1877 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



307 



eggs every one of the 10 days. It was an easy 

 matter to still conscience by saying, "Of course 

 the right queen was sent ott', and this one must 

 have got in Irom somewhere else, about the 

 same day," but when I turned the matter about 

 and asked if I would like to purchase in just 

 that way, I saw at onc^, that if I paid the price, 

 I would want an imported queen and r.o guess 

 work. I wrote our customer, and lold him 

 the case, and that he could have both the 

 queens, or another. He chose another, and \'va- 

 one of doubtful identity, I cannot sell, for I 

 would not wish such an one sold me, unless 

 with a full understanding of the matter. 



When you are undecided in such matters 

 just ask how you would like to buy queens 

 yourself. Before you insist that the boys shall 

 be honest and truthful, and stop swearing:, t)e 

 honest and truthful and stop swearing your- 

 self. 



If j'ou want a strictly honest man, one who 

 will stop and think before he does a thing that 

 may have even the appeai'ance of evil, would 

 5^ou just as soon choose the one who opens his 

 beehives ou Sunday? If your apiary fronts 

 the street, would you do this while the people 

 were on their way to church V If not, why 

 would you act differently from what you would 

 if you were back in the woods, with not a 

 neighbor to see, or make remarks ? A man who 

 is strictly honest should need no watching 

 and his conduct should be just the same wheth- 

 er he is watched or not. Perhaps this is de- 

 manding more of humanity than we have any 

 right to expect ; I am very well aware that I 

 <lo not invariably work as faithfully for you as 

 I would if your eye was always upon me. It 

 is true, that I at times, do things better that 

 are entrusted entirely to my honor, than I 

 would were my customer present to overlook 

 the work, but these impulses come by fits and 

 starts, and every little while I look back and 

 see where selfishness has been a very promi- 

 nent motive in my actions. Over and over 

 again, I reflect that God sees my inmost 

 thoughts, and then strive the best I know how 

 to walk accordingly, but a multitude of cares 

 crowd upon me, and people as careless and 

 thoughtless as myself crowd against me, or I 

 imagine they do and I not only get careless, 



but many times dovpnright stubborn and 1 



guess "ugly" must be the word I need. Did 

 j'ou ever get disgusted with the ugliness that 

 you find in your own self, my friends ? 



Well, if we are really all so bad, what is go- 

 ing to be done V That is just the point I have 

 been so long trying to get at, and I believe the 

 thing for us to do, is to keep steadily trying to 

 become better, to be making reforms every day; 

 to turn right about to do better, the very min- 

 ute we discover we are wrong ; to set our faces 

 resolutely against everything that has even a 

 little wrong about it. I would not open bee 

 hives on the Sabbath because I feel sure it 

 would se*; a bad example before those about 

 me, even if it did nothing more, and with ray- 

 self, I know it would be "letting down the bars" 

 where they should be kept up close and tight. 

 If work must be done on the Sabbath, do it 

 jufet as quietly and as speedily as possible, and 

 take all precautions during the week to pre- 

 vent a recurrence of such neccessary work. 

 If you are engaged in something that you 



feel you cannot consistiutly ask God's blessing 

 to rist upon, you have for the time strayed 

 away from him ; if you stray away from him 

 once, you will probably do so again, and the 

 next time a little farther. Do you think I am 

 making a great fuss about a mere trifle? If 

 you are honest toward God, you will certainly 

 be toward your fellow men ; aud do you think 

 there is any danger of a man's being too honest'/ 

 If he were going to raise (lueeiis tor you, or 

 take care of your money, you certainly would 

 not say so. Did you ever sie a really bad and 

 wicked man suddenly converted 'i! Did you 

 ever hear him say that with God's help he was 

 going to try to do right':' And did you ever 

 watch him as he started out in his new life as 

 carefully as a humble and obedient child to do 

 just what he thought was right? How his face 

 has softened ; how gentle, childlike and inno- 

 cent he looks, and how kindly every body looks 

 and speaks to him. Is this really the man we 

 knew, that was so hard, bitter and wicked ? 

 Even the most hardened skeptic feels instinct- 

 ively, that the light of the Saviour's love is 

 shining over his pathway. His old comrades 

 are awed into silence as he comes in among 

 them, and feel to the very bottom of iheir 

 hearts, that the gentle words he speaks to them 

 are messages direct from a better world, in 

 his quiet refusal to do anything that has even 

 the appearance of evil, they recognize a cour- 

 age, a boldness and a power, that is as much 

 above his old loud oaths and curses, as angels 

 are above demons. Would you see him go 

 back to his old -life? No, no, NO! comes from 

 all sides. Well what would you have him do? 

 We would have him carry that same childlike 

 innocence through life, and if it be a possible 

 thing, we would have him infuse the same 

 spirit through all his business and social re- 

 lations. 



I am sure my friends, you all see what Is 

 wanted, and what we need, and I feel too, that 

 you know these pure lives do not come with- 

 out an elibrt on our part ; nor do ihey continue 

 pure, without a continued efl'oi't. Oh let us 

 beware of the little things, that first start us on 

 the wrong track ; let us beware of any thing 

 that is even questionable, and study to become 

 gentle, humble and teachable. And above all, 

 let us humbly bow to that great Master who 

 will so kindly, gently and forgivingly, lead us 

 through the green pastures, aud beside the 

 still waters. 



MOW TO PKEPARE BEES FOB WIN- 



TER, IN EITHEK THE CHAFF OB 



SIJTlPIilCITY HIVES. 



SF the hive is full of bees and heavy with 

 honey, they will probably do well with noth- 

 ing more than a chaff cushion in the upper 

 story. This cushion should be thick enough 

 to allow at least G inches ofchatt' over the bees, 

 and no drop of rain or particle of snow must 

 by any means be allowed to get this chaff damp 

 or wet. If your roofs are leaky, fix them up, 

 and give them a good painting, but if they fit 

 very closely, some provision should be made 

 for ventilation over the chafl'; unless this is 

 done, the moisture from the breath of the bees 

 will collect and form icicles on the underside 

 of the cover. We have found it necessary to 

 make ventilating holes in the covers of the chaff 



