170 



JUVENILE GLEANINGS. 



I'eB. 



hive. I have one colony of bees. My father likes 

 his watch very much that you sent him. I help him 

 with the bees. I often get stung. Father thinks 

 that queen you sent him is a nice one. 



Edgar Kennedy, age 13. 

 Mont Clair, Ind., Jan. 24, 1883. 



Very good, Edgar, and very nicely written. 



FRIEND WILTSE'S BEES, KEPORTED BY ALBERT. 



After uniting our bees in the fall we had 113 

 stands. Those in the large hives gather most hon- 

 ey. We now have the bees that are in large hives 

 on the south side of a tight board fence. We put 

 two thicknesses of cloth over the frames, leaving an 

 opening over the center of the brood-nest for the 

 moisture to pass through, and put cobs over the 

 opening for it to condense on in cold weather. They 

 fly out when the weather Is about freezing cold in 

 the shade. The sun so warms the hives that they 

 fly out, and some of them fall on the snow and die. 

 Those in the small hives we put in cellar, and shut 

 in tight, Dec. 20. They are uneasy most of the time, 

 and some of them get out and die on the cellar 

 floor. All appear to be healthy. We have had some 

 very cold weather. I'he thermometer indicated 20^ 

 below zero. Albert Wiltse. 



Falls City, Neb., Jan. 29, 1883. 



WILLIE AND HIS PRINTING-PRESS. 



1 wrote a letter for the Juvenile a month or two 

 ago, about our bees, etc. Some of them are nearly 

 covered with snow. It is pretty deep around here 

 this winter, and also very cold. It has been 34^ be- 

 low zero here. I received one of your six-dollar 

 printing-presses, a few months ago, and print cards. 

 I have printed a good many now for friends and ac- 

 quaintances. I send you one of my cards, which I 

 printed on my press. I like to work with a press 

 very much, and only wish I had a larger one. 



Willie A. Young, age 13. 



La Salle, 111., Jan. 23, 1883. 



Why, Willie, I hardly thought it possible 

 such a beautiful card could be printed by a 

 boy 13 years old; and, to tell the truth, I 

 was myself a little disappointed in those 

 $6.00 presses. I am very glad indeed you do 

 so well with yours. 



LINA AND HER POETRY. 



My pa has 28 stands. I am taking music lessons. 

 My mamma has children's meeting every Saturday 

 at our house. There were two girls converted. I 

 should like to have a book. Please send me " Ten 

 Nights in a Bar-Eoom." I have two brothers, Wil- 

 lie and Johnnie. I had a sister, Euphima, but she 

 died when she was three months old. I have been 

 composing some poetry. 



Winter has come, and it is cold. 

 And our honey all is sold; 

 Bees are snugly tucked away, 

 Waiting for the bright spring day. 



LiNA Lanoton. 

 Windham, Portage Co., O., Jan. 10, 1883. 

 One line about winter, two about bees, and 

 one about spring. It seems to me, Lina, 

 there is an " awful lot " of bees " waiting 

 for the bright spring day." 



MARY'S WrtlTE HIVE, ETC. 



My pa has been a bee-keeper a good many years. 

 He winters about 40 swarms every year, as that is 

 as many as he finds profitable with his farming. We 

 have 30 swarms outdoors in good chaff hives, and 10 



in the cellar in single hives. Pa thinks the cellar is 

 the best place for wintei'ing, taking the winters as 

 they come. I have one swarm of bees. My hive is 

 painted white, and is in the cellar. Pa got a Holy- 

 Land queen from D. A. Jones last summer, that he 

 paid $6.00 for, and he reared 17 young queens from 

 her. Yesterday was a fine day, and some of our 

 bees flew a good deal. Am I entitled to a book? 



Mary Michener. 

 Low Banks, Ont, Can., Jan. 31, 1833. 



To be sure, you are, Mary, and it does me 

 lots of good to get a letter from a little girl 

 belonging to my old friend Ila Michener. 



FRED AND HIS MOTHER. 



Mina is my adopted sister. She has lost both fa- 

 ther and mother. She can go right among the bees. 

 They don't often sting her. My mother and I are 

 going to manage the apiary this year. Mr. Barlow 

 and Dr. Baker have been our bee-keepers till now. 

 Our bees are all right so far. My pa has kept as 

 many as 165 stands. He used to take Gleanings, 

 and thought it was the best paper on bees ever pub- 

 lished. Fred Wirt, age 13. 



I was so pleased to read my last letter in the Ju- 

 venile! I will write about bees in the spring. I 

 must tell you that I learned a nice piece about two 

 good children, and spoke it at some friends' on New 

 Year's day. If you would like it for the little girls 

 and boys, I will send it to you. I also sung a song 

 about "Jesus' Little Lamb." Mina Wirt, age 8. 



Keithsburg, 111 , Jan., 1883. 



Send the piece to us, by all means, Mina. 

 Jesus wants all the little girls for his lambs, 

 who have lost their father and mother. 



watering bees in winter; Freddie's account 

 OF it. 



I THOUGHT I WOULD WRITE YOU A LETTER. 

 I HAVE A BROTHER CHARLIE, SIX YEARS OLD. 

 WE WHEEL PAPA'S WOOD IN THE WOOD- 

 HOUSE, ON A WHEELBARROW. MY PAPA HAS 

 106 SWARMS OF BEES. PAPA GOT A BLACK 

 MAN AND A WHITE ONE TO CARRY THEM IN- 

 TO THE CELLAR. I GO EOWN TO SEE THEM 

 SOMETIMES. PAPA POURS WATER ON THE 

 CELLAR BOTTOM. HE SAYS THE BEES LIKE 

 THE MOIST AIR. THE BEES STAND AROUND A 

 PUDDLE OF WATER, AND DRINK WHEN PAPA 

 GIVES THEM SOME. I HOPE YOU WILL LIKE 

 MY LETTER, AND WILL PRINT IT, AS IT IS MY 

 FIRST ONE. CHARLIE AND I GO TO SCHOOL, 

 AND TO SABBATH-SCHOOL. 



FRED G. MASON, AGE 8. 



FABIUS, ONONDAGA CO., N. Y.. FEB. 1, 1883. 



I like the letter first rate, Freddie, and I 

 should like ever so much to see the bees 

 drink out of that puddle. Tell us if they 

 winter all right, woirt you? 



bertha tells us about HER PA'S BEE-KEEPING. 



My pa keeps bees. He began four years ago, with 

 two swarms of blacks, which he bought in old " box" 

 hives. He put them into some patent hives which 

 he made, and in two years he had but four swarms, 

 and no honey. He knew nothing about the improv- 

 ed way of handling them until he got one of your 

 ABC books, and ma said that he could not make a 

 hive from your description; but he did, and they 

 looked nice too. He sent to you for frames and sec- 

 tions in the flat, and I helped him to put them tO" 

 gether. A good many around here came to see hoTf 



