172 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mae. 1. 



The first yard that I visited (I do not re- 

 member the name of it now, for he has a 

 name for every one of his apiaries) is located 

 an eighth of a mile, perhaps, from any road- 

 way, and a quarter of a mile from any house, 

 right in the midst of a big thicket of wood. 

 On arriving at the place, there was that high- 

 keyed hum as if robbing were going on; and, 

 sure enough, bees were prowling around 

 numerous cracks in the honey -house, going in 

 and out. Unlocking the door and going in- 

 side, we found that bees had gotten into the 

 bunghole of a half-barrel of buckwheat hon- 

 ey. .\t the time of our visit the barrel was 

 nearly empty. Over each bunghole had been 



says, to go to the expense of constructing a 

 bee-proof building. It is made of cheap lum- 

 ber, and so constructed that if, for any reason, 

 he desires to move the yard from ground that 

 is leased or rented, the building can be taken 

 down, loaded on a wagon, and be set up in 

 some other location. The cracks and crevices 

 — what does he care for them ? 



The hives at this particular yard, I think, 

 were some he bought of some one else, who 

 could not make the bees or the location pay ; 

 but let me tell you when W. L. C. gets hold 

 of the bees they have got to do some hustling 

 — or rather, I should say, he and his men do 

 the " hustling " and the bees " do the rest." 



HARRY HOWE, AND COGGSHAI^L'S TENEMENT HIVES PREPARED FOR WINTER. 



placed little strips of wire cloth to allow the 

 honey to evaporate further if it would; but 

 somehow the wire cloth had become displaced, 

 and the bees were making things "interest- 

 ing." Most of us would have become consid- 

 erably excited, and would have made apologies 

 for such a condition of things; but Mr. Cogg- 

 shall took the matter very coolly, remarking, 

 " Never mind; I will get the honey all back 

 just the same." 



Some of you may wonder why he uses 

 honey-houses all full of cracks and crevices, 

 through which the robbers might pass. Sim- 

 ply for the reason that it does not pay him, he 



After spending a little time at this yard we 

 drove to another, which was more after the 

 style of the one in the engraving herewith 

 presented, being in the open. The boys had 

 preceded us, and were getting ready for ex- 

 tracting, as Mr. C. wished to show me his 

 method of working. I was supplied with a 

 veil, and it was well that I was. The boys 

 had already mopped out the floor, gotten 

 every thing in readiness, and were just pre- 

 paring to extract as we arrived. The buck- 

 wheat-honey flow was about over, and I ex- 

 pected that robbers, of course, would make 

 things lively. But that did not make any 



