step in aavance, 

 and that the time will come when other styles 

 of sections and separators will be largely su- 

 perseded. The fellow that doesn't get "in 

 the swim" next ^ear will be the " worser " 

 by a cent or two per pound for his comb 

 honey, I fear. 



.\NOTHER BEE-BOOK FROM THE DEP.\RTMENT 

 OF AGRICULTURE. 

 " Bee-keeping " is the title of another bul- 

 letin from the United States Department of 

 Agrictdture, by Frank Benton, Assistant En- 

 tomologist, that has just been issued at the 

 government printing-office. It contains 32 

 pages the size of this, is printed in bold, clear- 

 faced type, and is illustrated with suitable 

 engravings. When the other bulletin was 

 issued, the supply was exhausted in a very 

 short time, and it became necessary to charge 

 a small price in order to prevent the edition 

 from being entirely exhausted. But it seems 



