570 



JUVENILE GLEANINGS. 



Sept. 



bees have got some nice little vase set up 

 somewhere on some brackets inside the hive, 

 and they are carrying in the posies on pur- 

 pose to have a bouquet to make their home 

 kind o' cheerful like. How is it, children ? 

 Do you suppose that bees like to see flowers 

 standing around in their hives, especially 

 on rainy days, when they can not go out to 

 gather honey V Who can tell us more about 

 this matter'? 



FROM 10 TO 32, AND 600 LBS. OF HONEY. 



My pa bad 10 stands of bees in the spring, which 

 have increased by natural swarming to 33. He had 

 a great defll of trouble with them, it being the first 

 year he ever kept bees. But he has subscribed for 

 the bee journal-!, and thinks he can do better with 

 them nf-xt year. Pa took out about 600 lbs. of honey, 

 and sold some of it. 1 help pa swarm the bees in 

 the summer time. This is my first letter to you. 



Wyoming, 111. Cora Jarman, age 13. 



Pa has 200 colonies of bees. He is a bee-keeper 

 and honey-producer, and raises tons of honey. He 

 winters his bees in the cellar, except a few which he 

 has on their summer standi^, unprotected, to experi- 

 ment with. He has kept bees for about 30 years; 

 but on the improved plan, for about 12 years. My 

 brother helps pa with his bees, and takes Glean- 

 ings; and as the Juvenile comes with it, F like to 

 read it. Mary M. Bull, age 13. 



Valparaiso, Ind. 



AVHAT AILED THE QUEENS? 



My papa has 49 swarms of bees, and we have had 

 lots of honey this summer. Quite often I smoke 

 them for him when he takes honey off. As all the 

 others seem to tell about their homes, perhaps I 

 might as well too. We have a nice large orchard a 

 little way from the house; my sister and I have just 

 returned from picking apples. We have plums, 

 grapes, choke - cherries, and long blackberries in 

 our orchard. Papa had one swarm which was queeu- 

 le.«s, and upon examining it he found the j'oung 

 queens had dried up in their cells, and would like 

 very much to know the cause. 



Florence Westoveh, age U. 



Frelighsburg, Canada. 



I am sure I can not tell, Florence, why the 

 (jueens dried uj) in the cells, unless it was 

 because the colony was too weak to raise a 

 good live one. 



CATCHING BEES ON THE WINDOW, WITHOUT GETTING 

 STUNG. 



I saw in Mrs. Harrison's letter that she wants to 

 know how many could take a bee off the window 

 and not get stung. I can, ard I think almost any 

 one could. Nancy E. Chapman, age 13. 



Smoky Valley, Ky. 



Well, now, Nancy. I am afraid you are not 

 quite rigiit about this matter. I have seen 

 a great many people try to pick the bees off 

 the window.' and not get stung, and 1 do not 

 now remember of seeing anybody do it, al- 

 though I do it very often. I take hold of 

 both their wings, and then I can carry them 

 to the door without any trouble. I do not 

 hurt them, and they do not hurt me. I 

 should like to have you little folks learn 

 how to do it, because it saves the life of a 

 bee, besides keeping the room tidy. Who 

 wants to see dead bees lying around on the 

 window-sills ? I am sure I do not. 



DO they choose a location before swarming? 



Pa's opinion is, that some do and some do not. 

 Neighbors here have known bees to stay on the 

 shore of Lake Erie, hanging on a bush for a week, 

 apparently starved. Another neighbor's children 

 followed a swarm that was flying over to the bush, 

 and saw them enter a hallow elm-tree which they 

 afterward cut down and brought home with the 

 bees in it. Pa had a hive of bees stolen this year. 



Merlin, Ont., Can. Fanny Gray, age 13. 



I think your pa has got it about right, 

 Fanny. Perhaps their natural instincts 

 prompt them to select a locality when all 

 things are favorable. But they doubtles oft- 

 entimes swarm when they have not made 

 previous arrangements. 



the superintendent who uses tob.\cco. 



Here I come again, after another book from your 

 wheelbarrow. Gail and T go to Sabbath-school. Our 

 superintendent uses tobacco. I think that tobacco 

 song is just the thing. Kiss cousin Peter for us. 

 Gail forgot to tell his age, which is ten years. I am 

 eight. Roy R. Crowfoot. 



Bloomingdale, Mich., Aug. 31, 1883. 



My little friend, it has been said, that 

 "murder will out;" and here we have it 

 right it print, that the superintendent of 

 your vSunday-school uses tobacco. Now, I 

 hope if he ever sees this he will conclude 

 that it ought not to be. and will set a better 

 example before the little boys of his school, 

 and also cease it because the girls feel sorry 

 to think that their superintendent is a to- 

 bacco-user. 



blacks and ITALIANS. 



We have 14 colonies— t in Langstroth hives, and 10 

 in American. Pa is a cirpenter hy trade, and is 

 away all summer; and when the bees would swarm, 

 ma and I would have to hive them. We have kept 

 bees about two years; we had a hive of blacks last 

 spring, and bought five colonies Wo are wintering 

 our bees in the cellar. Pa had a new cellar dug for 

 the bees last fall. Two swarms left us — one black 

 and one Italian. The black bees wouldn't stay. Ma 

 and I tried to hive them, but they would not go 

 into the hive; but we didn't care so much if they did 

 go off, because we don't like them as well as the 

 Italians. The blacks swarmed twice. The bees we 

 bought were the Italians. Pa clipped the queens' 

 wings so they would nor go away. AVhen the bees 

 swarmed, and I found it out first, I would call to ma, 

 and say to her, "The bees are swarming! come, we 

 must hive them." And she would say, " Let's hurry 

 and get readj', and get our veils and gloves on;" and 

 when she or I would see the queen she would say, 

 "There she is I catch her quick, before she gets 

 away," and she would hold the cage, and 1 would 

 put the queen into it. I thought that was the best 

 part of the hiving— to catch the queen. I think she 

 is the best bee there is. because she doesn't sting. 

 When the blacks swarmed, one came and stung me 

 on my lip. and it hurt so that I didn't like the black 

 bees; but I like the Italians. We have sold 175 lbs. 

 of comb hone)', and 13.5 lbs. of extrac'ed. 



Susie Bernschein. 



James'own, Wis.. Jan. 20. 1885. 



AN ESSAY ON THE P<)PLAR-TREE. 



I will tell you something about the poplar-trees in 

 this county. They grow very large — some of them 

 five feet in diameter, and 73 feet to the first limbs. 



