THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



71 



thing "peskey" about me, which I 

 am cliaritable enough to think is not 

 usual among mv "reverend" breth- 

 ren. And, as they are usiially too 

 much cloistered, take too little fresh 

 air, and. like one of old, " cannot dig, 

 and to beg are ashamed," as they 

 ought to be, I recommend bee-keep- 

 ing, as a light, pleasant employment 

 (if you don't get stung too often), and 

 eminently favorable to good health. 



Let me tell a little story which, I 

 think lias never appeared in the 

 Bek Journal. A rural parish clergy- 

 man in England, one of the class of 

 whom Goldsmith tells, as passing 

 rich on forty pounds a year " received 

 A diocesan visit froin a newly-ap- 

 pointed bishop, who liad been a for- 

 mer class-mate of his. The bishop 

 expected to hnd his old friend in 

 straitened circumstances, and was 

 greatly surprised to tind him sur- 

 rounded by all the indications of com- 

 fort and competence. After a good 

 dinner, served with some style, liis 

 lordship began to enquire into his 

 friend's circumstances. " Married a 

 rich wifeV" "No, my lord." " Got a 

 legacy?" "No, my lord," " What, 

 then '? " " My lord " 'was the reply, " I 

 am a manufacturer, and employ a 

 large number of operatives from 

 ■wliose labors I reap a good profit. If 

 your lordship will step into the gar- 

 den, I will show you the factory." So, 

 he led him out-doors, and showed him 

 a well-kept apiary. It made a great 

 impression on the bishoji, and when- 

 ever afterwards any of his clergy 

 ■complained of poverty be was wont 

 to say, " Keej) bees ! Keei' hees! " 



Listowel, Jan. 14, 1882. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Keeping Bees on Stilts— No. 2. 



BY W. G. rilELI'S. 



The curtain now arises on the scene 

 •of Mr. Hopeful's summer operations in 

 bee-keeping. He had, you doubtless 

 remember, previously procured 100 

 boxes supposed to contain bees, and 

 afterthe few trifling incidents — narra- 

 ted in my last article, liad landed 

 them on his ancestral estate. Now 

 Mr. lIo|)eful had given the subject of 

 apiculture much profound and search- 

 ing thought. An unknown but con- 

 ■siderate friend had kindly sent to l)is 

 address a copy of the Bee Journal. 

 This paper after scainiing its pages, 

 our enterprising friend pronounced 

 too matter-of-fact for him. He con- 

 cluded he would not subscribe. lie 

 was positive that bees could be mana- 

 ged with far less of what he termed 

 " tom-foolery " and with absolute 

 -certainty of heavier prolit than the 

 Journal asserted. All the talk about 

 half croi)s of honey for IHHO was just 

 nonsense, or the result of mismanage- 

 ment on the part of the bee men. If 

 bees wouldn't gather honey, why just 

 manage them so they would. What 

 if the flowers didn't secrete honey, 

 surely the bees could be made to "lick 

 it up " aroimd the stores and cider- 

 tnills. if rightly managed. Among 

 Mr. Hopeful's bee purchases were 

 <iuite a number of what are termed 



" lucky bees " upon which he particu- 

 larly prided himself. It is possible 

 that some of your readers may be rest- 

 ing in blissful ignorance of what con- 

 stitutes a "lucky" stand of bees. 

 Mr. Hojieful knew though, and in- 

 formed me, and as I am in duty bound 

 to give all the details of his interest- 

 ing experiences, here it goes. It is a 

 fact that bee-keepers are mortal, not- 

 withstanding the other fact that some 

 of them sing in sirenian strains, 

 (Mrs. Lizzie Cotton for instance). 

 They fail "to winter" well and are 

 oft times affected with fatal "spring 

 dwindling." In other words, they 

 sometimes die. It therefore remains 

 a solemn and very important duty, 

 Mr. Hopeful says, for the nearest sur- 

 viving relative to inform each colony 

 of bees of tlieir late owner's decease, 

 accompanied with sundry knocks up- 

 on the side of said hive. After this 

 ceremony is performed they become 

 pre-emiHently " lucky bee's." Such 

 bees could not fail to be profitable 

 stock to operate. What cared Mr. 

 Hopeful if some of these cononies did 

 feel extremely light, were they not 

 under tlie spell of their late owner's 

 enchantment— and bound by the mys- 

 tic power of the incantation'!' Pshaw! 

 said Hopeful, science isiu) where after 

 that. However, our JSIr. Hopeful in 

 truly scientific styles delighted to 

 study the nature and watch the move- 

 ments of his "pets." He would seat 

 himself as he said in the " remotely 

 inimediate vicinity of his apiary," 

 and while drinking in the spring-time 

 fragrance of theoiiening bud, through 

 the medium of his highly sensitive 

 nasal organ, woidd likewise indulge 

 in rose-colored visions of the pros- 

 pective prosperity that was to attend 

 his bee-keeping operations when, well 

 — when his bees came in. Such, al- 

 most daily, were the meditations of 

 our esteemed friend. One day after 

 indulging a more than wonted flight 

 of fancy, he caught one of the little 

 insects and holding it dexterously be- 

 tween two straws, proceeded to des- 

 cant upon some of the anatomical fea- 

 tures prominent in its formation, in 

 tiie hearing of the wondering Mrs. 

 Ilopeful. " Observe (says he) these 

 delicate untitlers with which the beau- 

 tiful creature, prognosticates as it 

 searcheth for its ambrosial sweets." 



And oh, observe ! says he, the seraph 

 like formation of its imcomparable 

 "«/i;-0(ifax/" " Did you ever behold 

 aught like it V " " No"tice also my dear, 

 the matchless symmetry of its posterior 

 parts." (Here Mr. Ilopeful brought 

 the object of bis observations close up 

 under his eyeglasses), "Mark the 

 beauty of that unrivalled encasment, 

 the loveliness of that artistic color.but 

 most wonderful of all, behold the per- 

 fection of that iKilished shaft which, 

 ever and anon" — here unfortu- 

 nately for future observation and re- 

 mark, the beautiful bee unexpectedly 

 escaped from its captor's grasp, and 

 taking a true "bee-line," came im- 

 mediately in contact with the promi- 

 nent nasal appendage, the property 

 of our esteemed friend. Hereupon, 

 it gave a practical demonstration of 

 the adaptability of the " polished 

 shaft" for business, by inserting it 



well into that integument of said 

 organ. "Ouch!" shrieked the in- 

 vestigating Mr. Hopeful, " Dear me !" 

 piped dear Mrs. Ilopeful. while she 

 followed the retreating figure of her 

 liege lord into the house. As he ner- 

 vously rubbed the tomato leaves up- 

 on tlie punctured part and fumbled 

 distractedly for the salts, was it sim- 

 ply the sighing of the wild wind 

 among the leaves of the luxuriant 

 trees, or was it the melodious cheer- 

 ing voice of sweet Mrs. Ilopeful sim- 

 ply remarking, •' bee stings you know 

 you told me dearie were excellent 

 for rheumaih." 

 Galena, Md., Nov. 3, 1881. 



For Xixa American Bee Journal. 



Is the Problem of Wintering Settled ? 



JAMES HEDDON. 



From reading the able article of Mr. 

 F. Delia Torre, on page 387, I must 

 say that I believe he may be nearer 

 the facts in the (!ase than any other 

 man that has ever written upon the 

 subject. 



Is it possible that bacteria and pol- 

 len are both the causes of bee dysen- 

 tery "i" It seems so. If Mr. Delia 

 Torre is correct, it is so. 



Mr. Dadant thinks that bacteria is 

 the cause. I once thought so. Then 

 I thought pollen was independent of 

 bacteria, that is, I saw signs that said 

 " eating pollen did this." I did not 

 think to see if the pollen was bacter- 

 ious or fermenting.* 



In our late State Convention, Mr. 

 Harrington, of Medina, Ohio, stated 

 that a weed (vulgarly called " tremble 

 weed ") growing about his locality 

 produced bacterious or fermenting 

 honey, that when bees stored it to any 

 extent, death by dysentery was sure 

 to result. 15ees working uiion this 

 "tremble weed" and upon cider mills, 

 are truly" bacteria-laden bees." Where 

 else they may get bacterious honey we 

 know not. lloney is so full of float- 

 ing pollen, that bees succeed in rear- 

 ing brood with that, and no other. 

 Perhaps that pollen may ferment and 

 produce dysentery. Again, it may be 

 that bee-bread may ferment, owing to 

 the kind of pollen it is made from, or 

 from the kind or amount of honey and 

 water that is used in its composition, 

 or both. 



If all the above points were unfav- 

 orable, it may be that the bee-bread 

 fermented in my 47 hives in my large 

 dry cellar, in 1869, even though they 

 had plenty of upward ventilation; 

 while in Mr. Balch's damp cellar, 35 

 miles away, where his hives bad no 

 n!)ward ventilation, and the combs 

 came out moldy and wet, and the bees 

 strong and heathy, they either had no 

 accessible bee-bread, as for some rea- 

 son it did not ferment, or the bees did 

 not eat it. 

 Yet, it may be that Mr. Delia Torre 



•All fermentation (the flrst staEos of decompo- 

 Bitinnl l9 bacterious. These bacterious jxernishave 

 been considered bvmanvas animal (mvself amonp 

 ttie number). l)Ut Prof. (Vioti who is excellent au- 

 thority, considers them vecetable. I now liave no 

 doubt that he is correct: liowovnr. us rej,'!inis the 

 wintering (iroblem. It makes no (lilTiTioice. as they 

 are a livinK growth, in either <.:isf, ilciicncieiit upon 

 the air currents or assistance from Inglier forma of 

 life for their transportation. 



