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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



This is just exactly what I wanted, and really is the 

 most interesting article on bees that I have read in 

 a long time. It tells me exactly what I wanted to 

 know, while I confess that most of the articles on 

 bees don't seem to tell me any thing at all. What 

 you say is exceedingly interesting, and I believe yon 

 are entirely right regarding the effect of a colony of 

 bees upon apple and peach bloom, or setting of the 

 fruit. Our bees appear to be very happy. I have 

 one of the redheads who thinks he is going to make 

 a beekeeper. The bees stung him the other day, and 

 he certainly let out a number of screams, but I think 

 he will get over it, and I am greatly pleased to have 

 our children take so much interest in the care of 

 these busy little creatures. It appears that I wa-s 

 right in thinking that there may be lazy bees as well 

 as lazy men. I know that the hired man generally 

 has his off days, when, if yoii put him alone at some 

 work in the hot sun, he is sure to seek the shade 

 and think his work over with great care. 



I had a colored gentleman working for me once, 

 and I tried to tell him how careful he must be to 

 think his work over and plan it thoroughly before 

 taking it up, as he could accomplish ever so much 

 more if he had it thoroughly organized. I sent him 

 to a back field to put a bag of fertilizer on some 

 corn. After he had been over there a long time I 

 thought I would go over and see how things were 

 doing. There sat Alic under a tree, looking at the 

 bag of fertilizer. When I asked him >Yhat he was 

 doing he r.aid, " Well, boss, you told me to study this 

 here work mighty careful, and I am doing just what 

 you told me." The whole subject of beekeeping is 

 coming upon us as a very interesting thing. I really 

 didn't know there was so much to it, and I am glad 

 of the chance that has enabled us to get hold of these 

 little friends. I am greatly obliged to you for your 

 kindness in answering the questions. 



New York, May 25. H. W. Collingwood. 



IS THERE NO CHANCE FOR A POOR MAN TO 

 KEEP BEES? 



My dear Mr. Root : — I worked for so-called Chris- 

 tians for 25 cts. a day when 16 years old, and the 

 memory of rats crawling over my bed at night still 

 lingers. I got up in winter at five o'clock, and 

 hauled manure all day in the cold for 25 cts. Were 

 it not for the stupor whisky gets the laboring classes 

 into, conditions would have improved long ago. But 

 what can you expect? 



It makes the hot blood come to my temples when 

 I see the extravagances of rich men who control leg- 

 islatures. They foist whisky on an unsuspeicting 

 public, and then appeal for votes from that same 

 public. Roads are being made in this State that will 

 not last. Sewers are put through and no guards on 

 the mouths. These men are the enemies of society, 

 who openly boast that woman suffrage is disrupting 

 the home. I love bees, but if we keep on destroying 

 homes, no one but rich men can keep them. 



Samuel B. Henderson. 



Centerville, Ind., Oct. 20. 



My good friend, I too worked for 25 cents 

 a day riding a horse to cultivate corn ; but 

 I had a good bed because I boarded and 

 lodged myself when I got only 25 cents. I, 

 too, feel the hot blood come to my temples 

 when I see rich people wasting money on 

 their diamond necklaces, pet dogs, etc.; but 

 may I suggest to you and others who claim 

 there is " no chance for a poor man," that 

 many of the great men of our day, and very 

 ivanjl of the rich men of our day, started as 

 pcor boys? Now, it is the poor boys who 



are blessing the world. The sons and daugh- 

 ters of the millionaires are the ones to be 

 pitied. Is it not so? I fervently thank God 

 that he started me as a poor boy on a farm ; 

 and when Mrs. Root and I were married 

 we had comparatively nothing; and I verily 

 believe that, had our good parents been able 

 !o give us a thousand dollars, or ten thou- 

 sand, to start a home with, it would have 

 been a handicap instead of a blessing. I 

 should like to ask all of our readers who 

 agree with me in this to raise their hands; 

 ai:d as you drop your hands, let each and 

 all thank God that he was born poor, and 

 had to fight his way in this great busy world. 

 In regard to bees, where is the boy who 

 ran not scrape up money enough to buy a 

 single colony to start with? and I believe his 

 chances will be better with this single colony 

 than if his father were to give him a whole 

 apiary. . 



POULTRY-KEEPING IN FLORIDA. 



The clipping below from the Florida 

 Gr Giver will answer a lot of questions : 



POULTRY PAYS. 



I cannot help replying to the man who made the 

 statement some time ago to a northern friend that 

 poultry did not pay in Florida. I arrived here on 

 September 21, 1913, and on November 2 a friend set 

 a hen for me, and the result was ten little chicks. 

 I paid for the hen 75 cts. and 50 cts. for the eggs. 

 On March 25, 1914, the pullets started laying, and 

 on March 28 I sold four of the roosters at 21 cts. 

 per pound; the four weighed seventeen pounds, for 

 which I received $3.57. The cost of the feed for the 

 four months had been $1, so, including the price of 

 the hen and eggs, $1.25, and feed $1.00, I was $1.32 

 to the good and' I still had the hens and the four 

 pullets. The hen started laying on February 15. 

 On April 21 I set one of the pullets, and to-day, May 

 11, she hatched twelve chicks from the thirteen eggs 

 I gave her, and the old hen is sitting again also, and 

 another* one of the pullets. I will leave it to you 

 whether poultry pays or not. G. H. N. 



Davenport, Fla., May 12. 



[You are certainly doing well; but you seem to 

 have started a kind of perpetual-motion farm. But 

 that is the way to do things, and we congratulate 

 you upon your enterprise. — Ed.] 



Permit me to say that what is stated in 

 the above is true. Any person of fair skill 

 with poultry can do it every time. I have 

 done it for the past seven winters, with the 

 exception of getting the pullets to lay in 

 March or April. We generally reach our 

 Florida home during the first week in No- 

 vember, and usually leave for the North 

 about the middle of April. If you are suc- 

 cessful with chickens here in the North or 

 anywhere else, you will be likely to succeed 

 in Florida, with the tremendous advantage 

 of having no weather in winter that Avill 

 interfere with the raising of chickens. I 

 feel sure, too, that the fireless brooder is all 

 that is needed in Florida at any season of 

 the year. 



