1881 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



61 



sinner,'" but it seems to me it amounted to 

 almost that. 



JOnN AND niS FATIIEK. 



" Papa I John ! The bees are swarming I 

 don't you see them V' It was httle Mary"s 

 voice; and, sure enough, the bees were 

 swarming. The particulars of the event you 

 have had already. 



Well, after John got back from the woods 

 with his bees still clustered on the limb, he 

 gave them to friend jNIerrybanks to hold, 

 while he went after the hive left sitting on 

 the pail. The pail was over near the fence, 

 and as the hiv.e was lifted otf of it, some stiff 

 grass and weeds underneath it raised. up so 

 much as to upset it, and it rolled over against 

 the board fence. Now, the bottom board of 

 the fence was a rather broad one, and as the 

 pail rolled against it, it fell with its mouth 

 against this board in such a way that the 

 pail was all closed, except a small opening 

 at the lower edge. The picture will show 

 you just how the pail lay against the fence. 

 After the weeds 





had risen up back of 

 the pail, it was ob- 

 scured from view so 

 effectually from the 

 inside of the fence, 

 that no one would 

 have ever thought of 

 there being a pail 

 there ; and, in truth, 

 neither John nor 

 THE NOVEL BEEHIVE, ^ig father Bver did 

 find the pail. After the excitement of bring- 

 ing the bees home, John was not even as 

 good as usual at remembering, and so it 

 never occurred to him that the pail was down 

 in the weeds just where it tipped over when 

 he lifted the hive up. After he and his 

 father had botli hunted for it in vain, they 

 gave it up ; and when the latter went down 

 to the grocery in the evening to get some 

 more " tobacker,'' he bought a new pail. 



Now, one great reason why John's father 

 was a poor man was, that he seldom took 

 care of his tubs, pails, etc. When a hoop 

 tumbled off, it was seldom put back and 

 fastened ; but the utensils and tools were 

 mostly left out in the sun and rain until they 

 fell in pieces, and then new ones were bought 

 as a matter of course. His plea was, that it 



was more expensive to fix and fuss Avith old 

 things than to buy new ones outright. Mr. 

 Merrybanks did not agree with him, and they 

 had often talked over the subject. Mr. M. 

 even went so far as to make a new stave for 

 a bucket, rather than to throw it away ; 

 and his plea was, that even if it was more 

 expensive than to pay lo cents for a new 

 pail, it got one into a way of stopping things 

 from going to pieces, and thus saving out- 

 lays to the amount of many dollars in a year. 

 It was ttie same way with the tinware. A 

 good tin pail at John's father's would often 

 have the bottom rusted out in about two 

 months, because the water was left standing 

 in it. or it was left with just a little in, with- 

 out being wii)ed out and turned over. Now, 

 Mrs. Merrybanks had a way of taking care 

 of her tinware, that I think I will have to 

 tell you about. She did not buy the thickest 

 tin pails and dish-i)ans, because she did not 

 want heavy utensils to handle ; but before 

 each article was i)ut to use, it was warmed 

 slightly, and a little clean lard rubbed in- 

 to all the seams, Avith a soft rag. This was 

 then rubbed off Avith another clean portion 

 of cloth, and the operations repeated at in- 

 tervals, according to the Avay in which the 

 article Avas to be used. The tin Avater-pail 

 was thus dried and ''greased " inside about 

 once in a Aveek or ten days, and the effect 

 Avas such that the pail had been in use for 

 years, and the bottom A\;as not rusted 

 even then. Mr. Merrybanks treated his sap- 

 pails the same Avay ; and even though they 

 were made from light tin, they Avere bright 

 and clean after years of service. 



Now, a few days after that great SAvarm- 

 ing time Ave have mentioned, Mary and 

 Freddie were at play in the lot adjoining. 

 This lot was one where cattle were allowed 

 to pasture, and the grass was eaten down 

 closely. As they passed along opposite the 

 spot where that unlucky pail tipped over, 

 Ereddie exclaimed, — 



" Why ! look'e here ! Here are bees going 

 out and in under the old board of this fence." 



" They must be bumble-bees," suggested 

 ]\Iary, " and they have got a nest under there, 

 I'll bet you." 



"I'll bet you they ain't bumble-bees," said 

 Freddie ; "I guess I knoAV bumble - bees 

 when I see them, and these are real honey- 

 bees, like my papa's." 



" Well, I know they are bumble-bees, for 

 honey-bees don't ever go doAA'^n into holes in 

 the ground and grass as these do. My pa 

 has got honey-bees too, just as well as yours." 



John, hearing the dispute from where he 

 was trying in vain to dig up the great Aveeds 

 that had nearly SAvamped the potatoes, came 

 to hear what it Avas about. Both children 

 called out at once, — 



" Say, John, ain't these bumble-beesV" 



" Say, John, ain't these honey-bees?" 



At this, John clambered over the fence ; 

 but the fence was poor and shaky, like the 

 general surroundings ; and as he jumped 

 doAvn, the fence Avas shaken so violently that 

 all hands soon had a pretty fair prospect of 

 knowing the disposition if not the kind of 

 bees that inhabited that old pail and were 

 pouring out from under the fence in a way 

 thatmeantonly " business." Discussion AA'as 



