294 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



Ncv. 



yovir ordinary attire of such a nature that 

 bees may not get under the clothing ; many 

 severe stings are received in this way, from 

 bees having no ill will at all, but only sting- 

 ing because pressed by the clothing. When 

 bees are shaken or dropped off the combs, 

 they are very apt to crawl up ones feet, and 

 I know of few things more annoying, than 

 the sensation of a bee crawling up ones leg 

 when he is too busy to stop and stamp until 

 he drops out of his mipleasant ( to all par- 

 lies concerned ) lodgiug plice, or stings and 

 has it dons with, as he is pretty sure to do if 

 yoa are not careful. If you wear llannels, 

 and have them tucked inside your stockings, 

 this cannot happen ; or if you wear boots and 

 have your pants tucked in your boot tops, 

 you are bee proof in this respect. I prefer 

 low shoes in the summer, and light cloth- 

 ing for out door work, and when I am going 

 to shake bees off the frames, I always put 

 my pant legs inside my stockings, even at 

 the risk of being stared at by visitors. If 

 you are obliged to handle bees in cool weath- 

 er, or so late in the day that they have ceased 

 flying, they are very apt to crawl under your 

 coat or vest, and sometimes up your sleeves. 

 I do not mind the stings so much as the time 

 it takes to get them out ; and I dislike to 

 run any risk of carrying them into the pre- 

 sence of others, who may not be so indiffer- 

 ent to stings as I am. Some years ago, I 

 wore shirts that buttoned up in front, and 

 the hybrids seemed especially fond of get- 

 ting inside my shirt whenever I particularly 

 desired them outside. I am not partial to 

 new fashions in clothing, and when my Avife 

 made a shirt that buttoned down the back, 

 s'.ie rather expected a sermon on the folly of 

 —well, she heard in place of objections, a 

 declaration that I would never wear any 

 other, because they were bee-proof. For the 

 same reason, I prefer the sleeves close at the 

 wi-ist, and my whole clothing in general, so 

 close and free from openings that a bee can 

 crawl up my shoes, and go clear to the top 

 of my head and fly off, without any trouble 

 to either himself or myself, on the principle 

 of, "live and let live." 



When at wox'k among the hives, if bees 

 are scsiitered about on the ground, I am 

 iilways careful about stepping on tliem, or 

 s.) near that tliey may crawl up iny person ; 

 and notliing makes me more nervous tlian 

 to have visitors, who will walk right among 

 them with their careless feet, crushing them 

 into the dust. If it were riglit to return evil 

 for evil, I should sometimes think it were 

 good enough for them, if they did get a 



sting or two. The natural home of the honey 

 bee is the forest, and if they consent to take 

 up their abode on the ground at our very 

 doors, we certainly should forbear stepping 

 on them when we pay them a visit. 



I have said nothing about the attire of la.- 

 dies who work in the apiary, but I presume 

 I have given them a sufficient idea of what 

 is needed, to enable them to so an-ange their 

 clothing .as to avoid stings as much iis pos- 

 sible. When bees are coming in heavily la- 

 den, we should all have respect enough for 

 them, to avoid standing in front of their 

 hives, or walking very near to their entran- 

 ces. . If they are scattered about on the 

 ground, step around them, and there will be 

 very little danger of the stings that we often 

 hear of, because a bee becomes accidentally 

 entangled in the clothing. 



AMKKICAK LIXDEX Oil iJASSWOOD. 



( Tilia Amerkdna . ) 



The above will enable any one to at once 



distinguish the basswood when seen. The 



clusters of little balls with their peculiar leaf 



attached to the seed stems, are to be seen 



