1883 



JUVENILE GLEANIKGS. 



503 



were like uncle's bees — they absconded. I am pret- 

 ty rich, though, for all, as nay ma sold my hog while 

 I was away, for six dollars, and uncle paid me for 

 helping him to plant potatoes, by giving me a small 

 patch for myself, and he promises me one dollar for 

 helping him at telegraph poles. 

 Shelburoe, Oat., Can. W. J. Miller, age 11. 



A NEW HONEy-BJSAKING MAPLE. 



Pa bought 3 swarms last winter; we trans- 

 ferred them out of their old box hives Into 

 Simplicity hives. They are doing well. Our bees 

 work on vine maple when it is in bloom. The hon- 

 ey is as clear as can be, and I like the flavor of it 

 first rate. The flowers are red, and veiy pretty 

 when they are in bloom. We got about 50 lbs. of 

 honey this spring. Give my love to Blue Eyes. 



ClAra M. Wilcox, age 13. 



Silver Creek, Lewis Co., Wash. T,, July 6, 1883. 



Thank you, friend Clara. When I first 

 read your letter I could not think what you 

 meant by line maple ; but our proof-reader 

 looked in the botany, and he found there a 

 vine maple, sure enough. Now, if it bears 

 honey that tastes any thing like maple mo- 

 lasses, I should think it would be very fine 

 indeed. Do you mean to say that you got -50 

 lbs. of maple honey V If so, I should dearly 

 love to have a tin can full of it sent to us. 



LIZZIE AND THE BEES. 



Hello, Uncle Amos! Here we are again, just the 

 same as ever. The bees are all right. We got three 

 swarms. We have now one swarm that has no 

 queen. Pa took a frame of bees out of another 

 hive, and gave it to them. They made a queen-cell, 

 and pa opened it, and there was a young bee in it, 

 and it was dead. Pa gave them another frame of 

 young and old bees, and they never fought a bit. I 

 put the fdn. in frames for pa, and put starters in the 

 sections. We had snow here May 21. 



For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen; as thou 

 hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return 

 upon thine own head.— Obadiaii 15. 



Where is the shortest verse in the Bible? 



Lizzie Johnston, age 13. 

 Danforth, III., July 20, 1883. 



Hello, Lizzie ! I suppose that you and 

 your pa have real good times with your bees. 

 I am glad to hear they are all right, l^ut is 

 not that a pretty hard text for a little girl 

 only 13 years old V 



100 CHICKENS, AND OTHER THINGS. 



I see you are such a friend to children, I would 

 like to be among them. I read the letters in Juve- 

 nile, and mamma said I could try to write one too. 

 I can't tell much about bees, as these are the first 

 we ever had. Papa bought one colony this spring, 

 and now we have three. Please tell me if you know 

 what this is. It was running out and in the hive 

 with the bees, and no one seems to know what it is. 

 I went to school this summer, and didn't miss any. 

 I go to Sunday-school too. We have 100 chickens. 

 Minnie Chester, age 7. 



Carthage, Mo., July 8. 1883. 

 The bug you sent, or whatever it was, 

 Minnie, was all broken to pieces, so that I 

 could not tell what it was, even if I had been 

 an entomologist, like Prof. Cook. It looks 

 a little like a big hornet, or, at least, the 

 pieces do. Was not that what it was V I 

 am glad you go to school, and do not " miss 

 any." 



A banty hen that sat on partridge eggs, etc. 



I am glad there is a man in the world to send little 

 girls and boys books to read. Ma set the little 

 banty hen, and 1 put 3 partridge- eggs under her; 

 and the ducks — I reckon they thought they were 

 June-bugs, and swallowed them. Papa had a swarm 

 of bees yesterday, and he got a glass and caught the 

 queen, and put her in a cage, and tied the cage on a 

 frame, and they settled on it. He has 38 hives. 



Now, Mr. Root, as you are a Sunday-school man, I 

 will give you a riddle. Out of the eater came forth 

 meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. 



JosiE Davidson. 



Pisgah, Jackson Co., Ala., July 14, 1883. 

 Why, Josie, you do not really mean to say 

 that you have ducks so large that they gob- 

 bled up the young partridges, do you V It 

 seems to me that is almost a "yarn," is it 

 not ? That is a tiptop riddle. I wonder 

 where you found it. Is it any thing about 

 lees or honey V 



.JUVENILE shorthand. 



My father had three swarms of bees in the spring; 

 and as he has a share in a store, he can not spend 

 much time with the bees. He said he would rather 

 the bees would swarm themselves; but as it is, he 

 divided them, and now he has 6, We live about H 

 of a mile from Iowa City. There is a man about a 

 mile west of us who has all the bees he wants, and 

 so is selling them. My father has just started with 

 some hives to take out there to wait until his bees 

 swarm. He pays $2.00 for the bare swarm. I have 

 read about the shorthand writer in your office, and 

 about your type-writer. I have learned the wonder- 

 ful art of writing shorthand. I can not write very 

 fast, as I have not practiced long enough. I have 

 been learning on the type-writer. Mr. Moran is my 

 instructor in the art. La Forest L. Pratt. 



Iowa City, la , June 30. 1883. 



My little friend, our shorthand writer says 

 you are trying to write ahead of your lessons, 

 and are writing words in a manner you will 

 have to unlearn. Your letters are too large, 

 and out of place. Don't write one solitary 

 word unless you find it in your book, or a 

 good teacher shows you how. 



Let me tell you something about the bees. They 

 are working very well now. We have taken about 

 450 tt)S. of honey this year. Those plants we send 

 you yield a great deal of honey. I should like to 

 have you tell me the common name, and also the 

 botanic one. We had a swarm of bees some time 

 ago, and they settled on a stump. We took the milk- 

 bucket and brushed them off, and then poured them 

 into a hive. 



Pa caught a large turtle some time ago, that 

 weighed 19 IDs. ; he says he is going to take the shell 

 to make a wax-basket. 



Let me tell you a good way to break dogs from 

 sucking eggs. Get a box of concentrated Jye, and 

 rub the egg in it, and lay it somewhere so the dog 

 can get it. 



I have had one sting this year. That one crawled 

 up my arm, and I mashed it. Pa told me to ask you 

 if the honey pear is good to eat. Our chickens were 

 dying with the cholera, and we gave them Sheridan's 

 Cavalry Condition powders. They are for cattle, 

 but are good for chickens. All of ours are well 

 now. EviE L. Steger. 



Payne's Station, Va., July 3, 1833. 



