1900 



GLEANINGS IN BEK CULTURE. 



571 



REARrNG QUEKNS A LA DOOWTTLE; SIZE AND 



SHAPE OF OUKEN-CELI-S; A CRITICISM 



ON DOOLITTLE'S BOOK; ANTS AND 



KEROSENE. 



"Talk of miracles," said Deacon Strong, 

 one morning in early May, as he came in to 

 make some inquiries in regard to queen-rear- 

 ing. "Six weeks ago the earth was a verita- 

 ble wilderness, while to-day every thing is in- 

 stinct with life. The buds are bursting into 

 green leaves and flowers ; the earth is green ; 

 the air is vocal with birds' songs and the sweet 

 hum of insects. Spring comes every year as a 

 new and marvelous revelation of divine love 



THE HEN-PECKED MAN; " DON'T SIT DOWN 



IN THAT CHAIR, THE CAT HAS BEEN 



IN IT." 



and goodness — a veritable resurrection from 

 the death of winter." 



I could not help entering into his feelings, 

 and I told him, in as many words, that no sea- 

 son gave me such keen pleasure, "and," said 

 I, ' ' this spring I am enjoying more than usual. 

 I am engaged in queen-rearing. There is fun 

 ahead. I am not going to sell queens, but am 

 going to raise a lot from my best queens to re- 

 place some that have been seen to have but 

 little genius at honey-gathering." 



" Just in time," said he ; "I wanted to learn 

 your methods and success." 



I replied that I could offer but little that 

 was new. " About all .that is known about it 

 has been given in the text-books, I believe. 

 But there is one book you will doubtless need 

 in addition to those published, and that is the 

 book of experience. I prefer what is called 

 the Doolittle method ; but after trying it for 

 a little while two years ago I gave it up in dis- 

 gust. The idea of handling those little baby 

 bees that almost required glasses to see ! It 

 might do for a delicate little man like Doolit- 

 tle, but not for me. I made a little better 

 work last year, but my young queens seemed a 

 good deal like Admiral Dewey — they were al- 

 ways putting in their appearance a day or two 

 before they were expected. But I am going 

 to put a stop to that sort of business this 

 year." 



" How is that? " inquired Deacon Strong. 



" Why, I am just going to gather my eggs 

 every day, and label them, and then I shall 

 know when they ought to hatch if they are at 

 all scientific." 



The deacon laughed a little. 



' ' How can you do it ? " said he. 



"Why, the simplest thing in the world. I 

 shall put my best queen, that I wish to breed 

 from, on one .side of the brood-chamber, and 

 give her two combs ; one may be mostly hon- 

 ey, and the other with an abundance of empty 

 cells for her to lay in. Then I will separate 

 these combs from the rest of the brood-cham- 

 ber with a queen-excluding division-board. 



