18S1 



GLEANINGS IN UEE CL'LTUKE. 



25 



puts in entrances on each side; puts in chaff and 

 hives, and finishes up packing as in the other case; 

 seats himself on a hive, and, soliloquizing-, viewing 

 his work,— "Merrybanks, you're a 'brick;' you are 

 an inventor; four to one box; almost as quickly 

 done as the other. That's business, and—and— in- 

 genuity (that's the word) combined. But, it does 

 seem as though I never saw so many knot-holes and 

 cracks in a box before, in all ray life. The cover has 

 just as many cracks as the other, and longer too. 

 And then, I can't say that it is a pretty thing to look 

 at. I guess not! And what will mv. wife say? 'Mr. 

 Merrybanks, dear, what building are you erectingV 

 a pig-pen, eh? and right in the middle of your pret- 

 ty bee-yard?' Oh, oh! call that invention a pig-pen! 

 'And then, what if Koot, A. I., should visit you? 

 They say he has an eye for the beautiful.' So much 

 the worse for his eye! And then, how would a whole 

 yard of them look? My! Jt would be just my des- 

 tinj'! Some insurance agent or lightning-rod man 

 would be alwa3's scenting a job; that settles it, Mr. 

 Merrybanks. Now, Merrybanks, let us reason a lit- 

 tle about this wintering business." [Mr. Merrybanks 

 reasons.] " Suppose a winter as warm as the last, 

 bees outdoors in chalf hives would be likely te lly as 

 often as once in two weeks. This must exhaust 

 their stores badly; while in the cellar the opposite 

 would be the result. Score one for cellar. If the 

 winter was extremely cold, nearly the same result 

 would follow. Score two for cellar. And as the dif- 

 ference in eonsumptioH of honey between wintering 

 outdoors and wintering in a good cellar is anywhere 

 up to 6 lbs., we'll say 3 lbs. per hive in favor of cel- 

 lar; and honey at 12! je per lb., gives 371 ic; and 50 

 hives gives f 18 To, which would give me enough to 

 pay for the labor of putting my bees into the cellar 

 for twenty j-ears." And the last we heard of Mr. 

 Merrykanks' soliloquy, as he turned a corner of the 

 honey-house, was, "I've been a simpleton, but I've 

 got a good many close connections." 

 Amboy, Lee Co., 111., Nov. 8, '80. R. H. Mellen. 



RAIUBLiC: NO. 1. 



AT THE COUNTY FAIR. 



i^ijj-^E frequently flmd a leisure moment to get 

 away from our home duties, my wife and I, 

 and at such times we make a flying visit to 

 some relative or friend or bee-keeper; and now it 

 refreshes us to get away from the daily routine of 

 home life, and talk potatoes and cheese, and the 

 prospect of prices for these two great productions 

 of our county! In giving oiu' experiences in our 

 rambles in the interests of bee-keeping, we will first 

 ramble to our county fair. 



We have exhibited nearly every year at our annual 

 fair; :ind owing to this fact the premiums haAC been 

 increased from $2.0U to S25.00. This year I was in- 

 duced, by the promise of a good central location, to 

 make a grand show on my own hook and under my 

 , owu canvas; so, after ample preparation, James 

 and I hitched old^Billy to the load and bid farewell 

 to wax, bees, and honey, and off we started for the 

 fair. Our better half sent her old shoe after us, and 

 wared her gingham apron while we passed down 

 our "Linden Avenue." W.iien we reached the fair- 

 grounds, we came to the painful realization of the 

 uncertainty of the word of the managers of a county 

 jPair. The good central location I was promised was 



reserved for a cheap dog-show, for which the com- 

 mittee on rentals received a fee; so the dogs took 

 the preference, and the bee-keeping industry was 

 put behind a ready-made-clothing tent and another 

 show. AVe pocketed our disappointment, and made 

 the best of our poor location ; and though the crowd 

 did not find us, the bee-keeping fraternity were 

 around us more or less during the lour days of the 

 fair. Our show consisted of comb and extracted 

 honey, and all appliances used in the apiary, and 

 three swarms of bees. The tetter were in an inclos- 

 ure of wire cloth, open at the top, and could be seen 

 at work at all hours of the day, and people could sec 

 us handle them. Our one-frame observation hive 

 attracted a great deal of attention. The queen and 

 her subjects were a great curiosity to those who or- 

 dinarily dare not approach a hive of bees. We came 

 across some of our peculiar friends here, who were 

 skeptical in relation to queens and drones; and our 

 friend who believed the drones laid the eggs and 

 then sat on them until they hatched had his theory 

 somewhat disturbed by seeing the queea deposit 

 eggs especially for his benefit. 



Oiu' extractor, foundation machine, and smokers, 

 called forth an unusual amount of questions, both 

 serious and comic. Our show enabled us to give 

 much information to the public at large about bees 

 and honey. We found our bee-keeping friends 

 ready to lend a helping hand, and Mr. Harris, of 

 Sandy Hill, made quite a display of bees and honey. 

 Whenever we have become acquainted with bee- 

 keepers in our own and adjoining eounties, we find 

 them very hospitable. We will try to ramble to 

 some of their homes, and tell you of their bees and 

 methods of raising honey. John H. Martin. 



Hartford, N. Y., Dec. 2, 1880. 



May I venture one sujj;gesti()n, friend M.? 

 Much complaint has been made of the un- 

 fairness of officers at the fairs. While I am 

 about it, I might as well add. that I am one 

 of the com])lainiiifj kind myself, — perhaps at 

 conveivtions as well as fairs ; but I am jjoing' 

 to try hard to get over and out of it. Well, I 

 would make a bargain with the managers, 

 beforehand; and if you want the best local- 

 ity, pay for it too. You should be able to 

 sell honey enough, and other things, to pay 

 all expenses. If I am correct, I had my 

 choice of location at our last county fair, 

 and paid $14.(J0 for the same; but I liad a 

 very large stand. If good people, re])resent- 

 ing good, wholesome industries, would take 

 these eligible points, there would be less of 

 the swindling and wheel-of -fortune work at 

 our county fairs. A man offered $^.")0.0() for 

 the privilege of selling beer on our fair- 

 grounds, and he came pretty near getting it. 

 because the association Avas behijid, and 

 short of funds. If one or two (I do not know 

 but I might have said only one) of our 

 staunch temperance and Sunday-school men 

 had stayed at home, just that day, the beer- 

 vender would ha^■e had it, and we should 

 have had su(;h a scene with tlie boys of our 

 village as they did in a iieighboriug town 

 where •beei' was sold on the fair-grounds. 

 Shall we not go to the fairs, and carry our 

 things and our inlluence too? I ])resume it 

 will be safe to say the same of conventions; 

 yes, and I think, AA'hile we are about it, we 

 might (or I might) promise not to get of- 

 fended. 



