152 



JUVENILE GLEANIKGS. 



jAisr. 



Pa had 16 stands of bees in the spring; he in- 

 creased to 42, vnA got 300 lbs. of honey. He fed 600 

 lbs. of white sugar in the fall. He has them in the 

 cellar. We belong to the Methodist Church. We go 

 to Sunday-school in the summer. I have two sisters 

 and two brothers. The youngest sister was one 

 year old on Christmas. She has blue eyes. The 

 Bible question that Cora asked, you will find in 

 Pi-overbs 25:27. In answer to your question, wasn't 

 it Samson and his father? This is my first letter. 

 and if I deserve a book, please send me Ten Nights 

 in a Bar-Room. John Wesley Switzeb, age 13. 



Fergus, Ont., Dec. 28, 1882. 



That we will, "John Wesley." The first 

 time I ever spoke in church was in a Meth- 

 odist meeting. Don't you think I am al- 

 most a Methodist V— We are not so sure that 

 Samson's father ate honey at all; see an- 

 swers on preceding page. 



I think the answer to Cora M. Thayer' s question is 

 Pi'overbs 25 : 27. Your question also, John, in Matt. 

 3 : 4; Jonathan, I. Samuel 14 : 29. I go to school this 

 winter when I can. I have a very kind teacher. I 

 should like to see Blue Eyes very much. Now, un- 

 cle, can't you make it pay to have a picture taken 

 of your place, family, help, etc., just like every-day 

 life, and put it on one of your counters, to be bought 

 by our bee-keeping relatives? I should like one. 

 How many of our cousins would like one too? I am 

 glad that my brother has renewed his subscription 

 for Gleanings, so I can read Juvenile another 

 year, for I like it very much. Alice I. Deyo. 



Homowack, Sull. Co., N. Y., Dec. 25, 1882. 



Why, you see, Alice, we have given pic- 

 tures of our place with the ABC, and I am 

 giving you " pen pictures " each month of 

 what we are doing. However, I will think 

 about the other picture, and may be we will 

 have something of the kind. Thank you. 

 It would take a pretty big picture to take in 

 all the "help," Alice. — Your answers are 

 very good, and show that three men in the 

 Bible ate honey. The answers above give 

 the names we had in mind. Who can men- 

 tion another man in the Bible who ate honey? 



We have 38 swarms of bees in chaff hives, stuffed 

 with prairie hay, in good order for winter. Father 

 is making hives for next summer. Last summer 

 my bees swarmed. About half of them alighted on 

 a little tree close to the hive, and the rest of the 

 swarm flew around the house and settled on a tall 

 tree. What made them do that? If this letter is 

 worth a book, please send me Ten Nights in a Bar- 

 Room. Brother Luke will write in this letter. 



Pryeb Lindley, age 9. 



I have a little brother who is a year and a half old. 

 He visited the apiary three times last summer alone 

 and did not get stung. He would stoop down at the 

 hive to see the bees. I have a hive of bees, and in- 

 tend to be a bee-man some time. I love to read. 

 Luke Lindley, age 7. 



Lawn Hill, Iowa, Dec. 25, 1882. 



I guess there is a "pair" of little ones at 

 your house, aren't there, Luke V — a little 

 bee-man and a little letter-writer. 



letters from the twins. 

 We are very glad to call you uncle, as we have but 

 one uncle in the world. We should like to live near 

 you, if you can talk as well as you can write. Wo all 



like Gleanings. Grandma keeps bees. She has 6 

 stands. She had a swarm of bees that she hived 3 

 times, but they would not stay hived. She said I 

 might have them if I could keep them. I hived them 

 four times, and then they went away, so I have no 

 bees. Minna J. Dickens. 



This is more evidence to prove the diffi- 

 culty of keeping swarms when they resolve 

 to go. How did you try to keep them at 

 home? Did you use pans and drums, as one 

 of our little friends speaks of doing ? 



I think that it must be nice to have so many nieces 

 and nephews. Mina and I are twins. We are twelve 

 years old. Grandma is going to send for an extrac- 

 tor and a smoker in the spring, if her bees winter 

 well. We have no Sunday-school nor public school 

 near enough for us to go to. Anna Dickens. 



It seems too bad, Anna, that you can't go 

 to school at all. 



HARRIET'S LETTER, AND MY BIRD STORY. 



My pa keeps bees. He has had them a long time. 

 When he wanted any honey he used to kill the bees, 

 and get the honey. They all died winter before last. 

 He bought another hive of bees a year ago last 

 spring. They are pure Italians, and he has 14 stands 

 now. When my pa wants honey he uses an extrac- 

 tor. He gets lots of honey. He says he would never 

 kill any more bees for their honey. We have 22 

 tame canaries, and what a noise they do make! This 

 is my first letter. Harriet Wyatt, age 12. 



East Williams, Ont., Can., Dec. 20, 1882. 



And that reminds me, friend Harriet, of a 

 Httle story I heard about a canary. The 

 lady didn't have 22, though, as you have, 

 but she had only one. Well, she used to 

 open the door of the cage, and let that one 

 out, so he could fly around the house when 

 they two were all alone together. What do 

 you suppose he used to do when he got out? 

 Why, he would get into the dirt in her flow- 

 er-pots beside her house-plants, and scratch 

 and wallow, just as hens do. .Sometimes 

 she would go into the other room, and then 

 Birdie would get lonesome. If he couldn't 

 hear her he would call out, " Tweet! tweet! " 

 And then she would say, " Yes, Birdie," and 

 then he would whistle and sing, to let her 

 know he was satisfied. Well, one day he 

 called, "Tweet! tweet!" and she called 

 back, but he didn't seem satisfied. He kept 

 saying, " Tweet ! tweet ! " right along, and 

 wouldn't whistle at all. As she was very 

 busy, she didn't go in right away, but pretty 

 soon she thought his "Tweet! tweet!" 

 sounded rather fainter, and she looked in to 

 see where he Avas, and what do you think? 

 Birdie was almost drowned in a big bowl of 

 water. 1 suspect he thought it would do to 

 take a bath in, and so hopped into it, just as 

 he would into the dirt ; but it was so much 

 larger than his own bath, that he went 

 down in all over ; and then when he could 

 not get out, the poor little fellow called to 

 her the best way he could, and she only kept 

 saying, " Yes, Birdie," and didn't come to 

 take him out at all, until he was almost 

 chilled to death, with the naughty water in 

 that great awful bowl. But she did get him 

 out, and dried him by the fire, and he got 

 well, and sang as w^ell as ever. Aren't you 

 glad? lara. The lady told this to my wafe. 



