1878. 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE, 



23 



lur %cm§' 



Taken from concluding jxtges of the A B C of Bee 

 Culture. 



"It is customary,"" said I to my wife, "to 

 have several leaves in the back of every 

 book, with nothing on them ; two or more 

 leaves, of blank paper. Now it is almost as 

 easy, to have something useful printed on 

 these leaves, as to have them blank. "Why 

 shall we not use themV" 



" But my husband, your book will look 

 badly ; just think of having the reading mat- 

 ter reach the cover. Will it not look strange 

 and singular.-' 



" Does it look strange and singular to see 

 advertisements on these concluding pages, 

 in close contact with the reading matter V" 



" WeU no, I do not know that it does, but 

 that you know is different." 



It is " different" my friends and I presume 

 more than one of you have noticed the broad 

 difference between the matter contamed in 

 the book, and the character of the advertise- 

 ments contamed in these last pages. I beg 

 pardon for this little bit of fault findmg, and 

 will try to remember that I am only respon- 

 sible for the last pages of my book, and not 

 for those of other people's. 



Now then, with the young bee-keepei-s, 

 with the boys and girls, and perhaps also 

 with the men and women, who have read my 

 ABC, book thus far, and all who feel they 

 are yomig in the art of keepmg bees, I would 

 have a Uttle friendly talk. I wish you to let 

 me feel as if perfectly well acquainted ; so 

 much so that I might come in without 

 knockiug, or any introduction, and talk 

 about home matters, your bees and bee-hives, 

 or any thing else, Avherem my experience 

 might enable me to help you. I can almost 

 imagine, akeady, that some bright yomig- 

 ster who has been eyemg me keenly and 

 curiously, thinks, if he does not say it out- 

 right. 



" Haint you got something to sell, ]yir.? " 



" No my boy, I have nothing to sell ; at 

 least, not to day. I keep things to sell, when 

 at home, but now I am makmg you a visit, 

 and what I wish to tell you about, is given 

 away, ^^ithout money, and without price." 



" Ain't it a Chromo ?" 



" No, it isn't a Chromo. Come with me, 

 and you shall see. Isn't that funny ? ' Come 

 ^^'lth me and you shall see.' Tell sister to 

 ccane, and if all the rest wiU come too, we 

 shall be very glad to have them. Have you a 

 hoe y Well, bring that, and have sister bring 



her little broom. We are going to build a 

 little village. W^e will have sti-eets and 

 houses in ovu" village, and we will have folks 

 live there too. Oh such folks ! for ttiey not 

 only work hard all day, but tliey come pretty 

 near working all night also." 



"Is it the beesV" 



" You have guessed it exactly, ' Sis,' it is 

 the bees, and their hives are to be the 

 houses." 



" But they will sting." 



" Not if we get acquainted. How did you 

 get acquainted with me ?" 



"We 'talked.'" 



" That is the idea exactly ; we are to talk 

 with the bees, and get acquainted." 



" Bees can't talk V" 



" Oh, but bees can talk. They can talk in 

 their way just as your old Kover talks to 

 you, and just as the hens and chickens do. 

 It is true, they do not talk with their mouths 

 as we do, but for all that, they talk, and very 

 plainly too, as I thmk we shall see. When 

 Rover is glad to see you, what does he say V" 



" He says ' Bow, wow, wow, wow,' and 

 wags his tail." 



" Very good. Now, when you are gather- 

 ing the eggs, and you find one of the hens 

 that sticks to the nest and won't get off, 

 what does she say when you try to get her 

 off '?" 



" I Jcnmo what she says, but J can't say it. 

 She says, 'cr-r-r-r, cr-r-r-r-r,' and she 

 pecks.' " 



" Well, you know exactly what she means 

 do you not ? Does slie not say, as plainly as 

 words could tell it, ' You go way off, and let 

 me be, I tcill sit, if I want to. They are my 

 eggs, for I laid ' em '?" 



" W^ell, now the bees talk just as plainly as 

 the hen and dog, but as you are not acquaint- 

 ed with them, I will go along and act as in- 

 terpreter. That is, I will tell you what they 

 say. As little folks are pretty easily fright- 

 ened or discouraged, I think mamma had 

 better fix some sort of a veil on your hats, 

 until you get a little used to the business. 

 Any sort of an old veil will do, or some new 

 ones can be cheaply made, of a piece of tarle- 

 tau. Now notice ; if I go up to their hives 

 and stand in fi'ont of them, they will buzz 

 all round me, and pretty soon, if I do not 

 move, they will begin to ' scold,' very much 

 as the old hen did ; and to me, it is just as 

 plain, what they want. They want you to 

 get away, so they can go on with their work. 

 When you go up to the hives, always be 

 careful to stand at one side of theh line of 

 travel, and then they will be much less likely 



