132 THE BLESSED BEES. 



sufficient skill to work with some rapidity, and could 

 each make thirty crates a day, without working 

 hard. 



When the crates were done, preparations were 

 made for packing them in the cars in such a way 

 that the honey would not be injured by jarring. 

 A quantity of strong, durable sacking was pro- 

 cured, cut into proper sizes, sewed up into large 

 bags, or cushion-ticks, and filled with oat straw. 

 Then, with a large, long needle, such as upholster- 

 ers use, I " tied " them so that they looked like long 

 narrow mattresses. When done they were six feet 

 in length, as wide as the crates were long, and fully 

 eight inches thick. There were a good many of 

 them, and they made a formidable pile, stacked on 

 the barn floor after they were filled. My neighbors 

 had become somewhat more cautious in their criti- 

 cisms, since the amount of my honey harvest had 

 been noised around ; but one of them could not 

 help saying that " That John Allen is a singular fel- 

 ler. First he made quilts for all his bees, and now 

 I do believe he's goin' to put'em to sleep for the 

 winter, in straw beds. He's got a couple of wagon 

 loads of beds in the barn, and he jest keeps his 

 mouth shet as tight's a drum about 'em. Guess 

 he'll be a knittin' stockin's for 'em next." 



Only one item now remained before I could be- 

 gin packing the honey in the crates. I wanted to 



