1881 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



409 



sinking one minute, and going to the clouds 

 the next. It seemed like my old horse-back 

 riding, only tenfold more exhilarating. As 

 I enjoyed it, my heart rose to God in thank- 

 fulness. In this mood, you can imagine 

 somewhat my feelings wlien these loud, bit- 

 ter curses came constantly to my ear. 1 

 tried to think it was no business "of mine, 

 and that it would l)e out of place, and strange 

 and eccentric, for me to interrupt a man 

 who was running a boat. The conviction 

 came on me clear and sharp, that I must do 

 it. I thought of .Jonah, when God told him 

 to go and preach to the Ninevites. If I 

 evaded the duty,l knew, by past experience, 

 all this joy and happiness would be gone. It 

 was going already, while I dallied with temp- 

 tation. 1 made up my mind to do it. but the 

 dread was such that I trembled already. I 

 do not wish lo have people think I am crazy, 

 or a fanatic ; and above all do I fear weak- 

 ning my intiuence bydoing any thing unwise 

 or hasty. I told (iod I would do his bidding, 

 or, if you choose, I made up my mind to do 

 my best to stop the swearing. As I prepared 

 to take up my work, I prayed mentally, " O 

 Lord, my .Savior, thou who has helped thy 

 servant so many times in times past, under 

 similar trials, help me, I piay thee. now. 

 Thou who hast so many times before, in 

 answer to prayer, paved the way, and gone 

 before me. I beseech thee go with and before 

 me now. Thou knowest how I shrink from 

 harming thy cause by any course that shall 

 seem strange and eccentric : and now, I pray 

 tliee, open a way by which 1 may do thy will, 

 in a way pleasing in thy sight.'" 



I have gone thus fully into details, my 

 friends, to show you how eagily God answers 

 prayer. .Just notice : I had for a moment 

 forgotten to regard the waves, but stood ab- 

 sently, as it were, taking in the delicious air 

 with mouth pretty well open, when a wave, 

 larger than any before, struck the boat and 

 went clear over it, giving me not only cool 

 air, but a whole mouthful of cool lake water 

 too. It went into my mouth, lilled my pock- 

 ets, and gave me such a drenching, that the 

 pilot and captain both burst into a loud 

 laugh. 



" Stranger, why do you sta,nd there in the 

 wet V Wliv don't you go down into the cab- 

 in ? '' 



" I fear I shall get sea sick unless I stand 

 in the wind,"' I said, as I smiled through my 

 wetness. 



•' Why, bless you. you can have the air 

 without so much water ; come up here and 

 stand with us." 



The man to whom I was going to talk ex- 

 tended his hand, and there God had placed 

 me, by the pilofs own invitation, at his very 

 shoulder. It seemed as if God had replied 

 to my prayer, '■ To be sure, I will help you, 

 my child. Did you doubt that I would make 

 the way plain and reasonable for you V There 

 you are, right by his side.'' 



But it was not so easy then. He had just 

 spoken so kindly to me. it seemed harder 

 still to "commence on him," as I might 

 term it. 



I Avas not long undecided, howevei'. He 

 began to boast that he was never sea sick in 

 his life, and wound up by cursing God, and 



defying him, because of his strength of con- 

 stitution, and brawny muscle. iTie minute 

 had come. 



" My friend, if you will excuse the liberty, 

 I want to protest against such talk. The day 

 will surely come when God will lav you low 

 and helpless." 



I can not remember what more I said to 

 him, but it seemed well chosen, for he gave 

 no unkind answer back; and although we 

 talked pleasantly on different matters, he 

 used nothing like an oath agaui that after- 

 noon. .Vs the vessel rounded to the wharf, 

 the captain came up. 



'' I tell you, sir, 1 am glad you gave that 

 man that talking to ; he is one of the best 

 men I ever had. but that is his great fault. 

 AVhy, I have talked and talked—'' (Here I 

 gave him a surprised look, for I thought he 

 was a little that way himself;) "oh, yes! I 

 use some few words, but not like him ; and, 

 sir. it isn't right ; we'd better all stop. I am 

 airful glad you talked right up to him. Why, 

 he never swore a word after that, all the aft- 

 ernoon, and that is some thing I never knew 

 to happen before."' 



Now, was it not wonderful V Instead of 

 getting a rebuff, I had got thanks from the 

 captain, and a promise— voluntary too — to do 

 better himself. Please do not think I have 

 told this boastingly, mv friends, but that 

 you might learn a lesson of trust in God, and 

 that we may all safely put in a plea against 

 this great national sin, and without much 

 danger of awakening any unkind feelings 

 either. I love thy tabernacles, O Lord, and 

 I do love to hear thy holy name spoken with 

 reverence and respect by the children of men. 



ALBINO BEES, ETC. 



Whex the friends have anj- thing- they wovild like 

 me to see and report on, 1 shall be most happy to re- 

 ceive it, and will report to the best of my ability; 

 but the fact of my having received a nice present, I 

 hope will in no way influence me in reporting for 

 the benefit of the public. Friend Valentine has 

 very kindly Pent me a nice nuclei of his so-called Al- 

 liino bees. With his letter advising us of their ship- 

 ment, conies his circular, from which we extract the 

 following:— 



KKStKIITKiN <IK THK Al.BIXll BKKS. 



As tti their markiii),', the diflereiKe hetwceu them and the 

 imie Itnhaii is very strikinjr. About the eves thev approach 

 nearei- a puiple than- that of the Italian. " Begirming at the 

 waist, they fii-st have three distinct yellow bands, then three 

 distinct white bands— the white is pu"re, not muddy and dirty; 

 the wings are finer and ol a bright silvery color, what makes 

 them so beautiful is, the coloi-s are bright — the white is white, 

 and the black is blaek, etc. Their shoulders and the under 

 part of the abdomen are verv thickly coated with white hair. 

 The queens are large and heautiftU . Thev are a bright reddish 

 yellow, and generally have the white hafr. as described, in the 

 workei-s. As to their breeding, I can say the queens are very 

 prohtic. S. V.ALEXTINE. Double Pipe Creek, Md. " 



Now. I do not know but that the bees look to 

 friend V. just as he describes them; but I can not 

 agree that the difference between them and Italians 

 is very striking. They have the three yellow bands, 

 quite plainly, but the white bands are, as I have 

 said in the A B C, simply bands of whitish hair or 

 down. In socde species of hornets we see a clear 

 plain white band, but there is certainly nothing of 

 the kind on these. They arc nice, pretty Italian 

 bees, that strongly resemble the Hol.v-Land bees, on- 

 ly they are a trifle whiter and a trifle larger, perhaps. 

 Of course, they may be superior as honey-gatherers ; 

 but 1 can hardly see how selecting them for their 

 light down should make them any better, any more 

 than it would make hens any better layers by simp- 

 ly breeding from the white-feathered ones out of a 

 flock of all colors. It was once thought that fowls 

 with feathers on their legs were superior in other 

 respects, but I believe the fancy has been mostly 

 dropped. They are very pretty bees, and transmit 

 this white downy appearance to each generation, as I 

 proved by those I had of friend Pike a few years ago. 



