-*■—■■' ^tA^fc* 



TH15 31MERICSr« BEE J©'tJRHSI<. 



757 



IVonien and Uees. 



'Tin a fact that can never be questioned, 



However absurd it may sound, 

 TLat twlxt women and bees a resemblance 



Most wonderful is to be found. 



They have both of tbera "combB," that Is certain, 



And In energy neither are lax : 

 And though honey to both is delicious. 



They are both now and then in a " wax." 



A wife full of cares economic 



Is roo^t like an industrious bee ; 

 And the waist of a wasp on a lady 



Is souietbinp delightful to sec— Judy. 



Rapid and Tireless ^Vork.— Con- 

 cerning the work performed by bees and 

 wasps, Susan Power, in Vlck's Magazine, 

 writes as follows : 



Early as a man of science may be, Sir 

 Joliii Lubboclt entering his study a tew 

 minutes alter four in the mornin};, found a 

 wasp already at worl£ on the honey set out 

 of the window. Bees and wasps suck all 

 the honey from flowers and sweets they can 

 carry, fly bacli lo the hive, store it, and 

 come bacli directly tor another supply. 



The wasp in question liept at work with- 

 out a moment's rest until 7:46 in the even- 

 ing, making a day of sixteen hours. The 

 bee bf nan at 5; 4.5 in the morninjj, and also 

 left otf earlier than the wasp. Each visit 

 Jrom the honey to the hive took about six 

 minutes, and it made ten visits an hour, 

 and a hundred in the day. The wasp made 

 sixty visits between 4:13 in the morning 

 and 6 minutes past r3 at noon, for Sir .Joh n 

 timed them all, and gives a table exact to the 

 minute of each return to the honey on the 

 Sill. 



Sir wasp must have strayed to visit 

 flowers sometimes, or to have a flight by 

 the way, for his time varies from live to ten 

 and 20 minutes between visits, which were 

 kept up till dusk. This was in autumn. In 

 summer they make overtime, and work late 

 in the long English twilights, which are 

 clear till after 9 o'clock. 



In fine weather, bees often visit more 

 than 20 flowers in a minute, and so carefully 

 do they economize the sunny hours that If 

 they find one nectary dry in a flower they 

 do not waste time to examine others on the 

 same plant. Mr. Darwin watched certain 

 flowers carefully, and found that each one 

 was visited by bees at least thirty times in 

 a day. In large clover fields, or plains of 

 wild flowers, every one is visited in the 

 course of a day. Mr. Uarwin carefully ex- 

 amined a large number of flowers in such 

 fields, and found Ihat every single one had 

 been visited by bees. Tiiere is something 

 very pietty in the thought of this tireless. 

 faithful industry of insects, and of *wo of 

 the most learned men in Great Britain 

 spending whole summer days in the fields 

 with great faithfulness watching the flower 

 Industry. 



What use in it, you ask, with true modern 

 disregard of any pursuit which does not 

 return its per cent, of interest within the 

 week? Only to find out more of the uses 

 flowers and insects have for each other, 

 that flowers were made to attract and teed 

 bees that I hey in turn might carry the jiol- 

 len which fertilizes and secures the seed of 

 plants. Without this careful searching 

 work of the bees in the clover fields and 

 orchards, our field and fruit trees would die 

 out in time. 



Xlie Xinic tor Reading has come, 

 with the long winter evenings. We have a 

 large stock of bee-books, and would like to 

 fill orders for them. To read and post up is 

 the way to succeed in any pursuit— in none 

 is it more important than in bee-keeping. 



A IXcw Implement for bee keepers 

 has just been brought out by the W. F. and 

 John Barnes Co. It is a combined scroll 

 saw and a circular saw. Each machine is 

 perfect, neither being impaired by the other. 

 The two machines can be put in one, ready 

 for use either way, in one minute, and each 

 will do its work with absolute success. This 

 combination of uses doubles the value of 

 the machine, at less co.st than they can be 

 furnished separately. The capacity of the 

 scroll saw is exactly the same as that of 

 scroll saw No. 7, the warranty as to what 

 that will do applying equally to this. For 

 light ripping, cutting to length, cutting 

 joints, drawer and box work, etc., the cir- 

 cular saw of the combined machine is in- 

 valuable. In short, for general use, no 

 more profitable investment can be made by 

 any beekeeper, or almost any wood worker, 

 than this combined machine with its differ- 

 ent combinations and attachments. 



Combined Scroll and Circular Sato. 



The circular saw, while remaining on its 

 mandrel, can be taken at once out of the 

 way when the scroll saw is to be used. The 

 mandrel is set in its bearing in such a man- 

 ner as to enable the operator to take the 

 whole (mandrel and saw) from the machine 

 in an instant. 



All varieties of joint work can be done 

 truly and rapidly. The table can be handily 

 adjusted up or down by a cam, to allow any 

 desired depth of cut being made by the saws 

 or cutter tools. The circular saws are 6 

 inches in diameter, and reach l!':^ inches 

 above the sawtable. A 7 or 8 inch saw 

 can be used if desired. 



Emery wheels, in size up to 1 inch face 

 by 6 inches diameter, can be used to good 

 advantage on this machine. 



Those who make their own hives or sur- 

 plus arrangements will find it an invaluable 

 aid. Its price is $.50, and it can be obtained 

 at this office. 



l>o TSot rail to get up a clnb and send 

 it with your renewal for next year. 



Conventions as aids to progressive 

 bee-culture, is thus set forth in the Canor 

 dian Farmers' Advocate for November :. 



Perhaps there is nothing, aside from 

 periodicals, which so benetits a pursuit as 

 the meeting in convention of those inter- 

 ested in that pursuit. Points which reciuire 

 solution may be discussed, or an idea se- 

 cured, whicli leads to an entirely new and 

 valuable train of thought. Amongst bee- 

 keepers these conventions are very general, 

 and the most important of them all is the 

 North American Bee Keepers' Association. 

 Its last meeting was held Oct. 3, 4 and .5, at 

 Columbus, O. Although the season has 

 been a very poor one for bee keepers, the 

 attendance was very Jair, and embraced 

 four authors ot stanuard works in apicul- 

 ture. 



A new departure was made in the way of 

 a programme. There were but few essays, 

 and a programme committee selected topics 

 for discussion for each session, with a 

 leader for the topic. Whilst many and 

 lengthy essays should be avoided, a medium 

 might be advantageous; and short ones in- 

 ter.sjiersed with lengthy discussions, would 

 bring out and concentrate discussion. Many 

 topics of interest were brought up, and the 

 sessions thoroughly enjoyable. 



Brantford, Canada, was selected for the 

 next place of meeting ; and as this is only 

 the second lime in twenty years that the 

 society will meet in Canada, a very large 

 attendance is expected. Mr. R. F. Holter- 

 mann, of that place, is the Secretary. 



Let us hope that the next meeting will be 

 a right-royal one, inasmuch as it is to be 

 held in the Dominion ot Royalty. 



Frank M^eslic's S^nnday .11a ga- 

 zine for December closes the twenty- 

 fourth semi-annual volume. It is filled, as 

 usual, with the most entertaining matter in 

 prose and poetry, fiction and fact. A 

 Christmas anthem, entitled, "Unto Us a 

 Child is Born," composed by Mr. C. Wen- 

 liam Smith, organist of Plymouth Church, 

 Brooklyn, occupies three pages, and is a 

 brilliant piece of music. A sermon by Dr. 

 Talmage, on"The Vail of Modesty," ap- 

 peals strongly to American women. 



Convention ^^otices. 



Z^- The Nebraska State Bee-Keepers' Association 

 will convene at Lincoln, Nebr.. on Jan. 9, 10 and 11, 

 1880. J. N. Hkatib, Sec. 



Z^~ There will be a meeting of the Susquehanna 

 County Bee-Keepera' Association at the Court House 

 in Montrose, Pa., on Saturday, May 4. Iiwii.at lua.m. 

 H. M. Seelbv,S£c. 



f^" The Pan-TIandle Bee-Keepers' Association 

 will hold its next nicetitig in the K. of P.Hall on 

 Main St., between nth & Vlttx Streets. In Wheeling, 

 W Va on Nov. 21 and 122, 18^. All bee-keepers are 

 cordially invited. W. L. KiNSEr, Sec. 



tw~ The twentieth annual convention of the New 

 York State Bee-Keepers' Association will be held 

 in the <"ity Uall, Syracuse. N. V..on Dec. 11. J'2 and 

 13 1888 U. U.KKICKKUllUCKEK, SeiV 



Zlf~ The 'i.lrd annual meetini? of the Michigan 



State Bee-Keepers' Associalion will beheld in the 

 <'4iuncil Ronni at.Iackson. Mich . on Dec. lii and 13. 

 IRKS Greatly reduced rates have been secured at 

 the Kurd Hou-'C. also at the < omniercial House 

 (neartlie Michigan Central depot) at ♦L.'ioand *1.(m) 

 per day- A programnie i-« being prepared and e.\cel- 

 lenl essays are alreidy promsed. Any bee-keeper 

 having anything new and useful, and flnfling it im- 



Sos-ible to be present, can send it iiy Kxpress to 

 acksr.n. in care of the Secretary, who will place it 

 on exhibition and return it as per orders. Please lo 

 come and bring your bee-keeping friends with you. 



H. D. CCTTl.NG, Stc. 



