772 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 



doctrines of the gospel: "The king-dom of heaven 

 eufiferelh violence, and the violent take it by force." 

 To return to Proteus, his muscular power seems to 

 have been very moderate for a supernatural bein^, 

 but he had the power to put on the appearance of 

 any imagrinable thing or creature. His would-be 

 captor would suddenly find himself holding a great 

 blazing fire, or a terrible serpent, or a roaring lion. 

 The power to burn or bite or sting did not come 

 with these ti-icks; but the object was to frighten 

 the assailant, and make him let go for just an in- 

 stant. When there was no longer any hope of es- 

 caping, Proteus would take his own proper shape, 

 and come to terms. It may have occurred to some 

 boy or girl that the best plan for Proteus would be 

 to teil a pack of cunning lies, and send his intruders 

 away badly fooled. Proteus loag pretty mean, hut he 

 was never mean enovgh to tell lies. 



To make sure that her son would have strength 

 enough for the encounter, Cyrene anoints him with 

 nectar, and then they set forth for the haunt of Pro- 

 teus. The locality is prettily described. The hour 

 when he could most frequently be found asleep was 

 noon; and, by good fortune, the day on which they 

 made their attempt was an unusually hot one. We 

 think we have some pretty hot days in our country, 

 but we might as well hush up about it.— 

 " 'Twas noon; the sultry Dog-star from the sky 



Scorched Indian swains; the rivelled grass was 

 dry; 



rhe snn with flaming arrows pierced the flood. 



And, darting to the bottom, baked the mud." 



—Dryden's Version. 



Never, dear Dryden, saw we day like that. 



Sweet classic bard of England, here's our hat. 



The passage I have chosen for translation begins 

 at this place, and runs as follows: 



A DOG -DAY NOON. 



Now blazing Sirius, from his heavenly seat 



Scorched thirsty Hindoos with unwonted heat; 



The flery sun that fierce and sweltering day 



Had fairly drank his orbit middle way. 



Herbs withered; and the narrowing throats of 



streams 

 More empty grew in the relentless beams 

 That grilled the scanty remnants of their flood 

 Into a lukewarm broth of fluid mud. 



PROTEUS UNSUSPECTING. 



Then Proteus, seeking his accustomed caves. 

 Went home from pasture on the flowing waves; 

 Tribes of the deep, exulting round him play. 

 And sprinkle all abroad the bitter spray; 

 And sea-calves, here and there upon the shore. 

 Recline and stretch their limbs for sleep once more. 

 He, as a shepherd oft upon his mount, 

 Sits on a rock, their numbers to recount, 

 When evening from the pasture-range recalls 

 The flocks and herds to home's protecting walls. 

 And wolves meantime are lurking near unseen. 

 While lambs with bleatings whet their hunger keen. 



PROTEUS CAUGHT. 



An offered chance of seizure quickly came; 

 For scarce to rest his weary, aged frame 

 The prophet thoughtless sank upon his bed. 

 When with loud shoutings Aristfeus sped. 

 Took swift advantage of his lying low. 

 And added fetters to a baffled foe. 

 But Proteus also, on the other part. 

 Was not unmindful of his usual art ; 

 In all his startling miracles of ways 

 He swifts transforms himself, a flery blaze; 

 A horrible wild beast anon he seems; 



Anon he feigneth gentle, gliding streams. 

 But when no tricks availed to win him flight, 

 Conquered at length, he showed himself aright; 

 Speaking with mouth of man, a talk he led — 

 " Who gave you, most audacious youth," he said, 

 "This bold permission slyly to draw near, 

 And violate our homes? what seek you here? " 



One more article will flnish up the job, and close a 

 subject which will then have "been running in 

 Gleanings for a month over a year. The riddle of 

 whj' the bees were destroyed, and how Aristaeus 

 could be guilty of murder and he not know any 

 thing about it, will be solved. The sacriflces will be 

 offered, and a swarm of spontaneous bees restored. 

 Every thing will be fixed up, except the sad and Ir' 

 reparable case of twice-lost Eurydice and murdered 

 Orpheus. E. E. Hastv. 



Richards, Lucas Co , O., Dec. 7, 1883. 



rriend Hasty, I am very much obliged to 

 you for the text you ran on to in your search- 

 es with Virgil ; for the text you quote sums 

 up the substance of what has been in my mind 

 for many days past— that not only are all good 

 things this world furnishes ready for those 

 whose energy and zeal almost approach vio- 

 lence, but even the kingdom of heaven as 

 well, is in store for those who take it by force. 

 You will recollect, that in the Home Papers 

 I talk some of importunity ; and now it seems 

 that old Proteus was to be conquered and 

 made to yield up his great gifts by fearless 

 faith and importunity. 



m ■•! ^ 



PERFORATED ZINC. 



IS IT A SUCCESS? 



HILE at the North-Eastern Bee-Keepers' 

 Convention last February, friend D. A. 

 Jones there told us of his plans of using the 

 perforated zinc when working for comb honey, one 

 of which was as follows: The frames of brood, bees, 

 and all, were to be taken from an ordinary hive, and 

 placed in a long hive (similar to the Adair " Long 

 Idea " hive), a little while before the swarming sea- 

 son arrived; and as soon as the honey season came, 

 a close-fitting division-board made of the above zinc 

 was to be so inserted that 3 or 4 frames of comb 

 could be placed between this division-board and the 

 front end of the hive. Next the frame having the 

 queen on was to be placed over in this small parti- 

 tioned -off part of the hive, together with two or 

 three frames of hatching brood taken from among 

 the other combs in the same hive. At the same 

 time, broad frames of sections were to be placed 

 next the perforated division-board, with the sepa- 

 rators on them toward the back end of the hive. 

 The remaining frames of brood were then moved 

 up to the wide frames, and an ordinary division- 

 board placed behind them. The object of the above 

 was to get our comb honey built in the center of the 

 brood-nest, instead of at the outside of it, as had 

 formerly been done. Friend Jones told us how 

 quickly foundation in the sections would be drawn 

 out in this way, even when little or no honey was 

 coming from the field; how in this way the bees did 

 not get the swarming fever, and how rich, and of 

 what good flavor the honey produced in this way 

 was, as it would be so well ripened. In fact, he 

 pictured the thing so nicely that I became enchant- 

 ed with it. TUe only trouble I saw with it was that it 



