1874 
GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 
Ill 
OUR OWN APIARY. 
HPjjHE weather is to-day, Aug. 39th, very dry, 
4 and sultry, the wind has blown the dust 
and leaves about in such disorder that our 
Apiary presents anything but a tidy appear- 
ance. To add to our troubles, the eider mill 
has commenced work and our bees were on 
hand punctually, as they were a year ago. 
Although quite a number of stocks belonging 
to others are kept in the neighborhood and if 
we are compelled to resort to out-door feeding, 
we shall have to feed the whole, yet we cannot 
have our bees annoy our neighbors ; if they 
continue to work at the cider mill we must feed 
them sugar all they can all carry away. To 
add to our troubles, already a suspiciously 
large number of bees are crawling about in the 
dust looking for all the world as if they had 
had “too much cider.” We are heartily glad 
to-morrow is Sunday, for we are tired. Our 
paper is out on time as usual ’tis true, but it 
was only by working nights that we were 
prompt this month. 
Oh ! that it only would rain. 
Aug. 81sf — We arose yesterday morning feel- 
ing that at least one day in the week our bees 
would not be tempted, for cider mills fortu- 
nately do not “work” on Sunday. Early in the 
morning they seemed to be very thievishly in- 
clined for they buzzed querulously from hive 
to hive in a manner that betokens an unheal- 
thy excitement, and greed for gain not to be 
procured through the ordinary path of honest 
industry. We can readily imagine the feeling 
that a gambler or burglar must have after tlrst 
pocketing dishonest gains ; perhaps he has just 
abandoned an honorable calling because times 
■are dull, and full of an unhealthy excitement 
at such a sudden and easy way of getting mon- 
ey he may for a time evade stinging reproaches 
of a guilty conscience for having appropiated 
without equivalent, the honest, innocent, earn- 
ings of his fellow men; but does not the time 
come when he feels that lie would be far hap- 
pier with the most meagre fare or plainest 
clothing for his wife and family, could he only 
once more lie down at night with the old feel- 
ing, that ’twas all his own and honestly gained, 
and that no one of his fellow beings had been 
in the least wronged out of their honest earn- 
ings? Have bees any conscience? are they 
just as happy while robbing their neighbors? 
We mused thus while studying their move- 
ments this Sabbath morning. 
Later, after the dew was oil', we were pleased 
to see them launching out in an opposite direc- 
tion from the cider mill and when they began 
returning laden, and with that weary happy 
hum, ttiat surely betokens honest labor, our 
curiosity was aroused. By nine o’clock a per- 
fect stream of bees were pouring out in this 
same direction, and they hurried out of the 
hives to tile in with the throng in a way that 
secerned to indicate none would be left. ’Twas 
<«ily an hour and a half to church time, yet we 
clambered over the fence, and “poured” in the 
same direction, our enthusiasm being kept up 
by hearing their hum over head. After pass- 
ing through a piece of woods about a mile 
bom home we found about a half acre of Bone 
set,, or Thorougliwort, ( Eupatorium, Perfolia- 
lnm ) and the view on coming suddenly out on 
this mass of bloom, literally dancing, and joy- 
ous, with our Imported Queens young grand 
children, was indescribable. The blossoms 
were nearly on a level with ones head and the 
music the bees made was decidedly different in 
tone from that around the cider mill or the out 
door sugar feeding either for that matter. 
Their little selves were all dusted with the 
snowy pollen and their happy hum seemed to 
indicate that they, like ourself, felt such a 
feeling of thankfulness to our Creator for the 
beautiful world he has given us, that even ex- 
istence is a pleasure. As this, could not em- 
ploy all of them we went farther, and in a 
dense wood beyond found acres of White snake 
root (Kupalwium Lageratoides) not yet quite in 
bloom, but still visited quite plentifully with 
bees. Another plant interested us still more, 
but before describing it we will say that for 
several years past we have in the fall noticed 
bees coming in laden, that had a queer white 
spot on the tuft between the roots of the wings. 
This sometimes had almost the appearance of 
a drop of white paint having fallen on them. 
In vain did we sally out with the determina- 
tion of finding what plant gave this white 
powder, for we were invariably baffled, and 
finally consoled ourselves by thinking it must 
be from thistles. To-day however, no bees 
were on thistles, and yet this white spot was 
plainer than ever as they hurried into the hive 
to unload, and also when they hied to the 
woods again. The bells were ringing for 
church, and we were more than a mile away in 
the woods, yet with uncovered head we stoop- 
ed in mute wonder over the solution of the 
riddle that had perplexed us so long. The 
plant was the wild Touch-me-not, ( Impatiens ) 
so familiar to urchins on account of the won- 
derful pods that snap all to pieces when touch- 
ed. Well the honey is secreted in aspur in the 
bottom of the flower, and the bee can only 
reach this by diving down into it almost out 
of sight and when the coveted treasure is ob- 
tained he backs out with a ludicrous kicking 
and sprawling of his legs, and in so doing the 
down on his back is ruffled up the wrong way. 
Now this would be pretty certain to get the pol- 
len dusted all over him, but nature to make 
sure has planted a little tuft that bears the 
pollen just on the upper side of the entrance to 
the flower, and in his struggles to get out the 
white pollen is brushed all into his back most 
effectually, to be carried to the next flower 
and so oh. 
As we hastened homeward with a boquet 
composed of the different plants named, we 
passed by a quantity of what is called here, 
Rag weed, or Bitter weed, ( Ambrosia Artemis- 
itrfolia) here too the bees and nature were at 
work. Since Darwin has partially enlightened 
us we might say too perhaps, that “Natural 
selection” was at work. This plant bears the 
male, or pollen bearing flowers on tall racemes 
somewhat similar to corn, while the seeds are 
produced lower down where the branches 
leave the stem. As bees only work occasion- 
ally on this plant they are not really necessary 
to its fertilization as in the case of the Touch- 
me-not, and accordingly we find that it produ- 
ces hundreds of the male or pollen bearing 
flowers to one of the seed blossoms. Now is 
there not something analogous in this to the 
