1900 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



349 



can hardly be said to have dominion over a 

 balky horse, or at least he can not be said to 

 have subdued it " (I knew the deacon was a 

 little tender on this point), " nor does a man 

 have dominion over his bees if, when he puts 

 on his supers for them to fill, they turn their 

 backs to the supers and run away to the woods. 

 Swarming was well enough in a state of na- 

 ture ; but when with improved hives we can 

 increase our bees without it, wh}' — it seems as 

 though we, if we are to fulfill Scripture, 

 should be able to dirtct and control them 

 without their swarming. We can not be said 

 to have subdued them till we have subdued 

 their disposition to swarm. I tell you we must 

 compare Scripture with Scripture if we would 

 get its full meaning. Galileo you know, was 

 persecuted because he taught that the sun 

 did not revolve around the earth, when the 

 Scriptures said the sun rose and set ; and 

 so of the geologists, and a great many 

 others. I am willing to admit that the 

 swarming instinct is a natural one and a very 

 strong one if you wish ; but I don't believe it 

 can not be overcome, for we find it very varia- 

 ble. If some hives are full of brood and hon- 

 ey coming in even very slowly, they are liable 

 to swarm ; while if it is coming very fast, as 

 likely as not they will refuse to swarm at all. 

 If they have an old queen they may swarm if 

 the hive is not half full of brood ; but if they 

 have a young queen, as likely as not they will 

 refuse to swarm, even if every thing else fa- 

 vors. If they belong to the despised black 

 race they may work right on, forgetful of the 

 command to multiply ; but if their ancestors 

 came from sunny Italy it is more than proba- 

 ble they will believe in expansion, and may 

 make a start before six o'clock in the morning, 

 as I had several do one morning last sum- 

 mer. 



" Now, I should like to know if this heaven- 

 orda'ned instinct doesn't apply to all alike. I 

 was reading only the other dav in Langstroth's 

 work, that, ' while some colonies swarm re- 

 peatedly, others, apparently as strong in num- 

 bers, and as rich in stores, refuse to swarm, 

 even in seasons in all respects highly propi- 

 tious '." 



"That's so," said Fasset, from behind the 

 stove. " We have got to get round it some 

 way, and the quicker the better, and — " 



Just here 'Squire FuUum walked in, and, 

 with a hearty salutation, sat down near the 

 fire to warm himself. 



" Pretty cold day," he began, as he warmed 

 up; "but the sun is getting up pretty well 

 now, and it will soon be spring. I am in no 

 hurry for it. I have got plenty of hay for my 

 cows, and then I put ten acres of corn last 

 fall into my silo, that will last till June. I 

 tell you this ensilage is a great thing to make 

 cows give milk in winter. I am making 35 

 pounds of butter a day, and it sells as quick 

 as wink for 25 cts. a pound. Ours is a great 

 State for dairying — a great State, I tell you." 



I don't know where he would have stopped; 

 but Jerry Benton came in just then. Now, 

 Jerry is a sort of sport. Hoping I might do 

 him good I tried to treat him very politely, 

 and said, "Good morning, Jerry. You are 



quite a stranger. I haven't seen you in here 

 in a long lime." 



"Well," he began, "I heard the deacon 

 was in here, and I thought I would drop in 

 and talk politics a little. Some of us are talk- 

 ing of setting up a license candidate for the 

 legislature next fall, and I just dropped in to 

 see how some of you felt about it." 



" Let's see. Our State has now been under 

 a prohibitory law for nearly fifty years, ' ' began 

 the deacon, somewhat diplomatically, "and 

 you license fellows have been pleading for a 

 license law for a good many years too, because 

 you said a prohibitory law wasn't enforced. 

 During the last year it has been very thorough- 

 ly enforced, and now you want license more 

 than ever. I have been thinking the matter 

 over, and yesterday I took down an old dic- 

 tionary that was my wife's brother's, just to 

 see what license meant. The first word I 

 found that began to look like it was lice. A 

 little further down was licefise, and just below 

 was licentiousness. When I saw that, I then 

 and there made up my mind that, whatever 

 virtue there might be in license, it had certain- 

 ly got into pretty bad company." 



" Hurrah !" shouted Esquire Fullam "I 

 tell you, ours is the best State in the Union." 



I am afraid some of the rest of us were more 

 enthusiastic than polite, f. r Jerry just put on 

 his hat and walked out without saying another 

 word. 



" I'm glad he has gone," said Tim Fasset, 

 " for I had a great deal rather talk about non- 

 swarming bees than license. Can you tell 

 me, deacon, why it is that, when you use the 

 extrac or freely, bees swarm but little? Are 

 they not c jmmanded to swarm or multiply 

 when the extractor is used as well as when 

 sections are put on ? " 



I noticed, just as soon as Tim spoke of non- 

 swarming, the deacon's eyes began to twitch, 

 and his face flushed up until it was as red as a 

 beet. I knew his wrath was kindled, and I 

 was afraid he would say something dreadful ; 

 but he didn't. He was silent a few moments, 

 and then, said he, " I guess I had better go 

 and fodder. Betsey will be calling me to din- 

 ner pretty soon, and she says if I don't come 

 in when she calls me the dinner will get cold, 

 and be spoiled." 



HIVES NOT ALL THERE IS IN APICULTURE ; 



OUEEN-CELLS VS. VIRGIN QUEENS FOR 



NUCLEI ; CARING FOR CELLS. 



"Good afternoon, Bro. Doolittle. I called 

 over to have a little talk with you about hives. 

 I see by reading some papers that were lent 

 me that, if I would succeed with my bees, I 

 must adopt a hive patented by ." 



" Tut, tut, Bro. Smith ! You ought to know 

 better than to think, as some seem to, that 

 large yields of honey are owing entirely to the 



