1 
124 THE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEPERS’ JOURNAL. 
kitten, they must be brushed off. For this 
purpose nothing is better than a single, large 
eagle feather. This should be frequently 
dipped in water to keep it soft and pliable. 
A wing or brush is not deisrable, as the bees 
may get entangled in the feathers, hair or 
fibres, which is very exasperating to them. 
If a comb contains queen-cells, which it is 
desirable to save, such a comb must, however, 
not be shaken, as the sudden motion is liable 
to injure the embryo queen. The bees must 
then all be brushed off, and to dampen their 
possible ire at this proceeding, it is advisable 
to sprinkle them slig'htly, and frequently dip 
the feather in water. This prevents them 
from taking wing immediately, and getting 
the impression that a shower is coming up, 
they are more desirous of taking care of them- 
selves than of attacking their owner. 
A FULL COLONY OF B’S. 
s. m'lees. 
From the American Bee Journal. 
As 1 have noticed the “ Swarm of lie’s” on 
page 438, and do not think it more than a 
nucleus, I send to the American Bee Journal 
what I consider a “ full colony,” selected 
from my old scrap-book. 
[The “ full colony” referred to in the above, 
is as follows : — Ed.] 
B-tlmik ere yon stumble, for what may E-fall, 
E truthful to self, and E faithful to all ; 
E watchful, E ready, E open, B frank, 
B manly to all men, what e'er E their rank. 
E calm, E retiring, B ne’er led astray, 
E grateful, B cautious of those who E-tray. 
B careful, hut yet B sure to B-stow ; 
B temperate, E steadfast, to anger B slow. 
B earnest, B truthful, B firm and B fair, 
B meek, and of all miss-B-haviour B-ware. 
B pleasant, B patient, B fervent to all, 
B best if you can ; hut B humble withal. 
B just and B generous, B honest, B wise, 
B mindful of time, and B certain it flies. 
B hopeful, B cheerful, B happy, B kind, 
B busy of body, B modest of mind. 
B brave, and B-ware of the sins that B-set, 
B sure that no sin shall another B-get. 
B prudent, B liberal ; of order B fond. 
Buy less than you need, B-fore buying B-yoml. 
B prompt and B dutiful, still B polite, 
B reverent, B quiet B sure and B right, 
B thoughtful, B thankful, what e’er may B-tide ; 
B trustful, B joyful, B cleanly B side. 
B tender, B loving, B good and B-nign, 
B-loved shalt thou B, and all else B thine. 
BEEKEEPING WITH OTHER PURSUITS. 
DR. C. C. MILLER. 
From the American Bee Journal. 
Should beekeeping be made an exclusive 
business, or should it be pursued in conjunc- 
tion with some other business ? This question 
can be best answered after considering some 
■of the pursuits that may he combined with I 
beekeeping. I am competent to speak of only 
a few ; and if it seems really desirable that 
there shall be a combination, perhaps others 
may be called out. Perhaps I may arouse Mr. 
G-. M. Doolittle by saying that I think he has 
made one of the worst combinations possible 
in combining- beekeeping with small fruit 
raising. I think there is a somewhat general 
impression that beekeeping and raising small 
fruits go nicely together. There is this much 
to say in favor of it — that the man with the 
right taste for beekeeping is apt to have the 
right taste for a fruit raiser ; and if successful 
at either he would lie successful at the other 
if he should turn his attention to it. 
But a business to be combined with bee- 
keeping should be one that would require the 
attention of the beekeeper mainly at a time 
when his bees require no care. So far as my 
experience goes, the small fruit business 
requires the closest attention at the very time 
the bees demand it. As soon as spring has 
fairly opened, there is work to he done at the 
bees, and so there is at strawberries, rasp- 
berries, etc. As the season advances, the 
bees become more imperative in their 
demands, and so do the berries. In the height 
of the picking season, when the eyes of the 
fruit raiser must be everywhere to see that 
pickers are making good work, to settle dis- 
putes, to make sure that berries are promptly 
! sent to their proper destination, and not 
allowed to lie over and spoil — at this time, 
when the fruit raiser, unless possessed of a 
very cool head, is about half crazy, the bees 
alone are enough to make him go distracted 
when a- dozen swarms may come out at a time. 
In a word, the busy time for each comes at the 
i same time ; and what is wanted is something 
to occupy the leisure time of the beekeeper. 
Teaching school, I think, comes nearer to 
it; for the busy time with bees comes in the 
Summer vacation ; and one with sufficient 
strength and the right taste might take care 
of quite a number of colonies without inter- 
fering with school duties. I think, however, 
he would in time decide as I did, to give up 
one or the other. A notable exception, how- 
ever, is in the case of Mr. E. A. Gastman, of 
Decatur, Ills., who has been for many years 
superintendent of schools, if I am not mis- 
taken, and at the same time a beekeeper. Mr. 
Gastman, however, is a man of magnificent 
physique — by the way, it just occurs to me 
that he is very much the build of G. M. 
Doolittle — and looks as if he might easily 
do the work of two ordinary men. 
Of course, there may be many special 
departments in which different individuals 
may have developed special taste and ability, 
where a somewhat successful combination 
might be made. For instance, the teacher of 
the old-fashioned singing-school (now unfor- 
tunately out of vogue) could take care of bees 
without interfering with his “ schools,” held 
only on the long evenings. 
