UMASS/AMHERST 312066 0333 2630 2 Wi 9: / M K/ y # CrS-^^-r^-' LIBRARY OF THE MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE Per Source.^ 2F 521 A41 |1-1§.^.1_ ^TQlWQj.Q^ VOL. VI. Jf\NUfVRY, 1896. NO. 1. A Napoleonic Method. BY WILDER GRAHAME. One of Napoleon's points of success was in the readiness with which, when occasion required it, he "made a sac- rifice;" that is, in military parlance, allowed a certain portion of his army to be destroyed in order to save the rest of it or bring it through victorious- I never heard that Napoleon was particularly distinguished as a keeper of bees, though I believe he did adopt the busy insect as his symbol. No doubt had he undertaken it his apiary would have stood prior (in point of time) even to Dr. Miller's. At all events I think it frequently pays bee- keepers to adopt a few of Napoleon's rules, such as " Every lost moment brings oppor- tunity for disaster." "The truest wisdom is a resolute determination.'' " Victory belongs to the most preserv- ing." " Providence is always on the side of the last reserve, etc. All this however, is foreign to what I started to elucidate; viz., "making a sac- rifice." In swarming time the care of the apiarist is by no means over with the capture of the bees. Bees carry sup- plies with them usually to last them a few hours, depending upon gathering fast enough to keep up the supply. Now suppose the bees should come out at a time when there is little hon- ey. Again, supposing there was plenty of honey to be gathered but weather wholly unfit to gather it in. I have found bees starving with honey in all the trees about them. And yet again, when swarms come out as late as many did this season it is sometimes an impossibility for the bees to lay in their winter stock unaided. And still again, not a few have been entertain- ed after carefully swarming a colony to see them afterwards deliberately come forth and take wing for a more distant country. For all of these evils the Napoleonic method is suggested as a remedy. In selecting the colony or colonies for the " sacrifice," care must be taken that swarms are taken strong enough to fulfill their duty. By stimulating build them up early in the spring; then add a second story of brood racks, Do not use a honey-board. If the queen goes into the second sto- ry so much the better; only, be sure and keep queen cells cut out, lor no swarming is vvanted here. Whenever a new swarm comes oif, la^^ THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. /anuaty go to your " sacrifice" and secure one rack built full of comb and well filled with honey. Place this in the new hive about the center. The effect is obvious and magical, No more de- serting swarms, unless gross negli- gence is tolerated in some other re- spect. No starving bees. No trouble of feeding the young swarm through a run of stormy weather. There may be people who will say that they have already adopted the practice of giving at least one full rack when convenient. Exactly , and the "sacrifice " is intended to make it al- ways convenient enough, that it will always be done. No sections are ever to be allowed upon it, as they make it very inconvenient to get at the frames. Keep everything about that hive as convenient as possible for re- moving frames. The number of swarms required for this office depends upon the size of the apiary. One good colony ought to furnish fifteen or twenty frames before the swarming season is over, if conditions are at all favorable and they are got to work in good time. In some cases much better has been done ; in others, much worse. Tow- ard the end of the swarming season it is not at all necessary to confine one- self to the frames filled in the upper story. Of course empty frames are to take the place of those removed, but if the swarms issue too fast and one is sometimes called upon to hive young colonies when the upper racks are all exhausted, just remove a lower one and proceed as before. In most seasons it will be safe to reduce the old colony in that way down to four or five racks. This method obviates the necessity of disturbing some colony of honey producers. It is better to disturb one swarm often than to interrupt the op- erations of several occasionally. Brood rack filling is then their regular work and they are never called from the sections to fill a missing rack, as no sections are ever given them. Say what you will, every change of this sort causes delay, especially when it requires shifting the work from one story to another. This is an age of specialties and he is most successful who is readiest to adopt the modern system. And it is profitable to make specialists even of our bees, allowing some to make a specialty of comb honey, some of extracted, some of new swarms. Why then should we not go another step and retain some specialty for producing a necessity in any well regulated apiary, extra brood racks for young swarms ? The other specialties require different arrange- ments in the hives for the very best results. Experience will also prove that many little details may be so ar- ranged for the removal of the racks from a hive kept for that particular purpose that will render the process much more convenient. There is no necessity of spoiling a colony for the production of honey as soon as its du- ties as brood-rack filler are done. But none the less is it a matter of economy to set aside enough hives prepared and arranged in the most convenient manner for this purpose, and then confine that duty strictly to those col- onies, never disturbing others for a similar purpose ? Pa. Subscribe for the Am. Bee-Keeper. 189G. TSE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. A Few Healthy Dont's for Beginners BY ED. JOLLEY. The success of the beginner depends as much on knowing what not to do as it does on knowing what to 0V/. . You whu ■ .t you see, ( Often . . .'i^^lit; Stars uri' , .,, - M.; ■ : y. In the w, ;•; ill ti;.' ). 'if: All tho da., ihi-y li<- cui.ci'aii'd By (bo t,'. ry of \h" s.vi. But at ovi- they stand r jvoaled 111 tho azure, one by one. Bo the daylight of a smile M;iy but v«;il tho human face Hidiug for a little sviiile Doubt and caro and sorrow's trace; So, when shadow clouds of woe O'er a happy facu arise, Still beneath tho shadows glow Stars of joy in gentle eyes. Lifo is arrhed with changing skies, Earely ai\' tliey what they seem ; Smiles we li.-.Vf, and also sighs- Much we l:no\v, but more we dream { Look beue;i.h the oiitward show, To tho suidow or the; light, And from what j'ou purely know Learn to see and judge aright. ' —Exchange. EXCHANGE OF HOLES. All his life Charlie Staahope had been gnite ready to admit that his morals were somewhat faulty. Sometimes he admitted it genially, sometimes with a mild self reproach, but always with the ^ir of beiug quite irrespousible for his failing:^, and indeed he was one of those pien whom scarcely any one judges liardly. Good looks, a. pleasant smile, pa easy alTectionateness and a generous (band aie excellent covers for very seri- pus faults if a too fervid liking for the pood things of this life, including wine end women, is ro be counted among them. "Ilaug it, you know, a pretty woman can always make a fool of me, " he used to ftclaiowkdge, "and I positively can- not help it. Lilian knows it too. " Lilian was Mrs. Stanhope, andshecer- taiuly hud abundant reason to know it. Charlie had married her in a fit of in- fatuation for her beauty and amid the pmiuous projJiecies of their friends as to their future happiness, and if the pnshiiud and wife had been philanthrop- icaliy inclined they might have had the .satisfaction of knowing that they jstlil alforded a thrilling topic of conver- sation to their social circle. In tho course of five years of married 11 TO tl ^rc hi\\\ been much for Lilian to forgivG. and OhurliG had a habit of sud- denly oonfes.siug hinii^elf to her and re- ceiving :ib!Johition for his sins, under the fihadow of which for a month he would live irreproachably, forswear his club, going tt) no supper parties and es- corting his wife to af tornoons and balls and reverting altogether to the hus- band-lover of their honeymoon. In very truth it is nctt too much to say that he loved and respected his wife above any living creature; only it was not in his uature to bo faithful to any woman. "Yen are a saint, Lilian, my pure v;hite lily," ho often said in his fits of remorse, "and I'm a black brute, not fit to ki.'^.s the hem of your dress." A}i(i ho thoroughly. believed it, too, for tlie time being. So when one morning he came down to breakfast and opened and read a cer- tain letter tliat was lying on his plate )jo only experienced a furious anger 8g£»i;!=:t tho author of it. It was written in n blind a^vkwardly sloped the wrong way and obviously feminine, and bore the ominous signature, "A Well Wish- er," and aontained nothing but a sav- uj^e and cuarse attack upon his wife, ooapling her nanio with that of a man who iiiid jnst ber^Ji notoriously expelled f:o nuitcerrd a savage oath under his bretith '■Vriisit (]t:\'il"< sinna women are I Can't tht-'T f ^'en lo'iTO Lilian alone? She, of all V, oi.u'ij i;i the Y^'orld, to be written of io! ^t'.-; t!\;t jado, Maud Bellair, I'm coitiin i:n.-> hn-s !:cver forgiven me for rofn^ii ? to znirodaco her to Lilian. WeJ, 1 miy bo a blackguard myself, but my wi^'o ,s^..-.ll never speak to such V\Ouicn. She must never know of it. It woaUl half kill hoi, and if I showed it to hur nho misnl, t orhaps, think I sus- l.>«i lt>;tc.r fiiHcinnted him. as thiuss 18 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. Jamcary ixnptM'-lbie and njODs^trous do, and he Viw fo abso.-li'd iu it that he did not Jiw*. 1 f ooti-toy coming through the open fiorrr, aiid fitaiUid violently when a hand W»o IhUI on l;is arm and Lilian's voice said I "Whatever are you scowling at so fe- rociorjHly?" "On, nothing of any consequence — a stupid letter," he said confusedly, try- ing to crumple it up; but his wife put her iinyer on it. "JVii! you eo anxious I shouldn't see jt?" she said r'iprn;tchfully. •'It isjj't v;hat you think at all, Lil, " he sail!, gacssing her suspicions. "It's not a lettei- from a woman — at least — I nibau it'B of no importance." "Let ine see it. then," she persisted gaatly. trying to draw it away. "^ih. don't read it, dear. • It's an Bbominahl.?. sijiirneful letter ! I wouldn't Lave yon poUnto your eyes by reading it," ho gaid. talceii off his guard. "I en- treat you !;i5f to read it!" "Why, yon luusf. think I am some- thing iuor<3! tb'.uj a woman to refrain aft- er that." j^iiid Mrs. Stanhope, smiling as ^be drpv it fiojn his reluctant fingers. Bho ^*ti,) ft vMry lovely woman, slender and I'jit with piuheiic gray eyes and a 8ersyi-W fud Uiouth, and the smile gave jun u»M ht'^l u>'.i>-ii nor boauty wanted. "7>.::>'t 111 uk L I'.eed it for an instant! I knov-' v.cii »'!;ough who's done it," paid ^.'harlie nob]y, but she held up her band f'->r silence, as she quickly read the fibeet. Ho oDxild see her eyes traveling from lino to line ; could see a flush ^juickly ri.so to her forehead, and as futfflT o.hai}.!ividends. John Fowler, with a small syndi- cate as his backers, laid down 43 years ago an underground line of railway from Paddington station of theGreat Western railway to a point near King's Cross of the Great Northern, thus joining those two great streams of traffic. It was not, however, until 20 years later that the real basis of the present system was laid down by the Metropolitan Railway company. This was what is now known as the "inner circle." Some time afterward the Metropoli- tan District Railway company was formed, and the scheme then became of a more comprehensive character. Neither of these companies bas benefited its shareholders to any appreciable degree. The Metropoli- tan commenced paying 5 per cent dividend, but this dwindled down to 3 7-8 in 1889 and has remained about that figure since. The Metropolitan District company never paid any- thing but a fraction and since 1883 has paid no dividend whatever. The nominal capital of the Metropolitan is $58, 425, the number of miles in work being 38. The gross receipts average $300,000,460, and the net re- ceipts $1,964,000. The working ex- penses per mile amount to $1,500,- 000, while the revenue per mile is $91,170. As for the District com- pany, its nominal capital is only $36,570 and its length of way 19 miles. Its gross receipts average $1,985,000 and its net receipts $1,- 036,000. The discomforts and dangers of this means of locomotion can never be estimated by any one who has not made a trip on the underground. At such centi'al stations as Gower street, where the traffic is great and the rails are laid down more than 30 feet below the earth's surface, it is impossible to breathe without ill ef- 189(5. THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. lects. Tliore is no adequate outlet for the volumes of snlphurous smoke ■which ponr from the tunnels as the trains pass through, and accordinp;- ly the station is filled with noxious fumes. Even in the hottest weather it is hotter to keep the windows of the railway carriages closed, hut ■when the carriage is crowded, as at certain times of the day it always is, to excess, this is ohviously impossi- ble. Leading medical experts have given it as their distinct opinion that the underground railways have been directly the cause of a large number of new diseases. Those who constantly use the "underground," for so the lines of both companies are familiarly alluded to, develop ail- ments of the heart or lungs, while the eyes also frequently become seri- ously affected. To the stranger the effect of a journey on either the Met- ropolitan or District railway is sin- gularly painful. It produces head- ache and nausea and affects the chest and lungs in a marked degree. To a stranger the difficulties of travel by the underground are al- most insuperable. The lines are laid down in circles. Thus there are an inner, a middle and fin outer circle. The inner circle embraces the city proper and runs from Aldgate round to Aldgate again. But it is on the outer circle that the uninitiated traveler is m. 18!I5.— .Moderate demand forlhoney. Supply not large. Price of comb 9 to 15c per lb. Extracted i\i to ()}4c per lb. Good demand for beeswax. Supply light. Prices 2s to 32c per lb The demand for honey is light as it al ■ ways is near the Holidays. H. R. Wright. Boston. Mass., Dec. 23. 1S95. — Fair demand for honey. Supply equal to the demand. Price of comb 14 to 15c per lb. 1 xtracted 5 to (ic per lb. K. E. Blakk k Co., 75 Chatham St. Cincinnati, C. Dec 20. 1895.— Only a fair de- mand for honey, (jood supply. Price of comb 12 to 14c per lb. Extracted 4 to 7c per lb. Good de- mand for beewax. Good supply. Prices 22 to 27c per lb. All business is too slow for this time of the year and honey is no exception to the rule. Chas. F. Muth a Son. Cor. Freeman and Central Aves. Pasteboard Boxes or Cartons, For holding 1 lb. sections off honey, very cheap. For prices address, THE W. T. FALCONER M'F'6 CO., JAMESTOWN, N. Y. 32 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. January WHITE SEWING MftGHiNtCO CLEVELAND; OlflO. ^ Italian Queens Untested May $1.25 June $1.00 July to Oct. 75c each. 3 for $2.00. lestea Queeus $1.50 each. Satisfaction Guaranteed. Send for free illustrated circular to THEODORE BENDER. 12-tf Canton, Ohio, ERS OF BEES and those in- tending to keep bees should write us for large ill list' d eat- aldgue and cupy cf ^\.\ii'.ni- CAN BF.E-KEKPKR.(niOntbl\ .) Ourii/- ices avblowestsiudslock largest. We keep everything used by bee-keeprs.including, text books, comb foundations. | allstvleshives,ctc. Addri^s W. T. Falconer Mfgl Co. Jamestown, N.YT I ri;- iccs arblowtst'dudslock BEES PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE W T FALCONER MANPG CO VOL. VI. FEBRUARY, 1896. NO. 2. Many Bees, Much Honey. I5Y G. M. DOOLITTLE. Some years ago I secured 566 pounds of extracted honey from one colony of bees in one season, and re- ported the same to several of the different papers, especially those de- voted to bee culture. This was con- sidered a large yield at that time, and is still so considered by those who have not kept posted along the lines of large yields since then, yet many of our best bee-keepers believe that it is possible to obtain 1,000 pounds from a single colony in a good season; in fact nearly or quite that has been reported once or twice, while reports of 600 pounds and above have been made by several. However, as some are skeptical on this point of large yields, believing that they are more fallacious than otherwise, perhaps a few words regarding how it is done will not be amiss, especially as a letter lies before me asking that I explain in the American Bee-Keeper how such results can be secured. In the spring of the season jabove mentioned I se- lected an ordinary colony of bees, and set it apart for extracted honey. I built them up as fast as possible and when the fruit trees came in bloom the queen had brood in twelve frames, and from that source I obtained 16^ pounds. A few days after this the twelve frames, bees and all, were set into a hive four feet long, and a div- ision board placed at the rear of the frame of comb. Once a week two more empty combs were inserted in the center of the brood nest until the hive contained twenty combs well fill- ed with brood. As white clover was not yielding honey, the hive was filled out with frames of empty comb, which numbered 32. I did not expect that the queen would occupy any of these last twelve combs, but in this I was mistaken, for before white clover was through yielding honey I found brood ine every one of the 32 combs, which if placed compactly together, was fully equal to fifteen frames of brood, coming out to the wood all around. Each frame would give at least 100 square inches, making all due allow- ance for the ,few cells of pollen that would be scattered about in different cells, and each square] inch gives 50 worker bees, hence there were 5,000 bees to hatch out of each of these frames every 21 days, or 75,000 from the fifteen frames. The average life of the bee in the working season is 45 34 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. February days, hence it will be seen that the queen can place two and one- seventh generations of bees on the stage of ac- tion, to where one generation dies off. Two and one-seventh times 75,000 equal 160,700, as the number of bees in the hive during the basswood yield. It was a sight worth beholding when they were just starting for the field in the morning, for they would rush out like an army, and then, later, the en- trance would be a' living mass going to and fro. From clover, they gave 186 pounds ; from basswood 287| pounds, and from buckwheat, 76 pounds, making 566 in all. Now, supposing that instead of securing this large amount of bees in one hive, I had not worked them at all, but had left the bees to take care of them- selves, as the most of the doubting ones do leave their bees, what would I have had ? The queen would have only laid moderately, so that by the time white clover had begun to yield honey they would have had only about from 25,000 to 30,000 bees. At about this time the bees would have swarmed, thus dividing their number, while there would have been no lay- ing queen in the old hive to lay eggs for the basswood and buckwheat workers, for nearly or quite three weeks. Besides this there would in all probability have issued one or more after-swarms, this dividing the bees still more, thereby defeating the pros- pect of any honey at all from the old colony, so that were we to call 20,000 bees an ordinary colony as kept by the majority of bee-keepers we would not be far Jout of the way. This would give but about 71 pounds per colony, had that colony of bees been divided up in this way, so that in reality that big yield when brought down in this way to its proportion, according to the number of bees, there were in the hive, is nothing very great after all ; for no one would call 71 pounds of extracted honey per col- ony, in a good season, an exaggerated report. How long will it take would be bee-keepers to understand, that it is bees that gather honey, not the number of hives that they have stand- ing in the yard. A large colony of bees will do more than will a small one, in proportion, for the outside elements do not have that chilling effect on the hive' of a populous col- ony that they do on a hive with a few bees in it. Thus more bees go to the field, and all work to better advantage. For years it has been forced upon me more and more that the main secret in securing a large yield of honey, is to get plenty of bees, just at the right time to take advantage of the honey harvest. If these bees are brought on the stage of action too early, they are of little use, and if too late, they only become consumers instead of producers. Sensible people hire lab- orers just when they have labor to be preformed ; not before, and not after- ward, and why should we not be as sensible in regard to the producing of the bee laborer ? If a^ person under- stands their location and secures their bees as above, they will have no cause to complain of their yield of honey, if the season is such and they have flow- ers to secrete nectar. On this one thing of securing bees in time for the harvest, more than on any other one thing, depends our yield of honey, Borodino, N. Y. Subscribe for the AMERICAN BEE=KEEPER. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 35 Does Bee-Keeping Pay ? EY C1IA8. H. TUIES. This question I have often seen asked through the journals, and have seen it answered as often, and this C[uestion is daily asked me, and my answer is yes, or I surely would quit the business. Yet while / can make it pay it does not follow that you can make it pay, or at least not that you will make it pay. Unless you have a natural liking for the business you will hardly make it pay, this we will find in all kinds of business, either you will drive your business or your business will drive you, just this is one great trouble with many of our bee-keepers, nothing will be done with the bees or in the apiary until it is just absolutely necessary, and often not then. In some branches of busi- ness certain things can be postponed or delayed for a time without any serious loss, but bee-keeping surely does not belong to this kind of busi- ness, if you are behind with your work in the apiary you will surely have a loss, which you cannot regain by dili- gent labor afterwards. Ever since I have kept bees I have tried to be ahead with my work, i. e. I would try to have everything pre- pared as much as practicable during the winter months, and yet I don't remember of a single season where I was as well prepared as I might have been, this has convinced me that we cannot commence preparations any to soon, and I now make it a business at the close of one season to make ready for another. I am well aware that doing everything in the right way and at the right time does not always as- sure or secure us a success, but often it decides our success, and it is always very desirable. To make anything pay in dollars and cents requires some thought and study. We may be able to learn a great deal by reading, by observation, etc., but because some- body else made a certain thing pay by following a certain course does not assure you of the same success. You must learn from practical experience what methods are best adapted for you to pursue, and what is best for your locality. In conclusion would say, make all possible preparation now, then if we should again fail in securing a good big surplus we will know that we did our part of the work, and if we do not then need them they will be ready for another season. Thus far we have had a very mild winter in Southern Illinois. Bees appear to be wintering nicely, and should this mild weather continue all through the winter might it not be possible that it would make a change for the better in bee keep- ing ? At any rate I am expecting to again see one of the good old honey flows as of old. Steeleville, 111. Successful Bee Keeping. BY JNO. F. GATES. Since I wrote about keeping bees in large box hives for breeding I have received so many letters on the subject that from sheer force of numbers, if kept up, will persuade me into the belief that I am "some pumpkins" or drive me into know-uothingism, and either event would be sad. There- fore, to save my conscience from re- morse for not answering those who forgot to enclose postage, I will try and make the matter plainer with reference to box hives for breeders, 36 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. February although I do not see how I can add more to the subject, and to answer the questions as propounded would be too much. I think if I explain the principle as well as I can it will cover the ground. The majority of bee keepers are not experts, and they have a hard time with their ups and downs in bee-keeping, and to this class was my article directed. Although Dr. Miller and others in the front rank have written to me favorably on the subject, I don't expect the world to fall over itself in an effort to adopt the plan, yet the plan is a good one I think, and will bring delight when in spring you see those long sheds open only to the east, full of tall hives, strong with bees, heavy with honey, and roaring with delight as the bees crowd and push in a mad rush to se- cure the early pollen, and with large parts of the combs filled with hatching brood, and ah ! sad fate, they have gathered unto themselves several doz- en swarms that were weak and belong- ed to some[ expert but thought they needed hovering. Of course you are sorry for that, and can well afford to make it right, for you aren't slipping two steps back at every one taken forward, and that is the principle or idea of the whole theory, simply that farmers and all who care to keep bees can have a substantial income every year if pursued on this plan with no worry about their bees dying, and they skip all the work and fuss attending the keeping of them in small hives. Because a small hive if good to put a large swarm in and compel them to store section honey in good shape, it is not always prudent to winter them in such small hives. Because you salt down a pig in a barrel after he is kill- ed, it isn't very prudent to winter him in a barrel when alive. You see we can't run live stock by machinery. We must conform to the natural if we would have success. I don't hate patent hives, I simply try to find something better for wintering bees, and have found it. 1 think the winter problem^ will never be solved by the majority of those who winter in frame hives, and this very uncer- tainty keeps our supply dealers be- wildered as to their chances for the next season. It is hardly thus with any other branch of farming, which is pursued on a more natural basis. I think supply dealers would reap a greater harvest under the new method, and be far more regular in their out- puts of supplies. But I'm off the subject of this article, and repeating some of which I have already said in others. You can read in previous articles of the beautiful unstained honey taken from those large swarms which come off just at the right time, and are put in as small hives as possible, and run for all they are worth, and then in the fall done with as you wish, it matters little what, for sure haven't you got an acre or two of those solid old breeders with which to do the same thing over again next year. Certainly you have, and the way people fall oyer themselves in an effort to see which will be able to purchase your spotless honey is amus- ing. Now friends, by your questions you seem to think I have got some peculiar patent hive for breeders, or perhaps you half suspect that I am almost ready to launch it in the sea of credulity, and that with a good head of steaaa I will plow the already over burdened waves of misery, and make 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 37 confiisiou Miul misery more confound- ed and unhappy, and at last reach the haven of rest with many tons of shin- ers in my pocket. But you are mis- taken, I aint built that way. I am rather inclined to be conservative. I try never to let a thing go out of my hands until I have unsnarled it, then I ara willing to try to show others how to do the same thing. I see that in the mad rush for the unseen, unthink- able and unheard of, there has been some grand principles in bee-keeping overlooked. That while new inven- tions are often valuable, it is not wise to say all old ways are foolish, or to call all fools vvho have lived before our time, or that some old systems cannot go hand and hand with new inventions to great advantage, and he who is wise will, it seems to me, com- bine the good which he may find in both old and new with out prejudice. By the questions asked me I see I have got into the habit which most people fall into, of not explaining things plain enough. I will try and do better. When 1 said my breeders ■were 18 or 30 inches tall, I meant that between those figures was safe ground, but to be exact, I have found that 24 inches tall by 12 inches square is the best size. When I say six or eight ^ in. holes in the top of the hives, it might seem a little indefinite, for a beginner, and perhaps half of that number would be enough. It is a hard matter to lay down iron rules in such cases, for locations and coudi- ' tions vary so much that one rule might not work well for all. I would advise beginners to try some hives with one ^ in hole, others with 2 holes same size, and others with three, and perhaps some with four on top of the hive for ventilation with a very loose box that is not made of very sound lumber, except on top, turned) bottom up over the holes, then watch and see which winters best. I will try and write another article and tell what I know about ventilation which is about as important a part of bee-keeping as there is. I dont know of any book which treats on the care of bees in box hives. All bee books treat on tearing box hives to pieces thus ruining their best prospects, but I will try and tell you in the A. B. K. how to keep them in box hives. Ovid, Erie Co., Pa. ^ ■■■ ^ [Read before the Ontario Co.. (N. Y)., Bee-Keep- er.s' Association, Jan. 25, 1896]. Gravenhorst on Apis dorsata. TRANSLATED BY FRANK BENTON. The opinion of one of the foremost bee-masters of Germany in regard to A-pis dorsata is certain to receive the respectful consideration of thoughtful bee-masters, not alone in his own country, but also in the western world. In the Deutsche illustriete Bienenzeitung , for November 1895, (Vol. XIII, No. 2), page 71, the editor, C. J. H. Graven- horst, quotes from the article on this subject* written by me for the annual meeting of the Ontario County, (N. Y). Bee-Keepers' Association in 1895, and says : " On this side as well as on the other, that is, in Germany as in America, Apis dorsata, the great bee of East India, is constantly coming up in arti- cles in the bee journals as well as in essays at conventions. While some *N<)TE.— "Apis dorsata: the Giant Bee of India," by Frank Benton. Read before the Ontario Co., advances and retreats, covered the North. Then began its final departure ; but it was probably as slow in going as it had been in coming. The land began gradually to sink, tlie waiers became milder, and the summers longer. — Harvey B. Bashore, in February Lippincott's. 40 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. February Mr. Editor. — Allow me to make a correction, explanation, or whatever may be necessary, to straighten out a a matter about which two paragraphs have appeared in A. B. K. The South- land Queen printed a series of lessons upon which the editor of Gleanings commented favorably, evidently un- derstanding them to be original mat- ter. I corrected him by saying they were copied from the American Bee Journal, Then he understood that they were copied without credit, and said, "This is a surprise. We turn to the Atchleys for a reply to this charge." I replied that there was no charge against the Atchleys in what I had said, and that they had acknow- ledged the source of the lessons, only I wanted to correct him in crediting to one paper what belonged to another. Now you have the whole thing in a nutshell, and you will see that 1 have never made any charge whatever against the Atchleys, and I'm wonder- ing just a little where you gel any authority for saying that I charged them with "filching" from the A. B. J. The only charge that can be made against them in the matter is careless- ness in not crediting each time when copying, for in one number no credit was given, and that number being the one upon which the editor of Gleanings commented, led him into the mistake of supposing that the matter was printed as original, a mistake that was entirely excusable on his part. But you will see that until the present moment I never made even this much of a charge, merely saying the articles were copied. C. C. Miller. Marengo, 111., Jan, 15, 1896. [We are very glad to be " set to rights " on the matter, and that the Atchleys are clear from all blame. The trouble seems to have been with the editor of Gleanings. It was from Gleanings that we got the idea that the articles were " filched" and owing to the close acquaintance between Dr. Miller and the editor of Gleanings we took it as a matter of fact that the remarks of the latter were absolutely authentic. — Ed.] W. T. Falconer Man'f'g. Co., Jamestown, N. Y. — Gentlemen : Your favor of Jan. 6th received today. Please find enclosed Post-oflice Order for to pay for our supplies. We could not be any better satisfied with our supplies received from you last year and no doubt these will be the same. Yours, Loan Bros. Editor Am. Bee Keeper. — Dear Sir: My subscription to the "Bee Keeper " expired with the close of '95, but please enroll me for 1896^and I will pay you when ordering my sup- plies. I am not discouraged in bee keeping, although last summer was a partial failure. The cold wave in May prevented increase, therefore I have new hives empty. I trust the future will be brighter. Although I live in a section destitute of basswood yet I managed to secure from 22 hives one thousand one pound sections of fall honey, principally from buck- wheat, and my bees were in good con- dition for wintering. They are win- 189G. TUE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 41 tering very nicely thus far, especially those iu the thin vvalleil hives In niy opinion this hive is a first class one for wintering bees. I just take off the surplus cases and put the flat cov- ers on and allow the bees to seal it fast; then I pack with leaves at the sides and on top and keep a snow ex- cluder at the entrance and they are left on the summer stands. 1 have not lost one swarm since using these hives during a period of four years. Yours truly, Elwood Bond. McMichaels, Pa., Jan. 25th, 1896. DEATH OF iMKS. LYMAN C. ROOT. Editor Am. Bee Keeper. — Dear Sir : The sad intelligence reaches me of the death of Mrs. Libbie Quinby Root, only daughter of Mosses Quinby and wife of Lyman C. Root, which occured at their home in Stamford, Conn. Jan. 16, 1896. Mrs. Root was stricken with par- alysis on the morning of the 15th and died the following morning. She was a woman of rare intelligence and had she given her attention to literary pursuits would have gained celebrity. Bee-keepers knew her as a literary editor of Q,uiuby's Bee Keeping and later of the same as revised by her husband. The sketches from which the engravings were made for these works were also from her pencil. She was a natural artist and iu drawing or painting from nature displayed gen- uine artistic talent. Her highest am- bition centered in her home and in the education of her two daughters. No matter how busy with household duties or the entertainment of visiting bee-keepers, time was found for the daily lessons of the girls, and also for reading and discussing with the fam- ily the best books and literature. In thus giving her life so unselfishly to the improvement of others her own character developed by the maturing of those qualities of mind and heart that must endure forever. It is grat- ifying to be able to state that her husbaud and family fully appreciated her many excellent qualities. Her presence, her sympathy and her coun- sel will be sadly missed in the home circle. Bee-keepers everywhere in the English speaking world will unite with me in extending heart felt sym- psithy to Mr. Root, the daughters and aged Mother Quinby. P. H. Elwood. Starkville, N. Y., Jan. 22, 1896. woman's sphere. — ELIZABETH CADY STANTON SAYS THAT THERE IS NO LONGER A " WOMAN'S SPHERE." The education of a man and a woman should be the same, because their spheres are the same, with different duties accord- ing to the capacity of the individual. Woman, like all created things, loves, moves and has her being obedient to law, explor- ing with man the mysteries of the universe and speculating in the glories of the hereaf- ter. The question is now the sphere of the individual, irrespective of sex. Woman are now in the trades and piofessions, — every- where in tlie world of work. They have shown their capacity as students in the sci- ences, tlieir skill as mariners, and their courage as rescuers in life boats. They are close on the heels of men in the arts, sciences and literature, in their knowledge and understanding of the vital ((uestions of the hour, and in the everyday, practical duties of life. A woman should be given the opportunity to know all that a man knows, and her educ;»tion should teach her, first of all, self respect and self-reliance, — From "The Education of Our Girls,'" in Demorests Magazine for February. 42 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPEB. February (From Ontario Co. Journal). ONTAEIO OOUNTY BEE KEEPEES' ASSOCIATION'S ANNUAL MEETING. At the Ontario County Bee Keep- ers' association's annual session held in this village last Frida}"^ and Satur- day, various subjects of interest to apiarists were discussed. Walter F. Marks, president, in his annual address, advocated the adop- tion by the society of a system of marketing, whereby the producers of a first class honey would be assured of securing first class prices. He would have an inspector appointed by the society to place a stamp upon all No. 1 honey, which stamp would bear the seal of the association, and be a guar- antee to purchasers of the quality of the product. The plan was adopted, and E. H. Perry was appointed honey inspector. The secretary read a translation from a German Apiarists' publication, entitled " Gravenhorst on Apis Dor- sata," which contained comments on a paper read before the local association last year, prepared by Frank Benton, of Washington, D. C. After the reading of the paper, it was moved by H. L. Case, that the petition offer- ed at the last annual meeting, for the introduction of the Apis Dorsata be endorsed by the association. This was done, and the executive commit- tee was instructed to have the petition printed and distributed. The Apis Dorsata is the giant bee of India. The following officers were elected : President, W. F. Marks, Chapin villa ; Vice Presidents, Lee Smith, Vincent ; H. L. Case, BristolCenter ; E. H. Perry, South Bristol ; Secretary, Ruth E. Tay- lor, Bellona; Treasurer, Heber Roat; Reed's Corners; Honey Inspector, E, H. Perry, South Bristol. The Asso- ciation has a membership of forty, in- cluding honorary members. The question box was an interesting feature of the meeting. Among the exhibits were different samples of comb foundation, manufactured by J. VanDeusen & Son, of Sprout Brook, N. Y. ; A.I. Root Co., of Medina, O.; Schmidt & Thiele, New London, Wis.; and Aug. Weiss, Hortouville, Wis. J. Van Deusen, of Sprout Brook ; F. A. Saulsbury, of Syracuse, and C. B. Howard, of Romulus, Secretary of the Seneca County Bee Keepers' As- sociation, were welcome visitors and participated in the discussions of the meeting. A vote of thanks was given the Village Trustees for extending the use of the Hall for the meeting gratis, and the newspapers and exhib- itors were thanked in like manner. CRIMINAL BEES. HONEY GATHERERS THAT HAVE VERY LOOSE MORAL IDEAS. Almost every form and variety of human crime is to be found among animals, ('ases of theft are noticed among bees. Buchner, in the " Psychic Life of Animals," speaks of thievish bees which, in order to save themselves the trouble of working, attact well stocked hives in masses, kill the sentinels and the inhabitants, rob the hive and carry off the provis- ions. After repeated enterprises of 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 43 this description they acquire a taste for robbery and violence. They re- cruit whole companies, which get more and more numerous, and finally they form regular colonics of l)rigand bees. But it is a still more curious fact that these brigand bees cau be pro- duced artificially by giving working bees a mixture of honey and brandy to drink. The bees soon acquire a tastes for this beverage, which has the same disastrous efifects upon them as upon men. They become ill disposed and irritable and lose all desire to work, and finally, when they begin to feel hungry, they attack and plunder the well su^iplied hives. There is one variety of bees — the sphecodes — which lives exclusively upon plunder. According to INIar- chall, this variety is formed of in- dividuals of the halyetes species, whose organs of hidification were de- fective, and which have gradually de- veloped into a separate variety, living almost exclusiv^ely by plunder. They may thus be said to be an example of innate and organic criminality among insects, and they represent what Professor Lombrosso calls the born criminals — that is, individuals which are led to crime by their own organic constitution. — Forum. HOW TO DESTROY MICE IN A BEE HOUSE. We do not believe in advocating cruelty to animals, but we are forced from last years experience to advocate most strongly the use of any and every means to rid the hives from mice. It is very important indeed that this should be closely looked after — equal quantities of arsenic, white granulated sugar and flour mix-ed dry, put on little pieces of paper about the hives or apiary, where it can remain for some time without being exposed to dampness, is a very sure way of ridding the place of mice, yet in some instan- ces where they can feed on bees in hives they seem to care little for the poison. Another plan we have adopt- ed, which frequently gave us good satisfaction : Take a pail half full of water, scatter a little wheat chaff on the top to make it look like a chaff bin. A board from two to four feet long, with one end on the floor and the oth- er on the side of the pail, in fact bet- ter one on each side of the pail, then scatter a little bran, meal or flour, dust it lightly on the board. 'J'he mice will run up and look down upon the chaff where you have the meal scat- tered, they will jump down off the board on the chaff in the pail to get the meal, the chaff will sink around them, and the mice drown. We have caught five or six in a pail in one night this way. We recollect once, that in one of our own apiaries having- several deer-mice and a chipmouk, which had gone into the bee-house from a neighboring wood about twen- ty rods away. They were so anxious to investigate the pail business that they got into it. Perhaps rats might be caught in the same way. "How to Manage Bees " is a 50c book for beginners in bee keeping. We will send it postpaid for 25c. Clubbing List. We will send the American BekKeepkh [ with the— PUB. PRCE. BOTH. American Bee Journal, (81 00) SI 35 Ainericiiu Apiculturisi, ( 75) 1 15 Bee-Keeper's Review. (1 00) 1 35 Canadian Bee Journal, (1 00) 1 25 Gleanings in Bee Culture, (100) 1 35^ 44 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER, February PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE W. T. FALCONER MANFG CO. TERMS : 50 cents a year in advance ; 2 copies, 85 cents ; 3 copies, SI. 20 ; all to be sent to one postofSce. Postage prepaid in the U.S. and Canada ; 10 cents extra to all countries in the postal union and 20 cents extra to all other countries. ADVERTISING RATES: 15 cents per line, 9 words ; 82.00 per inch. 5 per cent, discount for 2 insertions; 7 per cent, for 3 in- sertions ; 10 per cent, for 6 insertions ; 20 per cent. for 12 insertions. Advertisements must be received on or before the 20th of each month to insure insertion in month following. Address, THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER, Falconer, N. Y. i>^Subscribers finding this paragraph marked with a blue cross will know that their subscripiton expires with this number. We hope that you will not delay in sending a renewal. tS'A blue cross on this paragraph indicates that your subscription expired last month. Please re new. EDITORIAL, Elsewhere we publish an article on the Apis Dorsata (Giant Bees of India) by Grravenhorst, the well known German Bee writer and trans- lated hy Frank Benton. We are heartily in favor of the importation of some of these bees into this coun- try, and we are sure there are many leading apiarists who are of the same mind in this respect, notwithstanding the fact that certain editors of bee papers have apparently endeavored to stifle the idea. No one is in position to know whether or not the introduc- tion of Apis Dorsata would be bene- ficial, and no one can know until the thing is tried. It would not cost very much to do so, and if proper steps are taken no doubt the govern- ment can be induced to take the mat- ter in hand. We understand that the Ontario Co. (N. Y.) Beekeepers As- sociation are having necessary forms gotten ready, and will circulate peti- tions among the bee-keepers through- out the country asking the Secretary of Agriculture to secure and intro- duce into the United States the Giant Bees of India. By referring to the supplement to this number of the Bee Keeper our readers will notice that The W. T. Falconer Manfg. Co. are making un- usually low prices on all goods, and especially sections where other goods are ordered with them. The sections offered are not culls, but equal to those they have been selling the past two years, and are known everywhere as the ' ' Falcon Sections, the best in the world." They have sold the same quality of sections within the past month in carload quantities at very much higher prices. As the offer is a limited one every one who may be in need of supplies should take advantage of it. A great many subscriptions have expired the past two months, and .we shall be glad to receive a renewal of each. We will send the Bee-Keeper the balance of this year to new sub- scribers for 25 cents. Remember the Bee-Keeper is regularly com- posed of 32 pages, 16 of which relate exclusively to bee-keeping, and the remainder to miscellaneous literary subjects. This is a special advertis- ers edition. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 45 We have a quantity of Alloy Drone and Queen Trap patterns of 1894 which will be sold at 25c each, regu- lar price 50c. These traps are just as good for practical purposes as those of more recent pattern. We are informed by Mr. Benton that there were but 1,000 copies of Bulletin No. 1 (The Honey Bee) print- ed, and consequently a great many who ask for a copy could not be sup- plied. However a resolution has been introduced iu congress author- izing the printing and distributing of 20,000 additional copies. If this goes through, as no doubt it will, probably all who apply will obtain a copy. The work is of unusual merit, and we shall reprint extracts from it from time to time for the benefit of those of our readers who may not be fortunate enough to obtain a copy. Dont fail to notice the great reduc- tion in price of our well known Falcon Sections, for sample orders with other goods. Wm Gerrish, East Nottingham, N H. will keep a complete supply of our goods during the coming season and Eastern customers will save freight by ordering from him. We want a large quantity of bees- wax, and will pay 30c a pound cash or 32c a pound in goods for good clean wax freight paid to Falconer, N. Y. " How TO Manage Bees," a 50c book, and the American Bee-Keep- ER a year for onl}' 60c. " Mme Modjeska, the once famous actress, according to an item in the British Bee Journal, is now a Califor- nia farmer with 766 colonies of bees on her ranch at the foot of the Santi- ago Peak. What's Rambler about ? or is he keeping it all to him.self ?" (Dr. Miller in Gleanings.) There is a mistake somewhere, Modjeska is not one of the "has been ' famous act- resses, but 18 now, and within a month has appeared in some of the principal Eastern Cities. We clip the follow- ing from a current paper : Cincinnati, Jan. 25. — Mme Mod- jeska is reported in better condition, though still unable to say when she will be able to act. "The very latest exploit of the thrif- ty German pirates, in their warfare against American goods, appears to be the way of adulterating hone}'. A German newspaper complains that the German markets are flooded with adulterated honey from America to the extent of 5,500,000 pounds per annum. There can be no doubt about the fact of this bad honej' being in the markets over there, but a later investigation has shown that the hon- ey was originally brought over from America in its pure and normal con- dition, and that it was subsequently adulterated by the Germans them- selves. In view of the hundred other enterprises of the same sort, this lit- tle trick will, of course, occasion no surprise. The only question that will arise in regard to the matter is, 'What next? ' " We clipped the above from a well known trade journal and must say it is all news to us. Probably the amount of honej' stated is greatly exaggerated. See Clubbing List on page 43. 46 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. February Grand Offer to Subscribers. We will send the Bee-Keeper 6 months, and a box of seeds contain- ing 12 different packages of garden seeds and 3 papers of Flower seeds (value $1.40) for onl}^ 60c post- paid or the Bee-Keeper one year and all the seeds for 75c. Or we will send the Bee-Keeper 6 months and a copy of How to Manage Bees (price 50c) for 50c. The Bee-Keeper 1 year and the book for 60c. Remit in postage stamps. The Porter Spring Escape. There is a prevailing idea that if a sample copy of a newspaper or maga- zine is taken from the postoffice it makes the person receiving it liable for the subscription price of same. This is entirely erroneous. Any one receiving a periodical after the term of subscription has expired cannot be compelled to pay for it, but should of course notify the publisher that the paper was no longer wanted. Read the great offer on the red sup- plement. The Celebrated Falcon Sections almost give away. We have several copies of the pamphlet " Giant Bees of India" by Frank Benton, and will mail a copy to any one for 5 cents. A great many sample copies of this number will be sent to former subscribers, customers and friends and we hope that many who receive them will send in their subscription. We will send the American Bee- Keeper one year with the Cosmopol- itan for .$1.25. The Cosmopolitan is a monthly magazine containing an average of over 100 pages and 80 il- lustrations each month. The above illustration shows the new Porter Spring Escape for honey room windows. It is a modification of the well known Porter Bee Escape, which is now universally used by bee- keepers, The top or oval part is perfor- ated along the edges so that it can be readily tacked to the casing or window frame. The body is made of perforat- ed tin to admit light and its open end is extended into a cone to prevent robbers from crawling into the sides of the springs and interferriug witli the bees passing out, which would oc- cur if it were left open the full width. The interior part is reversed in po- sition from the regular Bee Escape. The springs used are somewhat broad- er and are set slightly more open. To apply these escapes to the win- dow, merely make J or |- inch holes through the screen wire at the upper corners, or if you do not wish to injure the wire cloth remove the tacks from the corners and turn the cloth down until triangular holes of corresponding size are found, and then tack the es- capes in a virtical position over these openings so the bees can pass through them into the escapes. In case the window is provided with an escape made by extending the wire cloth above, close the bee escape with a strip flush with the top of the win- dow and proceed as before. A thorough trial of these escapes has proven that they meet all require- ments and that they are a perfect device for the purpose. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 47 Our Business. On the next page we present our readers with a "bird's-eye view" of our plant as seen from the north- west side. The printing was done from a zinc etching made from a pen and ink sketch, and is a very correct representation. We have been manufacturing bee keepers' supplies for the past fifteen years, beginning on a small scale with a factory only 40x80 feet. From time to time an increasing business made it necessary to enlarge our cap- acity, until today we can truthfully claim to have the largest factory of the kind in the world. Our machinery is run by water power and we also have a 150 h. p. engine with double boilers, our own electric light plant and double exhaust fans for carrying the sawdust and shavings from machines to the fire under boiler. All our buildings are heated by steam and are protected from fire by a complete system of automatic sprinklers. We have three large lumber yards which never con- tain much less than one million feet of such lumber as we constantly use. Owing to the extensive competition and poor honey crops, the bee supply business has not increased very rapid- ly during the past two or three years, and in order to keep our large force (usually over one hundred men) busy the year round we have added other lines of goods, so now in addition to bee keepers' supplies we manufacture annually large quantities of household and school supplies of different kinds. Our factory is equipped with machin- ery for making almost everything that can be made of wood. Comb foundation is made in a sep- arate building built expressly for the purpose, and our make of foundation is well and favorably knovvn. We have special processes for cleaning the wax and manufacturing the foundation. In connection with our plant we have a saw mill where is made a large portion of the lumber used- by us. We are always glad to see our cus- tomers and friends, and you are cor- dially invited tO; call upon us when- ever convenient when we will be pleased to show you what we do and how we do it. Honey and Beeswax Market Report. Below we give tlie latest and most authen- tic report of the Honey and Beeswax market in different trade centers : Kansas City, Mo.. J.ply of No. 1. I'rice of comb 10 to 12c per lb , and 14 to 15c per lb. i xtracted 5 to 6c pei-lb. Fur demand for beeswax. Lighf sur'Ply. Price 25c per Ib.^ E. E, Blake k Co., 75 Chatham St. Chicaoo III . Feb 20, 1896 —White comb honey is .selling at li!c, Light amber 12c per lb. Dark amber not wanted. Kxtracted honey, white. 6c., iight amber 5yic per lb. Dark amber 5c per lb In barrels 1 to 5c per lb. Beeswax 28 to 29c per lb. After the holidays the demand for honey is limited, however we have about di.-posed of our receipts. S. T. Fish k t o,, 189 South Water St. . 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. G5 PLAYING DOMiNOS. MistreFH Morning— well she knowi How to play at doniiuo.s With th(! children, bliihe and gay, Wide awake at break of day. First she shows her bluest skies, Matched by Mary witii her eyes, Next she plays her breezes light, Matched with Lucy's l.aighter bright. Then she throws her sunshine true. Matched with smiles by merry Lou, Flowers come now, sweet white and red. Matched by Josie's flowerlike head. For each charm the; morning throws In this game of domiuos Bomething sweet the children bring, Matching her in everything. If the game goes thus all day, Who will be the victor, praj'? —Amos R. Wells in St. Nicholas. A MIDNIGHT MIRAGE. It was nearly midnight. The ironing was done, and the clothes lay heaped on the table in snowy piles still hot from the iron. Ann Quinn drew a chair up to the little kitchen window that over- looked the river and sat down with a sigh of pain, for her back ached. She tested her chin in her hand and stared through the faint tracery of familiar ob- jects on the glass to the water beyond, lying dark and glossy under the stars. "I wonder if Mis' Niles wants that chipped beef for breakfast," thought Ann Quinn, for she was both a cook and a laundress. "Guess I'll fry them cold potatoes left from dinner, too," she con- tinued, her eyes resting on a faraway cluster of electric lights that trembled like a diamond pendant. Presently, as she sat there, the red rim of the moon pushed itself up behind some trees on the opposite shore. Ann Quinn watched it rising, with a medita- tive look. "It's terrible red. Them lit- tle branches looks like they was drawn on it with a pen. I wonder what that black thing in the water is !" she broke off as a feeler of moonlight slipped across the river to where something black and long bobbed stiffly in the cur- rent. She shaded her eyes from the lamp and pressed her face close to the glass. "Looks like a man," she muttered. As ehe spoke the thing wheeled about and began drifting in toward the stone breakwater beneath the window. Slow- ly it drew near, the little moon sparks dancing in its wake. It floated into the shadow, and she strained her eyes in vain to follow it. "Guess I'll go to bed," she said, giv- ing one mcjre look into the darkness. She did not go, though, for suddenly she saw a lean hand thrust over the breakwater, then another, and the next moment the figure of a man crawled out on the stone below her. Ann Quinn started back, her heart pumping like a steam dredger, for she heard the thick splash of wet feet com- ing up the steps, and she saw a face pressed against the window that she had just quitted — a drawn face, yellow, pale as the handkerchief knotted about its throat. "Let me in, Ann Quinn," said the lips, though she heard no voice. "Let me in. " She stood staring, her broad cheeks whiter than the plates on the dresser be- hind her, but she did not move. The man waited a moment ; then he pushed up the sash and swung himself into the room. The lamp blinked and guttered in the draft, and a door slammed. Ann Quinn quivered from head to foot. The man stood looking at her with famished eyes. "A lifetime, a whole lifetime," he whispered at last, and his voice sound- ed cold and empty as the echo in a vault. "Go away !" cried Ann Quinn. "And take your wet hand off my ironing. " The man moved and stared at the piles of clothes on the table. "Did you do that?" he asked in a low voice. "And are you tired?" "Yes, I d-d it, and I am tired," she replied, stealing her way stealthily to- ward tiie door. As she moved, her terror lent a new, catlike grace to her awkward body She looked almost like another woman in the swaging light — a woman with nar- row, wicked eyes and ]i;he motions. The man stepped quickly before the door and stood there, his clothes flooding the black river water on her clean floor. "And all this time you have worked, while I have had more, a thousand times more, than I could use. Aud we have lived utar each other here in the same city and never knew it. " He cov- ered his face with his hands aud groan- ed. "Our sin — what was it that we 66 THE A ME It J CAN BEE-KEEPER March Bhould reap sucti louelyjears in punish - merit?" Then he moved toward her, his arms outstretched : "My love, my lost love! Give me one kiss, my first since that other grave closed over us. " Ann Quinu gulped, and her hair rose softly. "If you touch me, I'llkill you!" she said hoarsely, catching a knife up from the shelf behind her. The man seemed not to hear her ; he grasped her in his arms and crushed his mouth on hers, and his lips were wet and cold. Ann Quinn leaped away from him and buried the great knife in his heart. He looked into her terrified eyes, and a shadow fell on his face. "See," he said mournfully, "you have stabbed me — again ; but this time it is to. late. " She looked, and there was no blood gushing from that great slash — only the drip, drip of the thick water. Then she covered her face and prayed, for she saw that the man was dead. There was a long silence, broken by the chime of a clock in the house behind them. The man shivered. "An hour more, dear God, only an hour more!" he pleaded, and he wrung his hands, crying hurriedly : "How can I say it all! How can I make her understand !" He seized Ann Quinn's arm and shook her fiercely. "Remember, woman! Try to remem- ber ! Have I forgotten? Havel not lived alone — waiting — and you never came?" She brushed her rough hand over her eyes, something stirred in her torpid brain. As the summer lightning, thread- ing the sky, will show a sudden pearly perspective of unseen cloud mass, theu flash out, leading the saiiii- L"jd uigilit it found, so the soul of Ann ^>Liiun opened for an instant beyond her wretched, worlc ridden world, only to cK e again as quickly. The man caught her look and asked, his voice teuse and quivering: "Those faded lilies of the valley, there in that cup, why did you keep them only from the flowers you threw away this morning?" "They — they — smelled good," an- swered thowTjisiG, troubled, bewildered. "Only that?" "Yes, only that." "Have you never dreamed of some one you loved, some one apart from this miserable squalor I find you in?" The blood flooded her sallow face. "What business is that of yours? Go away, I say!" she added weakly, giving him a push and catching at the table to save herself from falling. "Tell me," he pleaded, "have you never missed me, who was more to you those few short years ago than life or honor?" Ann Quinn looked into his eyes and laughed. There was no mirth in that laugh, though, and he shielded himself as it she had struck at him. Then he spoke again. "Listen," he said. "Tonight in a far land my soul will be born anew. Until then the veil is lifted. But we will cheiit God and love and law — you and I together. Soon my eyes will be blind- ed, and I shall not know you except by this. Take it and keep it always over your heart, and though you be old and bent, and though you be a little child, still I shall kujw you. " Ho thrust his hand into his breast and drew out a leather case. He opened it and pushed something toward her. She looked. It was a faded spray of lily of the valley. Then he reached into hie pocket and threw a canvas bag down on the table. "Take these," he said. "There is enough here to keep you from this drudgery. " He pointed to the iron- ing. "And now I must begone. The river calls to me. " They stood looking at each other in silence. The light swam before Ann Quinn's eyes, and everything blurred but that white face staring into hers. Near- er it came, ever nearer, and she felt her muscles quiver in resistance, then grow lax ; there was a pause, a gasping breath, and she had thrown herself into his arms. The cold ooze from his wet hair trailed on her neck. Closer and closer they swayed together, locked in each other's arms; then, with a strange, thin cry, like the wail of a newborn child, the man tore himself away and leaped from the window into the night beyond. There was a heavy splash and silence. The wind had blown out the lamp. Ann Qaiuu groped her way to the table, dazed and stupid. She struck a match. It sputtered and went out. Theu she crawled away into a corner, her wide eyes fixed on the open window. The moon swam high, and the river ran molten silver beneath it. The little stars 1896 77/ A' AM Hill a AN BEE-KEEPER. G7 set. aud the gray scroll of inoruiug un- rolled aorosa liio uight. Still sho sat there, her eyes Used ou the erupty wiu- dow space. yuuiieuly .she stood up, and she felt old aud dizzy aud laiue. She reached out and picked up the cauvas hag the man had given her. She shook it, aud there roiled out ou the '■ahle a great haudful of unset ruhies. Auu Quinn stood sruriugat them until the fir.sl suu- beani came sjf ting through the darkne.s.s, liglitiug them iuto a thousand crimson sparkles. There was a rap at the door, aud she thrust the jewels from sight. It was only the miikman, aud he looked at the woman's face in disappoiutmeut. "So you've heard the news already?" he asked. "What news?" "Why, didn't you kuow they've found the body of Ellis Price, the milliouairo, drowned not a hundred yards from this very spot?" "No," said Ann Quinu. "Yes, aud they think he must have beeu murdered. He left home to go to the bank with some rubies he had for his uicce's wedding, aud they weren't on the body anywhere. " "Muruered — murdered 1 What would they do if they found — some one with them rubies?" Ann Quinu asked thickly. "Why, haug him high as he'd swiug, " answered the milkmau. Ten minutes later Auu Quiuu stole down to the riverside. She reached over and dropped a haudful of stones into the water — a haudful of stones that shone like blood drops. Down they sauk into the gray river slime. But on the ripples above them huug sumethiug too light to sink, for it was only a dried stem of lilies of the valley. Ann Quinu watched it drift out of sight. Then .-he turned back to the house to get breakfj.-jt. — Julie Closson Kenly in San Francisco Argonaut. Mr Switterda's Sehool. Early in the eighteenth century a Mr. Switterda announces that ladie.s and gentlemeu who desire in a very short time to speak Latin, French or High Dutch tiueutly, and can spare but two hours a %\eek. will be faithfully taughc by him accordiiig to a very easy and de- lightful method, full, plain, most expe- ditious and effectual. "Every oue, " he coutiuues, "is to pay according to his quality from 1 to 4 guineas a month, but he (Mr. Switterda) will readier agree by the great. " A good contrast to the above is the plain aud homely de- Ecription of "a school about 40 miles from Londou. The master has had much success with boys, as there are almost 40 ministers and masters that were his scholars. His wife also teaches girls lacemaking, plain work, raising paste, sauces and cookiug to a degree of exact- cess. His price is £10 or £11 the year, with a pair of sheets and one spoon, to be returned if desired. " — Cornhill Mag- azine. Kissing:. .An English journal i^rints the follow- ing : "A very disagreeable habit of the king of Poyrugal is that he kisses his male friends. The princes of our reign- ing hou.se all do this, aud of oour.se it is common enough abroad ; but, thank heaven, so far this nasty looking (no matter how really innocent) habit has never become fashionable in this coun- try. It is of course all a mere question of etiquette, but let us fervently pray that Englishmen when they meet with or part from their friends will never get to think it the correct thing to kiss one another. Etiquette in parting varies all over the world. In America the men shake hands aud the women kiss one an- other and sometimes cry, for the Amer- ican ladies are champion weepists. Id I France and in Italy even more thewom'- jen weep, while the men kiss aud hug one another almost as vigorously as if they were in a wrestling match. An English woman shakes hands with a man of her acquaintance, while in Spain she always gives her hand to be kissed. It makps the same seusatiou in Madrid for a man to take a woman's hand and shake it as it would in London for a for- eiguer to seize a lady's baud aud kiss it- " A Grave Mistake. Music Piiblislier (to song writer) — You have made an error in this duet which would hurt its sale with our lady customers if published. Song Writer — Why, what is it? Music Publisher — You have given the last word to the man. — New Y'ork Herald. 68 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEKPF.R, March THE FiN DE SiECLE DAMSEL. She has hair that is fluffy, straight, banged or half cnrled ; Has a parasol, oft by her deft fingers twirled. She has eyes either brown or black, gray or true blue; Has a neat fitting glove and a still neater shoe. She has cheeks that make bitter the envious rose. She has trunks upon trunks of the costliest clothes. She has jewels that shine as the stars do at night, ^nd she dances as Ariel dances— or might. She's accustomed to sitting on rocks in the glen. She's also accustomed to sitting on men. There's not much in her brain, but there's heaven in her smile. Her profession is love, and she flirts all the while. — Munsey's Magazine. A BICYCLE THIEF. A certain news agency had telegraphed abroad the report that I am in Switzer- land, not for the benefit of my health, but for the purpose of stealing bicycles, and they added that I was an expert thief, and, for a time at least, I had succeeded in baffling the most praise- worthy attempts of the police of two towns to capture me. While this statement is naturally flat- tering to me it is nevertheless a libel, and, in fact, if I cared to use strong language I might go so far as to take the last syllable away from the word "libel." The whole trouble arose through Switzerland not having a proper lan- guage of its own, that hilly country pre- ferring to express what few thoughts it has in a mixture of French, German and Italian, depending on what particular canton you happen to be in. They say that the Swiss are natural linguists. Unfortunately they are. Any combina- tion of sounds you may make means fiomething to any Swiss to whom you happen to be talking, for he knows so many languages that you are sure to hit one of them, and so you convey ideas to him that you had no thought of express- ing. October weather is lovely in Switzer- land. Most of the visitors have then gone, prices come down one-half, and the air is sweet and cool, with usually a cloudless sky. Under these circumstances 1 thougJbt it would be a nice thing, as the roads were good and the scenery picturesque, to take a bicycle tour right around Lake Thun, beginning at the town which gives the lake its name, going around the north side of the lake to Interlaken and returning by the south shore. The hotel keeper told me that if I went up the street, turned to the right, went under an arcade until I came to a tunnel, penetrated that and emerged on another street, turned to the left and kept on I would come to the shop of a man who would let me have a bicycle on hire by the day or the hour. I fol- lowed the directions as closely as possi- ble and thought I recognized the shop because a bicycle was leaning against the wall. The owner was leaning against the doorway, looking at the bi- cycle outside. The following conversa- tion in many languages took place be- tween us : "Habeu sie un bicyclette a louer?" I opened on him with the above impartial mixture of German and French. It seems he understood me to ask if that was his bicycle, whereupon he replied in four languages : "Yaw, yaw, oui, yes, se. " Then, throwing in a bit of Italian, I led off with : "Quanta costa la machine a la hoor, Oder per tag?" Now, I submit that to any educated person, or even to a university man, this sentence said as plainly as print, "How much do you want for this ma- chine by the hour or the day?" I tried afterward to get the magistrate to see this, but he, not knowing Italian, shied at the very beginning of the phrase. The owner of the bicycle on oath de- clares that he thought I asked how much the bicycle had cost him. He says that he answered he paid 500 francs for that brute of a machine, made in France, while I understood him to agree to let me have it for 5 francs a day, which was cheap. I was in a hurry to be off and was afraid he might repent his offer, so I said it was all right, and I would take it, whereupon, without further parley, I wheeled the bicycle into the middle of the road, sprang on its buck and was off, leaving the aston- ished man standing by his door, too thunderstruck, it seems, to make any 1896. Tllh: A MKIHC 1 .V liEK- KEEPKR. (i!) outcry until I had passed beyond hl8 sight at the first turuiug of the road. I pedaleil sereuely ou, little realizing what a couiuioiiou I had left behind me, and the one funuy thing about this most regrettable episode is that I spent an exceedingly c^uiet, peaceful and en- joyable day, not knowing I was pursued, making no attempt to elude anybody and yet eluding them in what appeared afterward to be by subtle and crafty dodges. The ujagistrate could not be persuaded that my sitting on the ve- randa of a restaurant in the main street of Interlaken, with the bicycle in plain view of everybody, was not the brazen act of a hardened criminal, who knew the police would be searching for him in the back streets. When the man standing against the doorway had recovered partly from his amazement at my sudden flight on his machine, he rushed to the police station and told the authorities there a plausi- ble foreigner had engaged him in polite Ollendorfiaj conversation, and, while Ilis mind was distracted in trying to f ol low his remarks, had seized the oppor- tunity and also the machine and was at that moment making his way to the Dorth road toward Interlaken. Now, capture under these circum- stances seemed to be deliciously easy. There were no branching off roads. The mountains were on one side and the lake on the other, ou neither side of which was bicycling practicable. Therefore all the two policemen had to do, when they mounted their machines, was to ride faster than I did, and so overtake me. As I had no idea that a race was ov\ I plunged along in a leisurely manner and would undoubtedly have been taken near Interlaken if it had not been for the fact that some years ago a company built a funicular lailway from the mar- gin of the lake a mile or so up to St, Beatenburg. I had lived in St. Beaten- burg once, and I remembered that the road from there to lulerlaken was a good one, so I Ihouciht' that perhaps it would not I e a bad plan to go up on the railway and coast down to Interlaken. I knew a nnm who had done it once. I can well bt^lievo now that no one ever tries it the second time. The car goea up to St. Beatenburg threip or four times a day only, but wht u a couple of miles away from the ];uuling I saw a steamer coming in, and I knew if I reached the lauding about the time she did I would get a car. I am not a racer, but I thereupon put in my best licks to make connection with the mountain railway. The road at this point is as level as th^ lake itself and only a few feet above it. My thoughts turned to the railway because I knew that beyond the lower end of it the carriage road rose high above the lake, pa.ssed through several tunnels and then went down to the Interlaken plain. By taking the up car I would avoid all this and have it down hill all the way. The policemen, it seems, caught sight of me as I was making my spurt, and they at once put on extra steam, but there is a deep bay just before one reaches the funicular, and they lost sight of me as I turned the point. I had reached the top of the railway funicu- lar, and I bicycled the mile or more along the street, high up above the lake, on one side of which is scattered the village of St. Beatenburg, with its won- derful view of the snow mountains — the Jungfrau, the Eiger, the Moncb and a host of others. I found the ride down the zigzag road not such fun as I had expected. I saw the brake was not going to last if I kept on, so I had to walk most of the way down. Coming to a more level ground, I cycled gently into Interlaken, making for the place where they sell Munich beer, and there, over a mug and a sandwich on the main street, I made my frugal lunch, with the bicycle standing against a pillar of the veranda. After a smoke I proceeded out of In terlaken and took the south road that borders the lake. This road is not so good for cycling as the other, being much more hilly, while the roadbed is more stony. I therefore walked a good deal, taking it very leisurely, and in course of time I was overtaken by a po- liceman, who also was walking his ma- chine. He asked me if I had met a man on a bicycle coming from Tbun, and I told him quite truly that I had not. He seemed discouraged and told me all about the bicycle theft and the arre.st of the wrong man. He feared the thief had hidden in the forest until he and his comrade went past and then perhaps twok the steamer across the lake, or the villain might merely have pretended to 70 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. March take the uor.ii ro id, v,h.Je in re:.] ly 1 ■ weut by the sraith Thus the policemaii hoped to meet him yet I promised t) keep a lot.kcnt, ami the of!ic!er ^\eut en Whei! I reached Thuu and came tu the place \Yhe?o I got the bicycle, I fouwd the man was in Interlaken, sud his wife, who knew all about the ret bery, was amazed tq see the tbief re- turn the machine and iDlace 5 francs rr'i-:: his thanks on the coun'er. I regret to f^ay that the apparent hov- esty of this act-on did not commend i" self to the authorities. They looked c:i it as the ruse of a crafty scoundrel, \.\S' realized that, so vigilant were the po- lice, it was impossible for him to es- cape, and so endeavored to throw dust in the eyes of the wise men of the place. I therefore had 1 3 pay the expenses cf the chtiee and apologize to everybody concerned. Thus the bicycle, at 5 francs a day, was not so cheap as I had at first sup- posed.— Luke Sharp in Detr.oit Free Press. An Attentive Gallant. Among the audience at one of the popular theaters wp.vq a young man and a young woman who appeared to be either newly married or on the verge of it. The young man was as attentive as he could be, and the young woman, who wore all the earmarks of a spoiled child, took all his little kindnesses as a matter of course. Between the first and second acts the courteous gallant whispered to his fair one for a moment, and she nod- ded her hdad affirmatively. The youi:;; man arose and went out of the thea'er through a door leading to an adjoin ii!;; candy store. He returned a few minutes later accompanied by a colored boy i:i white coat and apron, who carried in one hand a tray with a glass of soda water upon it and in the other a napkin. He stood in the aisle while the young man besouglit h:s lady to refresh herself with the glass of soda. The eyes of the entire audience were upon them. The young woman sniffed at the glass dis- dainfully and waved it aside. A face- tious youngster in the front row of the gallery ruthlessly fractured the prevail- ing silence with the suggestion: "Slap 'er on de 'rist, de sassy t'ing. Get 'er some shampy. She don't want none o' yer temp'rance drinks." The young man blushed and sat down and looked miserable during the rest of the play.— Philadelphia Record. An Old Love Lietter. The following love letter, written by a Kentuckian in his youth, and bearing date in 1823, may be of use to some of our more modern but less effusive and tropical lovers, as an example in erotic epistolary correspondence : My Dear and Adorable Polly— As the heavens yield gloomy aspects, making null and void my timidical feelings, I sit down to promulgate to you, most holy and immaculate virgin, that I hold a kind of biennial reverence for your most sacred charms, but owing to the 1 intense frigidity of the circumambient atmos- tphere it has discomboborated my respiration like a ship tossed on the tumtiltuous ocean in sight of the delightful land and then tossud back again. Oh, if there is any tender pity lies within that snowy bosom, delay my raging passion, or I shall doubtless pass out of this world in a hu.rricane of sighs to that sweet elysian which gives dreams of consolation to heal lovesick hearts. Your fond adorer, etc. It may reduce the percentage of ro- mance to state that the writer died an old bachelor about 20 years ago. — New York Sun. Royal Etiquette. On one occasion Queen Victoria, Lonis Philippe and the Duke of Wellington paid a visit to Eton college. They were invited to sign the visitor's book. The French king thoughtlessly took up the pen and signed his name at the top of the page. Etiquette, however, forbade Queen Victoria to sign her name under any other. She therefore signed on the top of the next page. She then took np the pen and handed it to the Duke of Wellington, who was so excited at the contretemps that he actually signed his liame"Weg£,'ington. " And, by the way, it maybe i-ecorded that etiquette forbids the queen to converse with tradesmen. When a purveyor waits upon her, the queen addresses her remarks to an equerry, who in turn addresses the ex pectant merchant.' — Philadelphia Times. No Danger. "My dear," said young Mrs. McFlim- eey to her husband, "I do wish you would not go about the house in your shirt sleeves. People will think your fa- ther worked for a living." "They won't when they know his 1H96. THE AMEBIGAN BEE-KEEPKB. 71 How Tom Scott Iteeame Rich. An iuterestjng stuij is tuld by T. O. Curtis of Lowville, Columbia couuty, iibnut Tom ycott, x\w milliouaire Jum- beimau, who died some years ago. Mr. Curtis came to Wisconsin iu the forties and eugafred iu hauling goods from Mil- waukee to the pineries. While iu Mil- waukee he uiet a young man who had fallen into ill luck. He had a few hind warrants, Innvever, from which he hoped to realize a few hundred dollars. These warrants were given to Mr. Cur- tis to sell. He afterward disposed of them for several times the amount the young man had expected to receive for them. In the meantime the young fellow had gone to New York city. The money was forwarded to him and reached him in a very opportune time, being the means of placing him iu a position where he became, later, tie bead of one of the lar- gest dry goods firms iu the great metrop- olis. Some years afterward Mr. Curtis vis Ited New York, where be was joyously received and royally entertained by the merchant prince whom he had "placed on his feet," as he himself expressed it, a few years before. Tom Scott at this time bad a sort of store at "the Rap- ids," but bis stock had so dwindled down that he remarked to Curtis that be would have to do some hard scratching iu order to obtain a new stock. Curtis, remembering his New York friend, signed a joint note with Scott and ob- tained from the gentleman the desired goods. "That," says Mr. Curtis, "was Tom Scott's starter in life." — Milwau- kee Wisconsin. \Vorkinff Under Pressure. It is said that the liighest recorded air pressure under which men have worked is 50 pounds to the square inch. Forty-five pounds has boon found about as much as the averape workman can stand. When it is ueoc^sary, in such as sinking cais- sons, to work under such pressure as this, the men are changed frequently. If the charactor of the excavation is such as to allow considerable leakage, the men can work nmch longer than otherwise, owing to the ccnstant change of air. The neces- sity of breathing the same air over and over again, is said to bo productive of worse results than the high pressure. — Baltimore American. ini) Came Hard. In Fr-.»uce, as in most other countries, It is necessary to give one's age when making a statement in a court of justice, as well as in many other official pro- ceedings. But Frenchwomen of mature years are noted above all other women for tlieir unwillingness to stale their age. On one occasion a lady who had to testify was accompanied to the court by a numerous company of her friends, and when the magistrate asked, "How old are you?" there was such a coughing and clearing of throats, as of people suf- fering from severe colds, that all that could b9 beard in the courtroom was " ty years!" Through the amiability of the magis- trate, this more than half .suppressed re- sponse was allowed to stand, but the tribunals are not always so lenient. On another occasion a magistrate asked a woman : "What is your age, madam?" "Whatever you choose, sir," an- swered the lady. She was under oath. "Yoii may put down 45 years, then," said the magistrate to the clerk. "What .is your occupation, madam?" "Sir," said the witness, "you have made a mistake of ten yearsinmy age. " "Put down 55 years, then," said the magistrate. "Your residence" — "Sir," exclaimed the lady, "my age is 35 years, not 55 !" "At last we have your statement," said the magistrate, and be proceeded with the examination. — Youth's Com- Daniou. Why Hnnt For It? Tommy's Mother— Did you hear about poor Mrs. Jones? She ran a needle into her hand. The doctors had to open every finger trying to find it. Tommy— What made 'em do that, mammaV Why didn't they get the lady another needle?- ^ = -* Were Not In Her Set Anyhow. The teacher of the infant class at the Sunday school, to interest the little ones, had begun to tell them the story of the fall of man, when a mite of a girl was heard to exclaim half aloud, "Oh, I'm BO tired (if that story about the Ad- 72 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. March A. European Idea. Orseof tl:e most clunacteristic features of Europe-.'.ii prisous as a whole is that prisoners are allowed to have a portioc of their earuii^gs. This system prevails in France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Eussia, Sweden, Denmark and other countries. The amount earned by the prisoners varies considerably where it depends upon piece work. In France the average salary of the prisoner is 35 cents a "uy. Of, this amount the prisoner is allowed tu spend one-half while in pris- on for supplementary food and clothing, postage, etc. , though no expenditure is made without the approval of the ad- ministration The other half is reserved until the time of his discharge. A three years' prisoner has to his credit on leav- ing an average of $50, a fonr years' prisoner $7() and a five years' prisoner about $90. — Chicago Record. SxperimentinST. Some gentlemen, cruising round a part of the Irish coast, observing that about the same hour every day a boat containing two men and a woman took its passengers from the shore, and after a short time returned with them, in- quired the reason. "My men," said one, "what makes yon come cut here every day? Is it that you like it so much?" "Oh, your honor, not at all, but, your honor, the wife and me's going soon toAustraiy, and so we're just prac- ticing the saysickness, that we may be used to it when we start. " "Well, and do you find yourselves im- proving?" "Ah, sure, your honor, the wife's ill every day, but she's gettingonpurtily !" —Strand Magazine. first S:g:iit of a Railway Train. A country boy who was brought up in a remote region of Scotland had occasion to accompany his father to a village near which a branch line of railway passes. The morning after his arrival, when sauntering in the garden behind the house in which they were staying, he beheld with wondering eyes a train go by. For a moment he stood staring at it with astonishment, and then, run- ning into the house, he said: "Fayther, fayther, comeoot. There's a smiddv ran off wi' a row o' houses, an it's awa' floon by the back o' the town." — Lon- don Telegraph. The Butcher and His Customers. "What, 're legs o' mutton selling for ?" asked Griddlerack, entering the butch- er's shop of Cleaves. Cleaves looks about him cautiously and then whispers, "We're asking 14, but we'll let you have it for 13. " "Comeuow," says Griddlerack, "none of your shinanigans. You just sold a leg to Eabbage for 12>^." To this Cleaves promptly replies : "But not for such mutton as this. I could sell you such mutton as I sold to Rabbage for 10 cents — if I had any left. " "Nonsense! I saw yon when you cut it off, and I know it came off the same sheep that this did." Cleaves — You're a sharp one, you are, Griddlerack. There's no getting the start o' you. And nobody wants to. Leastwise, I don't. Let me tell you the dead truth about it, Griddlerack. Rab- bage's leg did come off the same critter, and I did sell him for 12)2, but what's a fellow going to do? Rabbage is such a confoundedly close buyer, it's next to impossible to sell him. So when he came in just now I put the price way down, but he didn't get ahead of me so much as he thought he was going to. I cheated him on the weight — see? Griddlerack — Oh, that so? All right then ; I'll t#ike that leg. — Boston Tran- script. Different Views. "Do yoti ever go to church?" asked a city missionary of a woman who had applied to him for assistance. "No, I don't," was the reply. "The fact is, I ain't fit things to wear. My husband's been out 0' work so long I've run out 0' things, and, anyhow, me and my husband have such diff'rent views I'd have to go alone if I went at all. " "What are your views:" "Well, I'm a Methodist, and my hus- band, he's one o' these here Knights o* Eithiiiii, " — Youlli's Conmanlon. First Negro Minstrel. The first man who ever sang a negro song on the stage was an actor named Herbert. He sat in a chair before the curtain. He painted his face with black T)aiiit.. taiiiied jiotk hainrr tl>a» jj*^*^" ""■■*- 189G. THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 73 How She Got the Ne^s. Two Louisville woineu who are "great friends," jih the phrase goes, froui one cause or another had j)ot met for several ■weeks, though living only a few stjuaros apart. The other night one dauje went dow'n to visit the other one and said ou entering the house : "Margaret, I came down to visit you because I heard you were sick. " "Well," answered Margaret, who seemed a tritle out of sorts, "you took your time about it. I have been sick a ■week. ' ' "Yes," Deborah replied, "but I could not come sooner because you took such a roundabout way of letting me know you were sick. " "Roundabout way? I don't reninmber sending you any word at all. How did you hear?" "Well, you wrote the news to your daughter Alice in Milwaukee; slic wrote to my daughter Mary in New Oi'leans ; Mary mentioned it when she wrote to me — and that is how 1 h-ippened to come over." — Louisville Courier- Jour- nal. Artificial Scenting: ol Flowers. Flowers that have lost something of their perfume are now scouted ariificial- ly by watering thenj wii:h an ali;oholic solution of essence, \ising a liitl<; glycer- in to fix the odor. Thus, for violots, the liquid is composed of 100 grams of glycerin and 10 grams of essence of violet. In many places, while .-centen violets are comparatively rare, the un scented kinds grow wild in great profu- sion. These are now bought up in large quantities, scented artificially and put into the market in advantageous compe- tition with the perfumed violets grown by the horticulturists. Cut flowers -which have wilted from time or transportation are revived by being plunged into a ■weak solution of sal ammoniac. Flowers ■which have little or no scent are also perfumed for sale by being put into a box with ice and tlien saturated with a current of carbonic acid charged with perfume. — London Public Opinion. near Sunderland, he was returning to his host's house alorjg a lonely road, when he was acco.s*ced by a robber. The latter was a believer in the right of might and requested Mr. Mackenzie to turn out all the cash he had got. "Well, my dear man," replied Mr. Mackenzie, "you know I am big enough to thrash you. If it's money you want, I'll give you half a crown." The robber would not accept this very charitable offer. Mr. Mackenzie "doffed" his coat and gave him what the man is now jjleased to call "a dashed good hiding." That thrashing did the man a great service, for he afterward left the paths of vice and became one of Mr. Mackenzie's many converts. An XliUMtriouH PUi ■\. It was in 1859, when he was embas- sador at St. Petersburg, that Prince Bis- marck studied Russian. The suspicious ex-chancellor, who once declared that blotting paper was "an invention of the enemy," wished to dispense with inter- preters. He engaged a young law stu- dent to give him lessons. M. Alexeleoff has lately furnished some particulars of his former pupil. The pronunciation of certain syllables was a great difficulty, and Bismarck got out of temper more than once, but he finally mastered the language well enough for his purpose, and then disput- ed the remuneration which had been agreed upon. Bismarck carefully kept his knowl- edge of Russian a secret from the court, with the result that he occasionally gleaned information not intended for him, but ou one occasion the czar, who was talking in Russian to Prince Gort- shakott', noticed that the embassador was looking very fixedly at hiju, and at once guessed the truth. He a^Ked Bismarck, point blank, if he understood Russian, and the "man of blood and iron" con- fessed, much annoyed at having been found out. — Pearson's Weekly. Muscular Christianity. The Westminster Budget tells a char- acteristic story of the late Rev. Peter Mackenzie of London. Many years ago, after delivering a lecture in a village Out of His Liine. The Boston Transcript reports that two gentlemen fell into a talk about books. "What do you think of the 'Origin of Species?' " asked one man. "I have never read it," was the other's reply, "in fact," he added, "I am not interested in financial subiecta " 74 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. March O'N'E TJTTLE T^CTJR "ERt "DAT. The ■v\i'ii5.1e I sleeping lay One liltle hour pre clay, Befoi'e my ■window on the tree X swalU-w 8ang this song to mo, One little hour ere day. Kcw listen to my lay, Thy lover I betray. The while I sing this song to theo Another maiden kisseth he, ^fm little hour ere day. Oh, nje, no further say! Ah, hush, no more betray I Fly, swallow, from my sill away. Ah, love and faith, a dream are they One little hour ere day. — Eduard Moerike. CHOLLY'S STORY. It was too warm an evening, even fol a smoking concert, Cliolly said as h« came out of his room, attired all in white, looking a perfect picture of man- ly beauty. Cholly was a blond specimen of the male sex, blue eyed, golden hair- ed, a stalwart representative of tha Saxon type. He was 27, well placed as regards this world's wealth and position. Life to him — thanks to old Egerton Bailey, his late father — was a pleasant pastime, the world a charmed play place, where girls worshiped him and men voted hira a trump. So much for Cholly, debonair, kind hearted and handsome, who had traveled the world over, making friends wherever he went. Cholly's prediction that it was too warm even for a smoking concert on this particular evening was verified by the slim attendance there on his arrival. Only eight men out of the 30 expected found their way to the usual rendezvous. By general agreement the music was banished, coats discarded, negligee atti- tudes assumed, and the eight men amused themselves by relating anecdotes and personal experiences. "By thev.ay, Cholly, " at last a friend said to the blond Adonis, who, sprawled on a sofa, was listening quietly to the conversation, "you're very silent to- night. You've just arrived from the west too. Come, haven't you some blood curdling tale to tell us of western atroc- ities, cowboy 'breaks' or Coxey out- rages? These fellows' stories are stale. We require something spicy to stir us up a nignt lUie tiTis. " "Well. I did have an adventure, but its recital won't be spicy, Tracy. I don't think it will be the style you care for." "Out with it! Out with it!" seven voices simultaneously exclaimed. "Is it a Christian Endeavor story, Cholly?" asked Tracy. "You do look awful sol- emn. " "No; it's a Sunday school talk," said Andy ViG:irs, a very young man with a new mustache and a drawl. "All right," said Cholly quietly; "if you fellows don't be quiet, I won't tell it." "Go on, Cholly. Don't mind the calves, " grunted old Major Poole. "Tell us your story, man." "It will interest you, major. Doubt- less you remen)ber the Donovans of Limerick — i -etty Kate, they called one of tliem. I met them in Dublin." "Do I lensember her? May me eyes fall out of me head if I ever see her likes agaiu^ — eyes like violets, hair like ink and a skin like peaches and cream. And a fi;:,'ger ! God bless you, boys, she had a figger like a goddess. She could ride cress country like a bird. Never saw such a rider before nor since. But, Clanlly, me boy, I thought you were 'gone' ir» that direction. Oh, the pair you'd have m^e!" Cholly blushed scarlet ; the company exchanged glances. "Seems to me," said Andy Vicars, "that the major's telling this story. Go on, Cholly; hold the platform." So Cholly cleared his- throat, as Andy said afterward he seem- ed mightily upset by the major's re- marks, wiped the perspiration from his flushed face and began : "Yen tee, fellows, my story will have to con8i>st of two parts, the introduction and the-sequel. It begins in Ireland four years ago and ends in Canada four days ago. It was in Dublin tiiat I first met Miss Kale Donovan of Limerick. She was a stunner, as the major says, the best cross country rider I ever saw. She was poor as »• church mouse and proud as Lucifer. She was an orphan ; had been brought up by her uncle, old Peter Don- ovan. He had three daughters of his own, but none of them could hold a caiiule to Miss Kate herself. From what I saw during the time I was in Dublin I don't think the trio cared much for pretty Kate ; they were jealous of her 189G. TUB AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 75 and took pains to show it id many pettj' ways, particularly when Captain Gor- don, who was considered a niatrinfonial catcli, appeared on the scene and devoted himself to Kato. " ^ "Captain Bnpert Gordon of the Forty- seventh ?" queried Major Poole. "The very same, a dark beggar, with a bad mouth and lots of money. "Well, he was the man that set all the Dublin girls wild. They literally lionized him. He was douce enough there. He was asked everywhere, and old Peter Donovan was mad enough when he asked him for bis niece and not for one of his daughters. They said the three girls never spoke to Kate for weeks. "Poor Kate! She hardly knew what to do. bhe was very unhappy. She told me all about it oue evening at a dance. She had a devil of a life in her uncle's house, and Gordon seemed very fond of her. She didn't know what he really was: neither did I, or I could have warned her. They were married in Sep- tember. In November Gordon took her to the Riviera after the honeymoon was over. A fellow who met them there told me that Kate — that is, Mrs. Gordon — looked miserably unhappy, and people said Gordon ill treated her. However that may be, she did not stay with him very long. Oue day a woman appeared at the hotel where they were staying. She was a gaudily attired specimen, not overculfured. She registered as Mrs. Captain Gordon and forred herself into the Gordon private rooms. Gordon hadn't a word to say. He owned up that he had married her five years be- fore soniewnere, wheieh^s regiment was stationed — 1 forget a\ here. There was a terrible soeae, which ended by Ka!o leaving the ni.tcl. Ko oue knew where she went. j\ly iriend, an Engli.«hmau, who told me jr.st v>l;at I have told you, tried to foi.'ow her and offered to do what he coukl for hor in a monetary way. He was a gentleman and meant well by her. the refused all offers c-f assistance and disappeared as if the Mediterranean had swallowed her up. Be hoard uf her again at Marseilles. She had been singing in a cafe there. She always had a pas.cable voice and played the banjo well. Pour Kate! Pi :r pride was dragged in the dust ; her heart was broken. " ChoIIy paused to wipe the perspiration from his face and take a few sips from a tumbler beside him. The old major, for a wonder, kept silence, froin time to time shaking his head sorrowfully. "I suppose that is the first part of the story," broke in Andy Vicars. "It is deuced sad. Hope the little girl got back to her uncle. " "Uncle!" growled Major Poole. "Poor child ! He didn't want her. He was a cruel hearted, mean old sconndrel, was Peter Donovan. He never treated the girl right when he had her. " Cholly nodded bis head affirmatively to Major Poole's assertion and continued his story : "This all happened four years ago. No one heard anything during that time of pretty Kale Donovan, for, you see, she wasn't Mrs. Gordon, after all. An aunt of hers did have the grace to write to me, making inquiries. She had heard that Kate was in the United States, in a place called Pennsylvania, and would I make inquiries, as I lived, no doubt, near thereV You know, these old coun- try people, as they call themselves, think that the United States are about as large as an English county. " "Do I know it?" interrupted the ma- jor. "Why, a lady in London once asked me to personally deliver a small parcel of china to her daughter because I lived in New York, near where her daughter was settled. I took the parcel, thinking to see the address of some street here. Where do you think the fair creature lived?" "New Jersey?" hazarded Vicars. "Maine?" queried another. "No!" roared the major. "Idaho!" "Guess you didn't accept the com- mission, major," said Cholly. "Well, no. I relieved my mind by re- citing sundry words not in Webster's Dictionary. Go on, my boy. Tell us all you know of pretty Kate Donovan." "I came through Canada on my way from the west a few days ago," contin- ued Chnlly. "We changed cars at a place not far from Toronto and had some hours to wait for connection. Strolling iiround, I came to a place where a ciuus was in full swing — dou- ble tent, sideshows, all complete. Con- sulting my watch, I found I had time to see the performance. An English steeplechase was advertised as the chief 76 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER, March atlractiou. irl. .1 jj t coii'njtr)ced v, 1. , u I took my scat in (he fir.st row, closo to the riug. I t-ao hardly tell you my i'e 1 iugs when I recoguized the first lady rider -who entered. It was Kate Dono- van. ' ' "Good heavens!" ejaculated the major. "Come to that?" "Yes; it was Kate, graceful, lithe, nervy as ever, looking like a queen among those painted judys and rough men. " "How could you sit there and see it?" groaned Major Poole. "I hadn't to sit long. I recognized her instantly, r'^d, poor girl, she saw mel" "Knew you?" gasped the major. "Yes; slie turned pale under the hor- rible paint and rouge she was daubed with. Somehow she seemed to lose her nerve all of a sudden. The horse, a vi- cious black beast, swerved to one side suddenly — major, fellows, I cannot tell it, it was too horrible." "Kate Donovan to lose her nerve on horseback? I (;aunot credit it," said the major in an awed tone. "I was in the ring and by her side in a moment," Cholly continued, not no- ticing the major's interruption. "She knew me, jKior girl, when her eyes opened for the first time. She died with her hands t ,:^ % Yours truly, Geo.R Gray. March 20, 1896. 86 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. April The W. T. Falconer M'p'g Co., Gentlemen : Since you have asked for some experiences of bee keeping I have concluded to write you some of my own with those of others. Last winter I put all my bees into the cel- lar, but did not give them an airing on any of the warm days as T should have done sometime during the winter. The result was that two colonies died, the dampness having caused diarrhea. I could not have any fire in the cellar and the Aveather was at one time very cold. The bees were in box hives, and it was impracticable to use a Hill's device. Of course as soon as I found that they were not doing well I took them out. This year the bees so far are all right. One of my neighbors who has kept bees for a longtime, mostly in old box hives, always winters them upon the summer stands without any protection, but last wiuter he told me he lost about fifteen, and that he has become disgusted with the business, as he has but five colonies left. He said that in several of the boxes there was plenty of honey, and he supposed there was some disease that was the cause of the death of the bees. I think that could he have used the Hill's device over the combs and had the device covered, he might have saved some at least of the swarms. It seems that some of them were not provided with sufficient food, and so would have died anyway as the weath- er was so cold and seyere that the bees could not break cluster to get food outside. I tried feeding a small swarm by placing a small box of honey directly above the cluster, the entrance to the honey being through a two inch hole. It did not work satisfactorily. The result was that all the bees died. Yours respectfully, T. V. S. March 18, 1896. The W. T. Falconer M'f'g Co., Gentlemen : Please accept thanks for quick reply and shipment of goods. I cannot praise your hives too highly. If I have already told you this, just accept this also. Yours truly, A. L. Smith. Rahway, N. J., Mch. 14, 1896. Editor American Bee-Keeper : In a recent number of the American Bee-Keeper Mr. G. M. Doolittle writes in regard to painting hives and I will admit that I am somewhat puzzled. Now I believe it is admitted on all sides that the bees plaster the sides of their hives with propolis. This looks to me as if they wanted a smoother surface to travel over and also to ex- clude the moisture. The same process would prevent the moisture from es- caping through the hive. Now to help in that direction I use the best white paint, for without paint or propolis I think the moisture from outside would more than counterbalance that from within. His test may decide the mat- ter for him, but as I look at it leaves me in doubt. Amateur. The W. T. Falconer M'f'g Co., Gentlemen : Your goods came to hand in good order, and I am very well pleased with them in all respects. Please accept my thanks for your promptness. Yours truly, Sol. Harpst. Kremis, Pa„ March 14, 1896. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 87 I From Aniericuii Bee Journali. BEE-FORAGE -SOME IMPORTANT SUGGESTIONS. BY PKOF A. J COOK. The general failure of the honey crop for so many seasons during the last decade in nearly all portions of the country, and the absolute failure in arid regions like Southern California, whenever the rainfall comes short of a certain limit, gives to this subject of honey-plants, more than merely a passing interest. In the great North East of our country, before the great forests of basswood and tulip were cleared away, and the great marshe.-i with their pro- fusion of boneset, golden-rods, asters, etc, were drained — and possibly we may add, before the seasonal droughts, consequent upon the removal of the forests and drainage of swamps — each and every sea.-on was a honey season, and the expression of "honey-years" had no significance, and so was un- heard among bee-keepers. In Cali- fornia, if the rainfall is less than 15 inches, experience proves that the honey-production will range from nothing to less than half the ina.\i- mum crop. These facts make it desirable that the bee-keeper should study thorough- ly the bee-forage of the country, should know the honey-plants, the quality and quantity of honey which each is likely to produce, and the effect of drouth and other seasonal peculiarities upon the nectar-secretion of each species. This subject suggests two practical considerations, both of which will en- gage the thoughtful attention of every wise bee-keeper: In securing a loca- tion, he will give earnest heed to the native bee-plants, hoping to secure a rich bee-pasturage, without any extra labor, in the natural resources of his neighborhood. Many a Michigan and Wisconsin bee-keeper has been led to rejoice in by-gone years, because of the near proximity to his bee-yard of a grand forest of basswood, or of a broad expanse of marsh-land. Even today, the great basswood forests of Wisconsin make that, perhaps, the leading honey-state of the great North East. Year after year the willow-herb of the pine- clearings of Northern Michigan, supplemented by the berry- bushes of the same treeless tracts, has given a rich honey crop of finest qual- ity to the bee-keepers of that region. If the apiary is along a stream, so that variation in moisture will prolong the season of bloom, then the bee-keeper will rejoice in greater prosperity. Mr. Doolittle and others along the Mohawk River in New York have felt the benefit of such location. In Southern California a good range of white and ball sage in both valley and canyon, hard by the apiary, followed by gen- erous acres of wild buckwheat, will give a wondrous crop in seasons of bounteous rainfall. If eucalyptus and alfalfy are found in quantity, then he may be more independent of the rainfall. After the location is decided, then the enterprising bee-keeper will antic- ipate drouths, winds, cool seasons, and endeavor to add to the native recourc- THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. April es in his section, which he will almost always be able to do, so that if possi- ble he may rejoice in a bountiful honey harvest each season. Let us consider what may be wisely attempt- ed in this direction. It is well if the bee-keeper has so wisely located that he will be content to make his location his permanent home. Then he can fix up his apiary so that it will be his pride, and the pride of his section. This will make his bee-keeping more than a mere business, it will become his pleasure, and he will mingle poetry with the prose of life. Once permanently lo- cated, and the bee-keeper may set to work to make his locality all that it is possible to make it. By proper thought and wise management this may be easily and cheaply done. In the first place, let me urge, that it will not pay to plant good land with bee plants exclusively for honey. My own experiments, extensively car- ried on for a series of years, at the Michigan Experiment Station, as also private experiments by others, makes this more than mere opinion — make it really demonstrated fact. But it will pay oftentimes to scatter seeds of the mints, sweet clover, viper's bugloss, great willow-herb, etc., on all waste places near by the apiary. It will pay to line the roadside with tulip, linden and other nectar-producing trees, and get our neighbors to do the same, even if we have to pay some- thing towaidrt the purchase of these trees. Mr. D. A. Jones did very much of such work about his home at Bee- ton, Out. Mr. Root planted out many basswoods at Medina, and now is reap- ing the advantage which must swell with the years. To raise buckwheat and Alsike, and induce one's neigh- bors to do so, may be very wise. All this, the tree-planting, and buckwheat and Alsike growing pays, aside from the bees axd honey, and should re- ceive most thoughtful attention by all our bee-keepers. I believe that bee- keepers of the East may well adopt these suggestions. With little ex- pense, they may add materially to their income by just such planting or tree-setting. Sometimes by moving bees the bee- keeper can keep in the range of bee- forage. Many bee-keepers have ad- ded greatly to their incomes by mov- ing bees to regions of basswood bloom or fall flowers. Mr. Haibison told at a recent Farm- ers' Institute at San Diego, Calif., how he secured a large growth of ball-sage, by planting, and how it increased the value of his location very materially. This was on waste hill land, and so all clear gain. There are great areas of such tracts along the mountains and in the canyons of this favored region, and Mr. Harbison's suggestion may well receive thoughtful attention. Another bee-tree — or bee-trees, for there are, it is said, more than one hundred species — which California should observe and study with the greatest care, is the eucalyptus. It is destined to become the greatest shade- tree of this State. It blossoms from September to April, depending upon the species ; is a favorite with the bees whenever in bloom, and seems to fur- nish much and excellent honey. Some of the trees are woudrously beautiful, and the tassel-like bloom, white, buff or crimson, with the curious caps to the flower-buds is not only woudrous- ly beautiful, but exceedingly interest- 1S9G. THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 89 ing. Eucalyptus globulus, or blue- gum, is tbe common one. Tbis tree bas an entirely different foliage wben young from tbat of lat( r growlb and years. 'JMie wbite blossoms are sbowy, and are freely visited by tbe bees. But it blossoms in winter when the bees are not numerous and when they are mostly shut in tlie hivea, so that the amount of honey is not great, though I knew bees to get not a little blue-gum honev during the last win- ter. I have some of this honey now, and have just sampled it. It is ara- ber-colorcd, very sweet, and has a very peculiar flavor, which I think might become very pleasant with use, but I doubt if it would be as well lik- ed at first. It is claimed that this honey has rare medicinal properties, which seems not at all improbable. The deep-red showy blossoms of eucalyptus fissi folia, which will make this tree a great favorite, blossoms from August to October, and attracts the bees. By proper selection of spe- cies we can have blossoms from Aug- ust to April. Eucalyptus robusta is quite a favor- ite for planting in this locality at pres- ent, because of its beautiful habit, and foliage, and the strong, thrifty growth which it makes. It blossoms at the same time with the common blue-gum. Eucalyptus corniocalyx, so called from the long, horn-like cap that cov- ers the bloom in bud, blossoms in Oct. and Nov. It is so curious and inter- esting that it may well be planted. I saw the bees thick about the blossoms in November while the cap was only slightly raised and not yet failing from the blossoms. I have much hope from these encalyptus. They come from arid Australia, and more than likely they will be indifferent to the most severe drouths. Indeed, this is more than a guess, for the winter of 1893-189-4 was one of the driest ever known iu this region. The bees were idle— entirely idle — all through the following summer. I saw not the least evidence of honey-gathering after fruit in March and April. Yet my bees gathered quite an amount of honey in December and January of the following winter from the blue- gum. I think it behooves all of us in Southern California to keep close watch of our bees and their storing from eucalyptus, and at all such times be sure to make note of date of bloom, earliest and latest, and unless the spe- cies is surely known, send bark, leaves, bud and blossom to some one who can identify it, that we may learn the most valuable species. Bee-keepers near Smiley Heights, Redlands, where there are over 80 species of this genus, or at Santa Monica, where the State Forestry Station is located, and where there are a large nu^nber of species of the eucalyptus, can do excellent ser- vice in this direction. I am trying to secure such data, and already have a long list of species with rate of growth and time of bloom. I think bee-keepers may well do all in their power to encourage road-side and field-planting of eucalyptus. Such plantations as are being made all over the grand Elysian Park at Los Ange- les, are large with promise to bee- ' keepers. It is said that there are over 1,000 colonies of bees in buildings in the city. No doubt they get much of their food from the eucalyptus groves that are so numerous and so attractive 90 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. April to others than bees. We all do well to make a close study of bee forage, and whenever we notice bees thick upon any bloom, be sure to find the name of the plant that attracts. The Bulletin just issued by the Depart- ment of Agriculture. Washington, D. C, has extended and carefully pre- pared tables of bee-plants, with time of bloom. We should all do what we may to make such tables fuller and more complete and accurate. It is also very desirable to make a note of the color and excellence of the honey, and the power of the plants to secrete at times of severe drouth. Claremont, Calif. (From Farm Journal for February). THE BUSY BEK You have such a February face So full of frost, storms and cloudiness. From every outward appearance, beemen will not put on such a face this coming spring. The winter so far has been favorable, and gives indica- tion that it will be milder and shorter than the preceding. This will drive the frost and gloominess out of the apiarists, who will find their hives responding to roll call in the spring. In open winters bees begin to breed earlier. Care must be exercised not to allow them to become scarce of food. To prevent this it is well to examine them on pleasant days and ascertain the amount of food each hive possesses. Supply those that are short with combs of sealed honey, or good sugar syrup made from granu- lated sugar. It will be well to reduce the size of the brood chamber of all hives that are short of bees. This is easily done by inserting a division board, fitting closely the inside of the hive. Reducing the space adds to the comfort of the bees and enables them to generate enough of animal heat to hatch their eggs. Whenever bees cannot do this they are gone. There is no help for them unless the apiarist can give them a frame of brood that is full of bees just gnawing out of their cells. This will soon enlarge the number of bees and generate the necessary amount of heat. Be sure to have a comb of honey on each side of the cluster whenever you contract the size of the brood chamber. In the month of February bees be- gin to breed if the weather is not too severe, in latiture 40 degrees north. This will be on a very small scale. In the centre of the cluster when exam- ined a small circular batch of brood, varying from the size of a quarter to that of a silver dollar will be found. This will continue to increase, always in a circular form, until the comb is full. We club Farm Journal with the American Bee-Keeper, and will send it all of 1896 to every new subscriber to our magazine at 50c a year, and to every subscriber who will pay up all arrearages, if this notice is mentioned. (From Gleanings.) SOMETHING OP MY MANAGEMENT IN THE APIAEY. BY F. GREINER. The more experience I gather in the management of bees, the more I be- come aware how difficult it is to lay down rules to be followed year after year, with any guarantee of meeting with highest success. In my location a honey season is an unknown and un- certain quantity, and much depends 1896. TUE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 91 still upon luck or circumstances which we can not foretell. So our precon- structed and most petted plans aften come to naught. As not all shoes can be made over one last, expecting to fit all and every foot, so we are obliged to modify our plans to suit the seasons as they are. Some years our honey season opens from the first to the mid- dle of June (this is rare); some years about a month later (more often), and other years nearly two months later, closing about August 25 to 28. Per- haps once in twenty years we may ex- pect honey-dew after that, lasting, un- der favorable circumstances, some two weeks. With these prospects I may commence operations the fore part of May if the month comes in warm enough. We may have at this time some colonies exceptionally strong ; often some begin to lay out by May 1. Now, if the honey season dot;s not open till in July these colonies are wasting their energies unless some use can be made of them during May and June. If more increase is desired, dividing these colonies would serve a good pur- pose ; but feeding may possibly have to be resorted to. I have always been an opponent of this kind of feeding. I don't do it ; for if the honey season does fail, more sugar will be needed in the fall ; and should it so happen that bees do not winter well, we may lose our investment. Furthermore, should a fair honey flow set in soon, our divided colonies would not be well fitted to store surplus; they could not be depended on until basswood opens. A better use of these strong colonies can be made by drawing on them for equalization. I greatly prefer to help up the weaker colonies — not the weak- est, however. At this time the weather is as yet uncertain and changeable, and we must guard against chilled brood. In equalizing T take but one brood-comb at a time, replacing with an empty comb, or even one solid with honey. The latter I scrape so as to break cappings ; I also select such brood-combs as contain capped brood as much as possible. If, by the time apple-bloom com- mences, all colonies should be in tol- erable good shape, some of these strongest colonies may be dequeened and allowed to raise a young queen. Tne old queens may be saved and set aside with a brood-comb and adhering bees, and then allowed to build up during the season. If two such nuclei are united later on, a harvest may be expected of them from buckwheat. But I do dislike to give up any of these queens. Although old they are probably good ones, and I try to save them all. Later on it will be seen that it frequently happens dur- ing the summer that we have brood combs to dispose of. Such I use to build up the nuclei, and I generally succeed in getting them in shape to take advantage of the late flow, so they will give a surplus. When the prospect of basswood bloom was good, and no increase, or little of it, desired, I have practiced this kind of dequeening with good success about June 20-25, or about 12 to 15 days before the basswood flow is expected ; but nearly matured cells were then given. The object is to have our young queens begin to lay as basswood begins, or, rather, a few days before. Such colonies are prac- tically in the same condition as colon- ies having cast a swarm, oxcept that 92 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. April they are much stronger; they are in good working order. Colonies having swarmed but once, I find, will work nicely after they get their queens, providing honey is com- ing in sufficiently. The Heddon meth- od reduces the parent colony to a mere fraction, which is of little further good that season ; for this reason I abandoned the Heddon method of pre- venting after-swarms long ago. To reinforce my young swarms I prefer to hive them on the stands of some other good colonies not having cast swarms, treating these colonies some- times, if thought best, as the parent colony in the Heddon plan. More colonies can thus be gotten in working order for the basswood flow. I do not suffer any colony to cast more than one swarm. All second swarms are returned after cutting out the queen cells. Should a second swarm unite with a prime swarm while out in the air, I make no attempt to separate them ; but the next prime swarm is hived in the hive having cast the sec- ond swarm. Quite a numbor of col- onies are treated on this plan in my yard during the latter part of the swarming season every year; only, in practicing it. I do not wait for the af- ter swarm to issue, but hive the prime swarms into such hives as have cast their prime swarms five or six days previously. Swarms issuing during the main honey-flow (from basswood) I also hive in empty hives on the same stands whence they came ; shake all bees from parent colonies off and in with them; give section cases to swarms, and use brood-combs to build up nuc- lei made during the earlier part of the season. All young swarms are given a reduced brood chamber, hiving them on empty frames provided with foun- dation starters (strips f inch wide), never using full sheets. The later the swarms isssue, the more the brood- chambers are reduced, commencing with seven L. frames or their equiva- lent, later on using six, then only five or half-stories. At any time, should flowers yield honey to any amount, section-cases are applied to the strong colonies. It is an impossibility to have all colonies in working order all the time ; but since the flow from linden is the more re- liable (with buckwheat to follow), I aim to have all colonies strong when it commences, but also have some col- onies ready any time. In favorable years we may get some honey from sugar maple, fruit bloom and clover ; but only clover amounts to anything, if anything does at all, and I believe it is better to allow the bees to store in the brood-chamber from the first-nam- ed sources to bridge over the different periods of honey dearth. To those colonies that I expect to work in the sections during the earliest part of the season I give only a few sections, dum- mies being used in the cases, with chaff cushions on top. If we can sup- ply sections with nice white comb in them, we are all the surer of the bees occupying, filling and finishing them. Comb foundation I do not use in full sheets in sections at any time. . I feel a good deal like a prominent German bee-keeper who recently said in the Bienenzeitung, " If we should use comb foundation in our comb honey we should soon drive many of the pur- chasers of our honey away from the markets." I myself am not only a producer of comb honey, but also very 189G. TUE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 93 largely a consumer, and I consider foundation an undesirable adjunct to my comb honey when it comes to the eating part. Since keeping bees I have experi- enced only one season with a continu- ous honey flow from beginning of bass- wood to the end of buckwheat; but ordinarily we have a honey dearth be- tween the two, lasting from 8 to 16 days, and I find it pays me well to re- move all sections after basswood is over, sort out all partly finished ones, and have them finished up on a few of the best working colonies during this time. I feed extracted honey in somewhat diluted form. When open cases are used, such course can not be so well pursued; but I believe nearly all comb honey producers use separa- tors now. Although ray aim is section honey, still I also raise some extracted honey, for my own use and home trade prin- cipally. I find, however, nice white extracted honey, put up in one-pound glass jars, (screw top preferred), sells as well as comb honey in some large cities ; but it must reach the consumer before it granulates. In fitting my comb honey for market I always scrape sections perfectly clean, stamp each with my name and address, put them up in 24-pound crates, glassed and otherwise neatly made, and sell early. In shipping I combine with the grape-growers of mv town, and so I secure very low freight rates to the principal cities, quick transit and safety ; also avoidance of breakage, etc. It would be to the ad- vantage of honey producers in gener- al if they would follow the example. Prof. Cook is right on this subject. Naples, N. Y. (-.OMPARATIVE STllKNGTH OF THE GKEAT NAVIES. In considering the navies of other coun- tries, that of Great Britain stands of course pre-eminent. It amounts to between four and tive hundred vessels, of wliich one liundred and twenty are armored cruisers, and it employs eighty thousand men. It aims to be equal in offensive and defensive strength to any two other navies combined. For example, in the matter of battle-ships Great Britain has built or is building fifty- four ; France, thirty-seven; Kunsia, eigh- teen ; Germany twenty-two ; Italy, twenty- one ; United States, six, — a total of one hundred and fifty-eight. Thisof itself rep- sents an outlay of fully three hundred mill- ion dollars, and only one class of ships is in- cluded. In the matter of armored cruisers the figures are : Great Britain, one hundred and twenty ; France, seventy ; Russia, six- teen ; Germany, twenty eight ; Italy, six; United States, three; Austria, twelve; Spain, six ; total, two hundred and sixty-one. This represents an outlay of at least two hundred million dollars.— From " Tlie Great Navies of the World," in Demorest's Magazine for March. MOI'NT VERNON. Whatever those who visited this old home upon the Potomac may have thought of the life there, it was ever the dearest spot on earth to its master and mistress. General Washington wrote in his diary, when he quitted his home in April, 1789, to enter upon his duties as Chief Executive of the new nation, "About ten o'clock I bade adieu to Mount Vernon, to private life, and to domestic felicity, and, with a mind oppress- ed with more anxioas and painful sensations than I have words to express, set out for New York," while Mrs. Washirgton al- ways spoke of the days spent away from home amid the stir and excitement of public life as "lost days." — Anne HoUingsworth Wharton, in April Lippincott's. "How TO Manage Bees," a 50c book, and the American Bee-Keep- ER a year for only GOc. 94 THE AMERICAN BEE KEEPER. April The American Bee-Keeper, PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE W. T. FALCONER MANFG CO. TERMS : 50 cents a year in advance ; 2 copies, 85 cents ; 3 copies, 11.20 ; all to be sent to one postoffice. Postage prepaid in the U.S. and Canada; 10 cents extra to all countries in the postal union and 20 cents extra to all other countries. ADVERTISING RATES: 15 cents per line, 9 words; $2.00 per inch. 5 per cent, discount for 2 insertions ; 7 per cent, for 3 in- sertions; 10 per cent, for 6 insertions; 20 per cent. for 12 insertions. Advertisements must be received on or before the 20th of each month to insure insertion in month following. Address, THP] AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER, Falconer, N. Y. -OS^Sub&cribers finding this paragraph marked with a blue cross will know that their subscripiton expires with this number. We hope that you will not delay in sending a renewal. 9^' A. Red Cross on this paragraph indicates that you owe for your subscriprion. Please give the matter your attention. EDITORIAL, We learn from the Progressive Bee- keeper that 928 patents have been ob- tained on bee hives in this conntry. The greater number of these were taken out by persons who could ill afford to spend their time and money, and not one of those patents have " filled a long felt want " of the bee- keepers. On the contrary but one or two patent hives are in use at all, ful- ly 98 per cent, of all the hives in use today being unpatentable. It is gen- erally poor policy to patent anything for the use of bee-keepers as the sales are generally so small that the cost of patent can hardly ever be realized. One of the reasons for this is the fickleness of the trade, this year one method is generally practiced, while next season something entirely differ- ent will be advocated. The fact is, the great majority of bee-keepers are groping in darkness, and blindly fol- low where every Moses may wish to lead them, and the Moseses of the "bee-keeping fraternity" are not few. "How to Manage Bees " is a 50c book for beginners in bee keeping. We will send it postpaid for 25c. At this time anyone who has any- thing to sell to bee-keepers should edvertise it liberally. Supplies of all kinds, queens and bees are now in great demand and will be for the next two months or more. While the indi- cations during the past three months have been very discouraging in the Eastern States for a good season, everything is looking more hopeful now and looks as if the next three months would far exceed our expec- tations. Wm Gerrish, East Nottingham, N H. will keep a complete supply of our goods during the coming season and Eastern customers will save freight by ordering from him. We are in receipt of a copy of the by-laws of the California Bee-keepers' Exchange. The Exchange will doubt- less have a large membership and will be a great benefit to the honey producers of the Pacific coast. We will send the American Bee- Keeper one year with the Cosmopol- itan for $1.25. The Cosmopolitan is a monthly magazine containing an average of over 100 pages and 80 il- lustrations each month. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 95 We notice that the dull times have had the usual effect of reducing the prices of bee-keeping supplies, and some dealers are offering their goods at prices which are actually below the cost of making. We do not believe in doing business "for fun." It works well for a while but cannot last. However we propose to protect our customers against any prices made b}' competitors, and will dupli- cate all prices made hy any other dealers anywhere for goods of equal quality and merit. We want a large quantit}' of bees- wax, and will pa}' 28c a pound cash or 30c a pound in goods for good clean wax freight paid to Falconer, N. Y. We will send the Farm Journal, (Phila.) and the Bee-Keeper one year for 50c, or will send the Farm Journal one year to everyone who owe a year or more subscription and will pay up. (Mention this offer). We have a quantit}" of Alley Drone and Queen Trap patterns of 1894 which will be sold at 25c each, regu- lar price 50c. These Traps are just as good for practical purposes as those of more recent pattern. We are always glad to receive arti- cles for publication. They come handy sooner or later. If you have any news of any kind concerning bees, write us about it and we will publish it for the benefit of our readers. We are paying 28c a pound cash for good beeswax, delivered at our railroad station at Falconer, N. Y. , or we will allow 30c a pound in goods. Kditor York , of the American Bee Journal, takes exceptions to our recent remarks concerning the self praise, flattery and "softness" which is so prevalent among certain bee editors, and in his weak way attempts to retali- ate. Evidently the shoe fitted ; the shot went home. Well, editor York, you are one of those at whom we aim- ed. We hope 3'ou only received a flesh wound and will profit by it, for such silly stuff is heartily condemned by every intelligent one of your readers. Grand Offer to Subscribers. We will send the Bee Keeper six months, and a box of Seeds contain- ing 12 different packages of Garden Seeds and 3 papers of Flower Seeds (value $1.40) for only 60c post-paid, or the Bee Keeper 1 year and all the Seeds for 75c. Or we will send the Bee Keeper balance of the year and a copy of ' 'How to Manage Bees, "" (price 50c) for 50c. The Bee Keeper 1 year and the book for 60c. Remit in pos- tage stamps. A gieat many subscriptions have expii'ed the last two months, and we shall be glad to receive a renewal of each. We will send the Bee Keeper the l)alance of this year to new sub- scribers for 25 cents. Remember the Bee Keeper is regularly composed of 32 pages, 16 of which relate exclu- sively to bee keeping, and the remain- der to miscellaneous literary subjects. Clubbing List. We will send the American BeeKef.pkk with the— PUB. PRCE. BOTH. American Bee .Journal, (ifl no) SI 35 Americiiii .Apicultiirist, ( 75; 1 15 Bee Keeper's Review. (1 dU) 1 35 Canadian Bee.lournal, (1 00) 1 25 Gleiininps in Bee Culture, (1 00) 1 35 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. April Tli-j SUt'i) Has lirainB. The teudencyof successful business is to eulaigeiiieut, and with eulargeniert come a new multitude of agents, a new variety of markets, a new kind of com- petitive danger, to avert which absolute- ly requires mind. The very number of bis employees compels the great trades- man of our day to become a judge of character; the very expansion of his market drives him to study many coun- tries, many tariffs, many laws, and his extreme danger from competition makes of him an artist, a chemist and a critic. The process is slow, because he is al- ways governed by the idea of selling, and he often learns rather to know pub- lic taste than to know what taste is and to seek in his purchases the popular rather than the good, but still the proc- ess must develop his mind. — London Spectator. Value of Celery Boot. The root of the celery plant is not as ■widely appreciated as it should be. An authority cited by the Boston Journal Bays of it : "The root of celery has been sadly de- spised, outrageously misunderstood. It, too, is at the service of man during greenless months, when, so feeble is his imaginat'ou, he seldom soars above eprouts. It may be boiled, and then white sauce well becomes it; it may be fried in close embracing bread crumbs ; it maybe fashioned into a puree; it may be stewed. Why let it linger longer, the wallflower of the green grocer's stall? Celery, in root and bunch, soothes — a rival to opium. Eat it for which of its many excellences you will, only see that you eat it. " It 'Wasn't a General's £srs> An amusing anecdote is given in the ftladras Mail about Calcutta life of a bygone generation. It relates to Lord Wellesley (Duke of Wellington) and is as follows : The great man had been given a bad egg for breakfast, and gniffing at it he called to his valet : "Lamell, a bad egg! What an atrociou.s thing to have given me 1" The valet hurried up with a serious face, examin- ed the egg closely and then exclaimed: "I entreat your forgiveness, my lord. The stupid servant has given your lord- shin in mistake an aid-de-camp's egg." India Rubber Tree Fruit. The fruit of the india rubber tree is somewhat similar to that of the Ricinus communis, the castor oil plant, though somewhat larger. The seeds have a not disagreeable taste and yield a purplish oil. It is a fairly good substitute for linseed oil, though it dries less rapidly. Mixed with copal blue and turpentine, it makes a good varnish. The oil may be also used in the manufacture of soaps and lithographic inks. The seeds are somewhat like tiny chestnuts, although darker in color. The Indian girls are fond of wearing bracelets and necklets made of them. He Won His Bet. One must take the word of an arch- deacon, or I should be inclined to re- quest further particulars in the case of ■ the patron whom Archdeacon Wilson mentioned at the conference at Carn- forth the other day. A certain living — so said the archdeacon — had fallen va- cant by death. The patron summoned to him his legal adviser, who explained that the presentation must be entirely gratuitous, "But, "added the lawyer, "I will bet you £1,000 that you do not present my son-in-law." Curiously enough, the son-in-law was the lucky man. — London Realm. His Razor. Husband (shaving) — Confound the razor ! Wife — What's the matter now? You're dreadfully cross tempered. "The razor is so dull." "Dull ! Why, I ripped up an old skirt with it only yesterday, and it cut beau- tifully. " — Chicago Record. Balloons In War. Blinkers — Do you think balloons will ever be useful in war? Winkers (who has a good memory)— Well — er — they might come handy iu case of a draft. — New York Weekly. A Dollar's Worth of Information. Mr. Keep Cash — Did .you write to that man who advertises to show people how to make desserts without milk and have them richer? Mrs. Cash — Yes, and sent him the dollar. "What did he reply? "Use cream. " - ' , 189G. THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 97 THFi ELECTRiC SPIRIT, With wild winRS fi-t ttnt d I ride the wires. My lift' liiids issue in blinding flres, Bright sh!;pos are wrought by my flying breath, But my touch is flan)e, and my kiss is death. Since man hath bound me with coil and chain, Nor sea nor space can his word restrain, I wind my circles of burning speed The round globe over to serve his need. Of warring winds I am king and lord; The sTornis conic wielding my radiant sword. I laugh in light as the swift strokes fly, The .sullen thunders make slow reply. With mystic passion I yearn from far To my secret home 'neath the northern star, And thence, on the vast Llack walls of night, I fling great rays from my gates of light. Time flees before me, and none may know My cour.se as from star to star I go. For I an) life. In the utmo.st dark God's touch enkindled my fervid spark. Think ye to know me, O ye who raise My torch of llanje on the world's highways? Ask him who:e throne is the central light Of countless svuis in their wheeling flight. With fierce strength fettered, I ride the wires. Prometheus spirits have tamed my fires, But God alone, in his chosen hour, Can free the force of my nameless power. —Marion Couthouy Smith. 4 RUSE THAT LOST. She was my first love, aud so far as I can tell, she may prove to be my ouly one. She is now a buxom wife with some four or five rosy, rompiug children, and I am still a bachelor. But time is a great healer, aud I can now tell the story of my luckless suit with DoraRudgwick without a paug. Dora was the only daughter of a re- tired Loudon medical mau. At the time I first made her acquaiutauce her father had retired from practice aud was a widower. I fell head over heels iu love ■with the girl — though I can hardly be- lieve it when I look at her today — aud she consented to marry me if the old doctor gave his consent. She never pro- fessed to have auy deep affection for me ; she liked me, however, aud was willing to become my wife if her papa approved. But the eccentric old man would not hear of it. I remember how dejected I ■was after he had told me, with consid- erable vigor, that I could not become his son-ln-Iaw, and bow' Indignant I felt at bis declining to give me any reasons for his decisiou. The following day I met an old college friend in Bond street — Douglas Bligh. " You are not looking very bright, " he said. "What are you worrying about?" Bligh also was a doctor. He had walk- ed the same hospital as old Rudgwick, only n:auy years later. "A Jove aftair, " I confessed, with a forced smile. "AIj ! I (bought something of thesort. Girl throwu you over?" "Ko, not the girl — the father!" "Oh, that's uothing! If the lady is williug, love will find cut a way, and papa will come rouud. " "Ee is a pigheaded old doctor — I befl your pardon, but I suppose a doctor may sometimes be pig headed like the rest ol us?" "Undoubtedly. Do I kuow him?" "Dr. Gcrdon Rudgwick." "Oh, yes. I am acquainted with him. I also cucfa met Miss Rudgwick. I con- gratulate you, old fellow. A charming young lady, 'p'^n my v/ord. But the old man — ha ! ha— no wonder he rejected you!" "Why?" "You are too healthy 1" "Too healthy!" "Yes. You ought to have some in- teresting and deep seated disease — some- thing complicated and lingering!" "I — what on earth are you driving at, Bligh?" "Don't you know? He's" — and he touched his forehead with his forefinger. "You don't mean it?" "Yes. He is mad on one point. He has a contempt for healthy people, and respects ouly those who are suffering from some terrible disease." "But his daughter never told me." "She doesn't know. They have kept it from her. And this is the cause of his want of parental affection. There is ab- solutely nothing the matter with the young lady. Isow, what he wants is a son-in-law riddled with disease. You must get seme internal growth or" — "Good heavens, Bligh!" "Come with me and I will coach you up in all the symptoms of a most inter- esting malady. Everything will then turnout according to your best wishes." 08 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. April "But Low did you discover you were in possession of this striking disease?" eaid Dr. Rudgwick in a state of ecstasy. "Well, I have had suspicions for a long time," I replied, "that sotuethiug was wrong, but I kept the opinion to myself. A few days ago, however, I tried to insure iny life, and the medical officers of half a dozen companies reject- ed me. I then went to a first class man, was thoroughly overhauled, told exactly what was the matter with me and in- formed that I was one of the most ex- traordinary cases that had evt'r come under his notice. He gives me only six Inonths. " "Ah ! The symptoms are most remark- able. I have not been so in::fcre.sted for a long time. It is certainly a vet y curious case, unprecedented in its complexity. " "Do you really think it is sof.ericjs?" "Oh, I hope so. I think I ix\\.\y safely assert that the man you 1j*vo coj'.sulred is absolutely correct in his dia;^uoi;i'^, if the symptoms are as you say. " "Do you think I shall survive it?" "Not unless you allow the course of the disorder to be interfered w"th by those sentimental quacks who i:inder the advance of pathological scieica by sock- ing cures. ' ' "But six months is very short, " I said despondently. "Not at all. With care, the thing may be induced to run its course even more quickly. Drugs and a low diet may be made t'? do a cood deal in accelerating matters. " "What would you advise? Should 1 consult Sir John" — "No, no, no ! Don't consult anybody. Don t meddle with it, or vou may spoil all." "But perhaps a cure" — "Cure, sir! Don't talk such sickly nonsense, or I shall begin to think it possible that you could do such a mean and dishonorable thing as to rob medical science of one of the most instructive, beautiful and striking cases that have ever enriched the literature of pathol- ogy-" "What, then, is the use of pathology if doctors are not to cure?" "Pathology, sir, treats of diseases, their causes, elfects and symptoms. It is a branch of knowledge, an imeiestiug abstract study, a recreation. It has nothing to do with treatment, cures and Buch like quackeries." "But v/hat may be sport to you is death to us. " "Why, we must all die, and what could be nobler than to die in the cause of science? By the way, you were speak- ing to me about mv daughter the other day." I shook my head in a melancholy manner. "Well, I have been thinking I spoke hastily. She is yours. I shall be proud to have you as a son-in-law. To watch the course of your complaint will be a jDrivilege and a delight. Marry as soon as ever you like. I think you will find r>ora somewhere about the house. See her and fix the matter up. " But Dora was not to be seen that day. She had gone to her room indisposed. When I called the next morning, the housekeeper told me that Miss Rudg- wick had gone on a visit to friends at Brighton, but had left a note for me. I opened it and read as follow-s: "I overheard your talk with papa, and am so very, very sorry for you. I do 60 hope that your state is not so bad as you fear, and that you will not lose courage and will soon get well. "Of course everything must now be at an end between us. It would be mad- ness to talk of marriage. I shall always think of you as a very dear friend, and I want you to believe that you will have my most sincere sympathy." I put the letter in my pocket and went home. What a mess I had made of it ! First I had gained the consent of Dora and failed to obtain that of her father. Now I had obtained the doc- tor's consent and lost the daughter's. Fancy her overhearing all that I said and thinking I was speaking the truth about the diseased state of my body 1 And yet, why should she have supposed I was lying? One thing was certain. I must find her out and explain all. Dr. Rudgwick knew the name of the friends whom Dora had gone to, but he could not tell me thsaddress. He had been accustomed to allow her to go and come pretty much as she pleased. A week passed, several days of which I had spent at Brighton, without any- thing being heard of her. One morning I strolled round to Dr. Rudgwick's to learn whether his daughter had written. 18U6 THE AMKRICAN BEE-KEEPER. 99 wheu I Raw au empty cab standing at the door. "Miss Dora lias just arrived, sir. I'll tell her you are iiere. " I stepped into the drawing room and ■wailed. In a few minutes I heard the dear girl running down the stairs. My heart leaped with joy. "How do you do':" she said, placing her little hand in mine and looking in- to my eyes with infinite pity. "I do hope you are better. You are looking pretty well. " "My dear Dora, I was never better in my life. That was all untrue about my illues.s. I am in perfect health." "Untrue?" "Allot it. I will explain it to you another time. " "Then you are not going to die in six months?" "I hope not, nor in six decades. Are you sorry?" "Sorry? Of course not, but" — "I have your father's consent to our marriage. Darling, you will now be mine?" "Impossible I" "How so?" "Well, the fact is — I — I am mar- ried!" I sprang hack amazed. "You see, I thought you were a doom- ed man. I heard it from your own lips. Marriage with you would have been mad, impossible. And papa's strange talk alarmed me, especially when he gave his consent. I was terrified and feared his anger. So I went away to friends at Brighton. There I mot Cap- tain Aiusworth. He was my first love, and I have never reallj- lost my affection for him. He asked me to marry hiiL, and — well, I did so at once, as he is go- ing out to India. You really cannot blame me, can you?" No; I didn't exactly blame her, but I cursed my f.-'te, and I told Bligh that he was the bigj^est fool in his ijrofessior, for which he has never thoroughly for- given me, though he says he has. — Lou- don Tit-Bits. NaiJoleoD's Advice About Horteiise. Louis, who was governing Holland with reference to its own best interests, and (.rdering theafiaiis of his own fam- ily rigidly, but admirably, received a se- vere and passionate reprimand from «Le emperor for his economy. What was wanted was pay for the troops, plenty of conscripts, encouragement for the Dutch Catholics, and a giddy court, where men would forget more serious things and where Queen Hortense could make a display. "Let your wife dance as much as she wants to. It is proper for her age. I have a wife 40 years old, and from the field of battle I recom- mend her to go to balls, while you want one of 20 to live in a cloister, or, like a wet nurse, always bathing her child." — Professor Sloane in Century. A Bond. "Yes," said the Cumminsville sage, "I don't doubt that having fought in the same regiment is calculated to bind men together firmly, and so is a mem- bership in the same lodge, but for real, heartfelt sympathy gimme two fellows who have the same kind of rheuma- tism." — Cincinnati Enquirer. Saw Him Fed. Ccntrary to general belief, Munchau- Eon is not dead, or he must live in the persons of some of the continental tour- ists you meet around the Metropole and tho Victoria. They repeat this conversa- tion of one of those enterprising but pre- varicating end of the century explorers: "I visited Russia, Qei-many, Austria, Italy"— "Indeed I So you saw Venice?" "Well, I rather guess I did." "Did you see the lion of St. Mark?" "Of course I did. Why, I saw him fed." — Washington Post. Overdoing It. "Now, I maintain, " said Miss Strong.S "that there is no place filled by man which a woman cannot fill. Is that com- prehensive enough?" "It is very comprehensive, " replied Mr. Northside, "but I am prepared to go still further in advocacy of woman's ability. " "Are you?" "Yes, I am. On the seat of a street car, for instance, she can fill two men's places." — Pittsburg Chronicle - Tele- graph. Oregon has 18,798 hands in her fac- tories and makes every year $41,432,- 174 worth of goods. 100 THE AMERICAN BKK-KEKPER. April Within my gcrdi'n bouiids are set Sweet nicrjci y and sad regret. And •vvhcif njy orchard blossoms glow The winds of life forever blow. Here falls the rain, here springs the seed. The perfect flower, the perfect weed, Eejoice together, side by side, In equal sunlight, satisfied. The fruit that mingles gold and red Is born of beauty withered. The fruit that mingles red and gold Ib young because the bough is old. My garden and the world Inclose Alike the thistle and the rose. My garden and the world are one In kinship both of storm and sun. —New York Tribune. THE MIRROR. There was once a kingdom where mir- rors were uukuown. They had all been broken and reduced to fragments by or- der of the queen, and if the tiniest bit of looking glass had been found in any house she would not have hesitated to put all the inmates to death with the most frightful tortures. Now for the secret of this extraor- dinary caprice. The queen was dread- fully ugly, and she did not wish to be exposed to the risk of meeting her own image, and knowing herself to be hide- ous it was a consolation to know that other women at least could not see that they were pretty. You may imagine that the young girls of the country were not at all satisfied. What was the use of being beautiful if you could not admire yourself y They might have used the brooks and lakes for mirrors, but the queen had foreseen that and had hidden all of them nnder closely joined flagstones. Water was drawn from wells so deep that it •was impossible to see the liquid surface, and shallow basins must be used instead of buckets, because in the latter there might be leflectious. Such a dismal state of affairs, es- pecially for the pretty coquettes, who were no more rare in this country than in others ! The queen had no compassion, being •well content that her subjects should suffer as much annoyance from the lack of a mirror as she felt at the sight of one. Eowever, in a suburb of the city there lived a young girl called Jacinta, who was a little better ofif than the rest, thanks to her sweetheart, Valentin. For if someone thinks you are beautiful and loses no chance to tell you so he is al- most as good as a mirror. "Tell mo the truth," she would say. "What is the color of my eyes?" "They are like dewy f orgetmenots. " "And my skin is not quite black?" "You know that your forehead is whiter than freshly fallen snow, and your cheek? are like blush roses." "How about my lips?" "Cherries are pale beside them." "And my teeth, if you please?" "Grains of rice are not as white." "But my ears — should I be ashamed of them?" "Yes, if you would be ashamed of two little pink shells among your pretty curls." And so on endlessly, she delighted, he still mere charmed, for his words came from the depth of his heart, and she had the pleasure of hearing herself praised, he the delight of seeing her. So their love grew more deep and tender every hour, and the day thai he asked her to marry him she blushed certainly, but ifc was not with anger. But, un- luckily, the news of their happiness reached -iio up stairs, saying in a v.t isper, Vith iiijlsiiaticn titfC^nMo in every "Ti.r.t i^entlemau is a perfect stranger to nje. I Iv.ive never seen h;ni before today ;d niy life. We cluuice5 to arrive at '::e sta' ion together and to v.">»lk ".ip to iLe ho'^eo together. And cc./ you oau go. There is no cccci&icu fcr ycu to follow me «>ver the ho'ise. I prGur to lock at ir sili.ue. By the hjv,'' ehe rdu- «d. "I hiuMjld advise the ov,-iior.= 1 1" it to prit ;t in other hands. You eviucntly don't want to ler it I" It doe.s not take long to look o^-sr a eix rc;.;-ied fotta,;;;e. In ten in In ales the ir:i»!i was cut on the .slope cl' {jarden in the rear looking illy ahead of hira across the t'iach. Co had seen in a flash through the stairc..^!-; window the rowan berries going up staii.-;. Ho caught in a flash now ihe rowr.n berries coming down. "Will she go stra'pht out by the hall door," he asked himself, "or come into the gardtij?" A rustle of the silk skirts coming down the path toward him, a glimpse of a couifly figuie silhouetted momen- tarily against the pendent ivy, was the agreeable answer to this query. "As we have both come very long distances and indisputably upon the same quest," she began, "it is but fair, in- deed the right and civil thing to do, I tuink, to ask you if you have come to any decision about the house? I be- lieve"— here her eyebrows went up, and she showed a gleam of teeth — "in all business matters man takes precedence. " "But, in matters of sentiment," he interrupted her, "woman." "Sentiment?" she said. "Do yon think, then, that even in her business transactions a woman is necessarily sen- timental?" "I certainly do," he answered. She moved on down nearer the flagged edge of the reach and stood looking away across it to the green meadows op- posite, each detail of her charming per- son duplicated in the water with dis- tracting accuracy. "Ah, if you knew me better," she said, "yon would find that I am a most prosaic creature. I threw aside senti- ment ten years ago, when I threw aside my youth. My head at this moment, if you could only see the workings of it, is full of the prosiest speculations as to the drainage of the cottage, the exact character of the soil on which it stands, for I have a strong suspicion it is built upon clay. I am propounding, too, whether I like the kitchen range. The scullery strikes me as having been thought of afterward, and about the bathroom fittings I am just wondering. It seems to me they are inadequate, as compared with the flowery suggestion of sanitary perfection conveyed in The Daily Telegraph ; and, well, the draw- ing and dining rooms are certainly rath- er circum.sc bed, aren't they?" "Yet, at me same time, you are agree- ably pleased on the whole?" he suggest- ed. "On the principle that nothing, even in six roomed cottages on the banks of the Thames, can entirely reach the full- ness cf our expectations — yes. " He smiled and spread his hands. "In that respect the best of us are but as little children ever searching after what is absolutely impossible in this world — perfection," he answered. "Yes, why is it? We should not like it if we could get it either. Yet we search, search, search, and waste our whole lives. " She turned her arch glance toward him and waited. "It is our disease. Perhaps it is put there purposelv that we should not 108 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER, April grow too fond of li^iog. Besides — and here comes the irony of it — if every- thing were perfection we shouldn't know it. " "No, we should want counteracting foils, like milestones, to show us it is perfection." Her eyes traveled up the green slope toward the house, and she added, reverting to it: "But you, you also, like this by no means faultless bi- jou residence. Yes, I can see by your face. Your face assures me that you hava seen something today that pleases you." He dropped his hazel eyes upon her and leaned on his cane. "Yes," he said slowly. "I have cer- tainly seen something that pleases ml today. But," he added quickly, "I an( •willing to waive priority if 1 have it, which I doubt, in your favor and back out of all competition with regard to the bijou residence. After all, what does it signity? I am a bachelor; any- thing will do for me. " "And lam a spinster," she said with a smile. "Why should not anything do for me?" "For all their never 'avin met till this 'ere morning, they seem to be mighty friendly," observed the care- taker watching their departure down the shady road together later. "It seems to me to be more a question of taking each other than taking the house. They ain't said nothing about the house one way or t'other, but they 'ave said a good deal about each other judging by their eyes. " The woman picked more wild flowers as she went back, the man assisting her. Midway down the dusty lane they rested on a fallen oak, the victim of a recent cyclone, and told each other their biog- raphies. At the inn, close to the rail- way, they lunched together in the inn parlor, criticising the proprietor's ideas of art afterward, a task of elastic qual- ity according to the degree of opportu- nity for lingering desired. And she — she never looked prettier, even in her palm- iest days. Have you ever traced the genesis of an acquaintance? It may be quite as capa- ble of wide advances and undreamed conclusions as the genesis of speech. Vou may begin in the tropic of Cancer and end in yiberia ; or you may begin in Siberia and end in the tropic of Canctu it's all a matter of chance. But this man and this woman began and ended in the tropic of Cancer, and so there was a marriage in the paper, but the bijon residence is still unlet. — George Wemyss in Sketch. He Made Books. Miss Eosebud (at her first race) — And who did you say that gentleman in the checked suit was? Mr. Straighttip — Oh, that is S — , the bookmaker. Miss Rosebud (enthusiastically) — Do bring him up and introduce him. You know I dote upon authors. — Exchange. Easily. Cumso — What would you take to stand all night on bronze Penn's hat on the top of the city hall? Bumso — A bad cold. — Philadelnhia Call. Henry Clay. A Lexington merchant, in conversa- tion with the editor of The Gazette a few days ago, related this interesting reminiscence of Henry Clay: "I remem- ber when a youth and an enthusiastic Clay Whig of coming here during the canvass of 1844 from my home in Har- rodsburg, with the Clay club of Mercer county, on whose banner was the mot- to, 'We Are Few, but True, ' to unite in the celebration held that year in Lex- ington. The barbecue was given at the race track. There a number of distin- guished orators addressed the multitude — among them Tom Corwin, Judge E\v- Ing, probably James C. Jones of Ten- nessee. But after this half century, that which I now remember most dis- tinctly and what most impressed me v.'as this — that Mr. Clay did not go out to the grounds. He considered it be- neath the dii;uity of a presidential can- didate to electioneer. How well I re- member seeing him, as the procession in which I walked passed his oflSce (thou with his son, James B. Clay, on Sliort street, near the engine house), standing in the doorway with his head uncovered, and with the rare grace which few men possessed, bowing to the passing multitude that was wild with huzzas, banners and music." — Lexing- ton Gazette. 189G. THE AMERICAN DKK-KKKPER. 109 ••WHEN ELI'S HAD 'HIS DINNER." On loni,', hot Sinulay aftornoons, Wlii'ij we've K<'t lionio from meetin. An Eli's cliiinf^^'d his pantaloons, He's awlul set on catin. He's iliar out latii'oiiseross 'twould shame An uni'onverti^l sinner. I havtr to stand a heap of blams Till i-AVa got his dinner. An so I'm never very slow To K -t the kettU' l.ilin; I call it ^tici v.'.'aijcci lu BwO him. He opened Ihe door and gtrode in- to the room. "Father!" That was all. One short, despairing cry, and father and sou stood face to face once more. A gray, drawn look stole over my master's face as for a brief moment he stood eying the prodigal who had so mysteriously reappeared. Then he found bis tongue. "So it is you, you hound!" he said, his features working strangely, while there was a tone of suppressed rage in his voice; "it is you, is it? Have you forgotten how we parted? Have you for- gotten," his voice rising ominously, "how I cast you off and forbade you ever to step in my house again? Be off before I forget myself and whip you out, as you deserve." "I will speak," cried the younger man. "As there is a God in heaven, I am innocent! But since you will not hear me, I will not try to save you. May it be on your own head, and may you reap as you have sown ! But you will have the comforting assurance of know- ing that you have sent me to the devil, and I curse you!" And, striding from the room, the younger mau passed out into the hall. I hastened to open the door for him. As he was passing out into the night he turned. "You are a stranger to me, " he said, after a brief space, "but your face looks like an honest one. If you can contrive it, meet me tomorrow, about this time, at the drive gate. It is a matter of life and death. " The nest morning after breakfast Sir Mortimer turned to me and said : "If you value your situation here, Parkin, you will bear this in mind : Not a word of what you saw and heard last night, and never mention my — my son's name to me again under pain of instant dismissal. That is all. " It was with some feeling of trepida- tion that I repaired to thetrysting place that same evening to await the arrival of thedi.siuherited son. Having inquired my name, he began : "You must first know how I came to be in this plight. Some years ago a forged check in my father's name was discovered. Suspicion at once fell on 130 THE AMKlllCAN JiEH-KEEPER. May me, aua, tjjougii luuoceut, 1 was at ouco branded as guilty by my father. He did not wish to have the family name drag- ged into court, so he took the easier course of disinheriting me and casting me off entirely. My enemy, whoever he was — and heaven knows 1 thought I had none worth speaking of — had done his work well. I became a frequenter of the turf, a gambler, and nearly — but, thank heaven, not quite — a thief. I was tempt- ed some few weeks ago to join a band of burglars who contemplated robbing my father's house. But though I had sunk low I was not quite bad enough for that, and, overcome with remorse, I determined to seek an audience with my father and warn him of his danger. The result of that interview you know, and" — Here he broke off abruptly, a queer break in his voice. I will pass over the rest of our con- versation and merely state the plan which the remorse stricken man had formed to checkmate the robbers. I must explain that at the back of the house was a courtyard, shut in on three Bides by the kitchen premises of the house. It was a small window — that of the pantry — which was to be the mode of ingress. Young Mr. Geoffrey — that was the son's name — was to lead the burglars in their enterprise. He would conduct them through the window, and then, with the aid of myself and Sir Mortimer, whom I was to apprise of the robbers' advent, would help to over- power the others, two desperadoes, for they had not wished to have too many concerned in the job. Friday came, and it was, I am bound to confess, with no slight feelings of ap- prehension that I looked forward to the work which was bt^.-3ro me, for I was no fighting man. O.' course I had not mentioned the mcLl.i .'.ed robbery to the baronet, for that would have spoiled ev- erything. At 1:3 o clock I stole noiselessly down to the kitchen and quietly waited till the burglars should arrive. I had not long to wait. I heard the muffled sound which warned me ihat they had com- menced operations, and, slipping away as noiselessly as I had come, I departed to apprise my master of the outrage on his property. I loiiLid l.'i]:i s!t vclsh laLi'Liil, (e) ra'.v ouioirs? "Do you f wallow grape seed&r "D-> you c^i'iuk any mixrd di-iuke?' "Do yoa over sleep ia a folding bed? "Dt you Bmoko (a) cigarot'es, (b) uickf 1 cigars? "H-avo yon a mother-in-law? "Did yon ever attempt suicide?"— San Francisco Post. Deaths Due to Chloroform. It is slated that 01 deaths have occur- red within the past year in the United Kingdom, cf which 53 were from the admiuistration of chloroform. This would be a fc:i:'ful indictment against the use of that auKssthetio if we only knevs? what Vviis the relative proportion of patients submitted to its influence ^juA. to the influence of other ausesthetics. In other words, if the uumber of chloro- form cases were 52 times the number of nitrons oxide cases, chloroform would be no more dangerous, although it might have caused 52 deaths for one death caused by the latter ansesthetic. — Medic- al Press. All the Comforts of a Home. "By the way, your advertisement mentioned 'home comforts,' " said the young man in quest of lodgings to a Glasgow landlady. "Yes, "was the reply. "Ye see ye could get a seat wi's in the kirk. (My last lodger used to pay for the hale pew. ) Then, t' keep yo frae wearyin in the eveuiu's ye cud gie the bairus a hau wi' their lessons, for their ain faither's uae scholar. "Aboot yer meals, ye cud just come down an get them in the kitchen — it wid be hamelike, ye ken. There's little Johnny, ye "vid get him to sleep wi' ye. He's au awful kicker, but wid keep ye fine au hate thae winter evenin's. " Then, seeing her auditor making his way to the door, she hastened to add : "I widna chairge ye onything extra for a' thae preevileges. " — New York Herald. Since the war of 1812 the United States army has by no means enjoyed, the life of luxurious ease sometimes at- tributed to it, for, in the intervening years, it has fought 640 battles or ac- tions with the ludiaus. 132 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER, May DO YO'u EVER THINK? Do you ever think as the hearse drives by That it v."; n't he long till you and I Will both iid(» out in the big, plumed hack Anil we'll never, never, never ride back? Do you ever think as you strive for gold That a dead man's hand can't a dollar hold' We may tug and toil and pinch and save, And we'll lose it all when we reach the grave. Do you ever think as you closely clasp Your bag of gold with a firmer grasp If the hungry hearts of the world were fed It might bring peace to your dying bed? — L. A. W. Bulletin. FOUNDED ON FACT. "Mr. Eogers, did you say?" "Yes, sir; a tall, middle aged gea- tleruan," replied my servant. I could recollect no acquaintance of the name. "Ask him to step in here," I said at length. The man who entered my study was a complete stranger to me. He was tall, between 40 and 50 years of age, rather thin and very angular in his move- ments. He wore a short beard, was slightly bald and had decidedly pleasant features. Wlieu he smiled, his eyes seemed to sparkle and he exhibited two excellent rows of teeth. "I am afraid I am quite unknown to you," he began. I bowed my head and wondered what was coming next. "But your name as a rising young novelist and writer of short stories is, of course, familiar to me. " Who could he be? I began to have Tisions of publishers and editors clamor- ing at my door for contributions from my pen. Was he about to give me a commission for a new serial? Perhaps he represented some leading magazine and was prepared to pay sums undream- ed of for my tales of love and adven- ture. Or was he only some newspaper interviewer bent on satisfying the curi- osity of his readers respecting my opin- ions and manner of life? "Pray be seated," I said. We sat facing one another on opposite sides of the 3i earth rug. It was a cold, dull November day, and the bright fire that bnrued in the grate was comfort- ing. Mr. Rc,;ers took from his pocket a copy of a popular magazine and held it on his knee. "Capital story that of yours!" "Which?" I asked. "That last one in here," he said, tap- ping the covers of i.he book, "the story called 'The Mystery of Rowner's Mill. ' " "I am glad you like it, but really" — "A splendid story! Rather daring thougli. " "Daring?" "Yes — to publish a story of real life as mere fiction. " "I don't understand what" — "But why did you make Maud a dark girl? Of course she was fair, as you know. Her real name was Mabel, but that doesn't matter." "You are quite" — "Still, yon have hit off Maltby to aT." • "The story, I assure, you, was" — "Written under pressure of time?' Yes, I have no doubt of it. But your de- scription of the old mill is exact. Row- ner's Mill is, of course, Radford's Mill, near B . ' ' "Allow me to explain" — "Quite unnecessary, I assure you. You were perfectly justified in changing the name. But that passage in which you describe the act of vengeance on Maltby is remarkably powerful and ac- curate. Ah! here it is: 'Seeing his vic- tim powerless, Jasper Gore, with the strength of a giant, seized him in bis arms and for one moment held him above hio head in front of the open win- dow. Then he hurled the wretched man into space. Down, down he fell, until, with a splash that was inaudible amid the roar and rattle of the mill, Maltby disappeared in the deep water of the race, and was instantly battered to a shapeless mass by the huge revolving water wheel !' " "But surely you know" — "Oh, yes; I know every inch of the place. Of course you are a little bit rough on me. " "On you?" "Yes; yoa see, Jasper Gore" — T rose to my feet. So far I had hardly been able to get a word in edgeways. I had not the slightest idea what he was driving at. He was exhausting my pa- tience. "Look l::re, sir," I shouted warmly, 1S!'6. THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. m^ "I huvoirt yot the pleasure of knowing who you arc. What the — will you kind- ly tell mo what you are talking about?" "Why, my dear sir, I am talking about this story of yours called 'The Mystery of Rovvnor's Mill. ' I was just saying that you have made me — other- wise Jasper Gore" — "Gore is one of my characters. I un- derstand your name is Rogers!" The mau leaned back and roared with laughter. I eauk into my chair in a ptate of exasperation. "Excuse my laughing," he said, "but when you put on that innocent air it is irresistibly funny. What does it matter which name I use, Gore or Rogers — are they not one and the same? What was easier? You took my real name, Rogers, rejected the last two letters, transposed the others, and then you had it — Gore!" I was now quite out of temper. "I don't know what your object is," I said, "iu coming here and talking this nonsense. The story is pure fiction — a simple creation of my own brain — from beginning to end. So far as I know, the characters never lived, the incidents never happened, the mill described nev- er had any existence — except iu my own imagination. " My visitor watched me as I spoke, and a grin slowly broadened on his face, until he again burst into loud laughter. "I should never have believed it!" he said. "Believed what?" "You novelists, it would appear, are so steeped iu fiction that you lose all re- gard for truth. " "What do you mean, sir?" I cried in- dignantly. "I* it necessary to explain? Here, in this magazine, I have a story every es- sential detail of which is actual truth, and you coolly tell me that it was all evolved out of your own brain!" "Certainly. So it was. " "Now, what is the use of talking like that to me — to me? I am Rogers — Rogers is Gore. I (call me by which name you like) am the man whose acts are described iu this story." "Do you mean to sit there and tell me that you actually committed a crime identical with that I have described?" "Precisely. I say the story is true in every essential detail. Every action of the plot, every motive of the characters, all the descriptions of places, and even portions of llie dialogue are absolutely true. I say a.^ain I am Jasper Gore!" Imagine my feelings! Never before iu the history of fiction writing had so remarkable a thing happened. Some oc- cult power had clearly been at work on my brain azjd directed me to write a story founded "on fact in a degree that was simply marvelous. The situation was so extraordinary that it staggered me. I was here fac» to face with the murderous ruffian of my own creation. What was to be done? I glanced at the bell at his elbow. "Never mind the bell," hesaid. "We shall not want to use that. Listen to me!" He brought his chair toward me until our knees were nearly touching. With his hands on his thighs and his body bent forward he fixed his penetrating eyes on mine. "I have told you that I am Jasper Gore. But that is only one of the names under which authors have used me in relating my exploits. You are not the only writer who has employed my deeds in fiction. You have read Blaudford's novel, 'The Red Witness?' Well, I am Paul Varnham, the man who poisoned his brother and threw the body into the limekiln. You have seen the story iu the last number of The Masterpiece Magazine called 'The Case of Roland Wier?' I am Roland, the man who stole the bonds and stabbed to the heart the only witness to the deed. Why, the stains of the crime are still on my hands. " I shuddered visibly, and cold sweat was on my forehead. "Metaphorically speaking, " he added with a smile, "I suppose you have read"— "Stop!" I cried. "What is it you want of me? Why do you come to tell me all this?" "I came to make a proposal. I am a man of many deeds — crimes, yon would call them. The world is getting too hot for me. I am iu danger from the sleuth hounds of the law. Shelter me; hide me, and I will give you material for some of the most thrilling stories that ever were written. I can keep you goiug for the rest of your life — with facts, sir, facts ! 134 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. May "The Eowner's Mill affair I don't know how you got hold of, but it was not obtained fairly. But I will not say anything about that. Stand by rue, and I will make your fortune and your ever- lasting fame. Is it a bargain?" To accept such a proposal never en- tered my mind for one moment. My only thought was to get this dreadful creature out of my house, whetJjer what he said waa true or not. How was I to do it? Just then my servant knock«id at the door and ejjtered. "Here is a gentleman wishes to bq8 you, sir." "Say you are engaged," said Rogers, rising from his chair and grasping me by the arm. But the new arrival had already en- tered the room. "Excuse me, sir," he said. "I have come for our good friend, Mr. Rogers. He lives with us at X . " X I knew to be the place where a certain county lunatic asylum stands. I saw everything in a flash. He handed Rogers over to the care of another man in the hall, and the poor fellow went as meekly as a lamb. Then the attendant came back to me. "I hope he has not alarmed you, sir. He escaped two days ago. " "Well, he gave me an unpleasant half hour. The man seems to be steeped in crime. " "He's all right except on that point. He fancies that he is every criminal that he reads about in the story books. We traced him to your house, and I expect he has been pitching a lively yarn about some of his doings. Ah ! I thought so. But, bless your heart, sir, the poor fel- low wouldn't hurt a fly." Nevertheless, he had knocked me off my work for that day. — Loudon Tit- Bits. How James Otis Was Killed. James Otis was killed by a stroke of lightning in Audover, Mass., at the old Isaac Osgood farm. May, 1783. Mr. Otis wanted a mug of cider. The hired man went into the cellar to draw the, cider, leaving the cellar door open. Mr. Otis was standing in the doorway at the side of the house looking ft Wie clouds, remarking that a heavy shower was coming up. Scarcely had the words been spoken when the bolt came down, struck Mr. Otis and killed him instantly, then passed into a large beam in the cellar- way, going the length of the beam to the cellar, where it went off into the ground. The hole in the beam was large enough to thrust one's arm down, as the writer has done when visiting the Osgood farm — Boston Transcript. The Man and the Clothes. There was a Methodist minister who dressed so well that a friend felt hoi'- rified and offered to give him a suit of clothes and pay for them provided he could have them made according to his ideas. The offer was accepted, and the tailor was ordered to make a suit in the plainest possible fashion. The order was filled, and the suit was tried on. The giver of it was amazed. So magnificent was tlie form with which nature had en- dowed the minister that that plain Methodist suit upon him looked as if it had just been received from Paris. — Christian Advocate. Oysters. "When I was a boy, " said the mid- dle aged man, "nobody ever used to think of stewing oysters in milk, though I believe that barbaric practice did be- gin just before the war, but now almost everybody eats them that way, and they cook them that way in restaurants. It seems a pity. The oyster is not the least of the blessings vouchsafed to us, and why anybody should want to disguise its gamy and at the same time delicious flavor with milk I do not see. "To stew oysters in milk is even worse than to dip them in batter before broiling or frying them, when but a thin coat of cracker dust is all that is required, and even this is likely to ho, dispensed with on broiled oysters by one who has eaten oysters broiled just as they come from the shell. "But it should not be understood from this that batter can reasonably bear no relation whatever to the oyster ; far from it. There is, for instance, the oyster fritter, certainly a very pleasant subject to dwell upon. But in this case the blessing has been added to the common- place, not the commonplace to the bless- ing."— Nev; York Sun. 189G. TJIK AMh:nic.\y hek-keeper. 135 A Qentleinan of the Old School. President Krugci' lives up to Ins Puri- tan priuciples. When iu Paris, he refused all iuvitatioiis to go out ou a Sunday, and he tiiought the costumes woru by ladies at the op(Jru or parties very im- modest. He said he could not think how any lady who respected herself could look at a ballot. The only books he had ever read besides the Bible were the "History of the Princes of Orange," "History of the Thirty Years' War," Motley's "History of the Dutch Repub- lic," Macaulay's writings on William of Orange and "The Pilgrim's Prog- ress." He said that in the Transvaal when a boy was sent to school he was provided with a gun and a pound of ammunition. He could th-^ bring home a bag of game and deiend himself Bgainst the Kaffirs, but the parents tried, nevertheless, to make these self reliant boys understand that the meek shall in- herit the earth. Another story told of President Kruger is that when he got home from his visit to Europe he said England was well enough, but the land seemed to be all owned by somebody. Ouecoulduot even go out into the country and sit down under a tree to smoke his pipe but some- body would come along and say that he owned the laud and ask what the smoker was doing there. — Buffalo Cou- rier. Ducking Stools. Ducking stools are noticed as existing formerly at Chester, Cambridge, Rug- by, Southam, Coventry, Nottingham, Southwell (Notts), Retford, Grimsby, Scarborough, Hull, Beverley, Morley (near Leeds), Ilkley, East Ardsley, Craven, Manchester, Liverpool, Preston, Kirkham, Burnley, Derby, Chesterfield, Kingston-on-Thames and Leicester. Ex- amples of the actual instrument seem still to be preserved at Leominster, Ips- wich, Scarborough and Leicester. The latest recorded use of the ducking stool (the designations cuckiug and ducking were, of course, synonymous iu the days of Queen Elizabeth) was in l'S09. It was at Leominster, when a woman named Jenny Pipes, alias Jane Corran, "was paraded through the town on the ducking stool and ducked iu the water near.Kenwater bridge bv order of the magistrates. In 1817 another woman, called Sarah Leeke, was wheeled round the place in the same chair, but not ducked, as, fortunately for her, the wa- ter was too low. The instrument of pun- ishment in question has not been used since then. — Notes and Queries. A Soothing Car Ride. The latest cure for insomnia is cheap. The remedy was suggested by an old doctor to whom a despairing young man had gone for advice. "Of course," said the doctor, "I could give you drugs that woHld put you to sleep, but in the case of a young man that is to be avoided. The reason you cannot sleep is your nerves are unstrung. That does not nec- essarily mean that you must put your nervous system to sleep by the use of drugs. What you want is a mild excite- ment, that will lift your nervous system out of the rut it has fallen into. The best thing in the world to do that is a trolley ride. Don't try to settle upon a particular route. Just jurup on any car that comes along. Don't even ask the conductor where the car is going, but just go along with the car. It will sure- ly come back some time to the point where you took it. If the route is eight or ten miles long, so much the better. One thing is certain — you will either sleep during the ride or as soon as it is over." — Philadelphia Record. Most Popular Novels. The novel or story which has probably enjoyed the largest term of popularity is "Robinson Crusoe, " by Daniel Defoe, published in 1719. This novel attained great popularity from its first appear- ance and is one of the very few that have continued to be popular down to the present day, or for more than 175 years. Defoe died April 24, 1731. The next most popular works of fiction were the Waverley novels of Sir Walter Scott, published iu 18U-1831. So successful have these novels been from then till now that no fewer than 80 men have been uninterruptedly engaged by one Edinburgh firm for the last ejuarter of a century iu producing them. Of Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, "Uncle Tom's Cabin," published iu 1851, more than a million copies iu English have been eold. — Philadelphia Times. 13(5 THE A^fFJtICAN BKK-KEEPER. Man Mistaken Idea of Teasers. It h:is beeu asserted by some one ihafb every Jiumau being has a right to hap- piness. If that be the case, most of ris miss it migljtily — that's all we have to eay. A good deal of our failure to be happy 3H our own fault, but much of it is undeserved and purely the fault of others. If we chose to stop and think, we would soon see also how we in turn inflict Buhappiness xipon others in a most uncalled for way. When we find one of our friends in an irritable mood, do we try to soothe him or go away and let him alone? Not by any means. We cast about in our minds to see what suggestions we can make th;;t will irritate him a trifle more. This we do as a wholesome les- son, we profess. Wo want to teach him that there's no use in getting so cross about trifles. And what are we that we should set ourselves up as mentors to teach anybody anything 1 Let them learn their own lessons from life. That is a better teacher than we could possi- bly be. Half the unhappiness that comes into children's lives — nay, three-fourths, we may say— arites from the unkind teas- ing and irritation of those older — even their adult relatives. "Oh, Mary's so cross!" they say, and then they proceed to make her crosser if possible by every petty aggravation they can think of. This should be classed under the head of cruelty to children, we think.— Phil- adelphia Call. Critics and Managers. Mr. Charles Wyudham has explained that his contempt for the press is not, like Mr. Peuley's, absolute, but refers only to Christmastide criticisms. He holds, in short, that the critics are "but mad nor'-uor'west. When the wind is southerly, ihey know a hawk from a heronshaw. " The truth is that some actor managers are superstitious in their reverence for the press so long as it prophecies smooth things for them. A critic the other day got into corre- spondence with a manager who thought h9 bad slighted one of his productions. By way of conclusive testimony to its merits the manager sent him a para- graph emanating from an obscure press agency, to the eifect that "if there is ci;c tiling in the world" the lessee of this ihsater understands it is the histri- onic tastes of the English people." This was of course most gratifying, but the beauty of it was that the writer of the paragraph evidently had not and did not profess to have seen the play, and had sent the paragraph to the manager with a demand for a couple of seats "so as to give further particulars in our next." Such is the flattering unction which some managers lay to their souls. — London World. Seven Miles of Clothesline. One of the most extensive laundries in the world is situated in a southern sub- urb of London, and was recently visited by one of our own representatives. The principal building, he writes, is upward of 400 feet long and four stories high. Over 250 hands are employed, and the machinery cost about £18,000. There are ten solid ironing machines 9 feet long, and each capable of finishing 1,500 serviettes per hour. The vast extent of this business may be realized on learning that 15,670 arti- cles a week ar"^, received from one great west end club, and 35,000 in the same period from each of several mammoth hotels. A hotel like the Metropole or the Grand, by the way, uses upward of 4,000 towels every day. Nearly 3,000,- 000 pieces of linen of all kinds pass through thi^ laundry in the course of a week, and seven miles of drying lines can be run out at once. —Pearson's Week- ly. Literary Versatility. An editor received the other day a curious application for help. The writer said: "lam sorry you do not like my romance, t'or I feel that I have the secret fire in my veins. If, however, you can- not accept my book or my poetry, will tou give mc a berth as a heavy goods porter':'" — London Bookmau. The Perspective. She waved her hand imperiously. "Be very careful, " she commanded ber maid, "of the perspective. You made rue look dreadfully shallow last Bvening. " After that the making of her toilet proceeded without further interruption. —Detroit Tribune. 189G. rilE AMERICAN II EE- HE El' Eli. 13^ THE LAST APPEARANCE OF MOLIIIRE. (It fs recorded of Moliere that on the niffht of \\VA (.A ;;th ho insisted on going to the thi'U- t(>r, as u.Haal, di-synte tho entivatii^s of h's friends, to \Aa.y tho "Malade Imaginarie" in or- der tiiat the worlinien might not lose their wagis.] Did you who eat that night to see The wizard's hand complete its task Guess at the face of Tragedy Wliieli lurked behind tin; comic mask? Did yon, whose plaudits wild and loud Mixed fate and laughter in a breath, Behold the actor as ho bowed, Crown'd with the cypress wreath of death? Across the footlights of the years That latest scene shines fresh and bright. Only tho lamps are blurred w ith tears. Only the laughter fails tonight — And, lo! before our startled eyes Two centuries dwindle to a span. And other silent plaudits rise Not for the genius, but the man. Actor, there gleams above thy tomb No censer which the church can swing; No incense, with its dim i;erfume. Haunts thy dark rest with dreams of spring. But surely blessings more divine Upon that last appearance fell And, with the latest bravos thine, Mingled the angels' "It is well." And, all unwitting, we today Tread in thy footsteps, Moliere. We laugh and wonder at the play Or strut behind the footlights' glare. The shouts of laughter grow more sparse, The lamps burn dim, the players flee. And Death takes up our petty farce And sobers it to tragedy. —Nellie K. Blissett in Temple Bar. WANTED. "An ugly case, " remarked Jim to me confidentially; "a very ugly case in- "deed!" The unconscious patient, borne into our surgery upon a stretcher, was fright- fully injured. That was evident at a glance. He was a passenger by a ship just ar- rived from the Cape, and while prepar- ing to come ashore a heavy box, swung aloft by the vessel's crane, had slipped and fallen on him. Jim Clifford and I were partners in an east end practice, close to the docks. His blood soaked clothing bore no marks which could lead to his identifi- cation. No limbs were broken, but the neck and shoulder were feai-fully lacerated. and one side of the face was dreadfully mangled. It v>'as not until late the fol- lowing evening tliat he seemed to recov- er his senses, and then of course he was too weak to converse. Jim was strongly in favor of his re- moval, as soon as jn-acticable, to the nearest hospital. The sick man must have overlieard our conversation, for he signed feebly to my colleague to stoop down. "Not to the hospital, for heaven's sake!" whi.s])ered the poor fellow. "Anywhere but there. Stay here — no friends — soon be better!" he gasped painfully. Neither of us had the heart to remove our patient against his will, though his stay involved one of u.s being constantly in the house and the services of a male attendant as well. Days and weeks slipped by, and, though our patient hovered between life and death mere than once, he continued to stay with us and to engross more or less of our atteut ion. The singular thing was that apparent- ly the patient was without relatives or friends in this country — did not know a soul in London. So he told us, bit by bit, adding that his name was Octave Henry, and that he had been in South Africa for many years. A couple of rude sea chests, sent up from the ship, con- tained all his belongings. "I'll tell you what it is, " said Jim in his own emphatic way as we sat to- gether in our snuggery one night, "I'll tell you what it is, Fraser, our friend up stairs will slip through our fingers after all if we don't look out. There's brain mischief setting in from some splintered bone, and unless we can do something to remove the brain pressure — well, r,codby to his chance of life!" Our patient willingly gave his con- sent to the operation, and tlie whole af- fair was arrangeel imd carried out with- in a week. Recovery from the operation of tre- panning is always tardy. In the case of the man Henry, with his already shat- tered physique, it was more than usual- ly protracted. One morning I remember well. Clif- ford and I were by the bedside. The patient, for the time being, had revived sufficiently to show himself conscious of 138 TJIE AMhUllCAN BEE-KEEPER May our presence aud feebly to sign his wants. But there was something about the appearance of his eyes that morning which struck me as being unusual, a curious, precccupied lock. When Jim and I had left him to the care of his at- tendant, I remarked upon this symptom. ''You noticed it, then?" answered Jim moodily. "I thought you would. Ah, but that is only one aspect of the caEe, not the most serious either!" Kcre he broke off abruptly. I waited, without speaking, till he began once more : ' 'Did you ever study the subject of sense transfer ?nce?" I confessed tliat I had not done; so to "any gi'eat extent. "It begins to occur to me, " continued Jim, "that that is what we have to deal with in the case — nothing more or less. However it has happened, one thing is veiy plain to me — that the sense of hear- ing in this case is not absolutely destroy- ed, but, as I may put it, diverted into the optic region — grafted, as it were, into the sense of sight. " "But is such a thing possible?" I ex- claimed anxiously. "Yes, theoretically it is," returned my partner gravely, ' 'but practically no example of it has yet occurred in the case — that is, of a human being. I can only guess that in the present instance purely accidental cau.ses have led up to it But the fact remains that, as I have just said, the man now sees — actually sees, remember — that which, in ordinary circumstances, he would have heard. ' ' My colleague's diagnosis proved to be true, as we soon found. Little by little, as consciousness returned, it became painfully evident that the patient's senses Juid become what I may call, for want cf a better word, entangled. With what startling vividness, such sensations thus took bndily shape before him we could ( nly surmise from his ex- cited manner. Sensitive to an extraor- dinary degree to every breath, every whisper around him, his staring eyeballs too plainly showed how the faculty of vision was exalted, in his case, to a pre- ternatural extent. "Please, sir," said a maidservant at the door; "please, sir, Dr. Clifford wants you up stairs at once. ' ' cmioi'd and the attendant were hold- ing elown the patient by main force Rpou the beet. He was struggling to rise, and the expression of his face was one of terror. His eyes seemeel as if start- ing from their sockets. "Something has induced a violent paroxysm," whispered Jim. "He can't last Ion';- if it continues. " The sick man sank back on his pil- lows. His lips moved. By stooping over him I coulel catch some of his words. "They are coming — coming now," he gaspeel, "ever so far away, but I can see them i Something moves before them — something elark! I can't make it out I Something about to break! "Will it save poor Octave? Will it "— "Visibly worse, " said Clifford aside to me, "and the pulse abnormally high. If this goes on, he will be in a high fever before long. ' ' It was a breathless summer evening, but the sky was overcast with murky clouds, foreboding a tempest. The ropm already grew dark with the shadow oi its coming. Suddenly there was a loud knocking at the front door. Presently I heard voices in conversation, then heavy foot- steps began to ascend the stairs. At that instant a rose colored flash gleameel through the darkness of the room, a terrific peal of thuneler follow- eel, its echoes crashing and rolling as if the building were about to fall upon our heads. The sick man sprang con- Talsively to an almost upright position in his bed, then fell backward — dead! The door opened. There was a pause, and two plainly dressed men slipped quietly into the room. "Dr. Clifford, I presume?" inquired the foremost politely. Jim noddeel assent wonderingly. ' ' I have a very painful duty to per- form in respect of yeiur patient here, ' ' continued the speaker fumbling a paper as he spoke; "a very painful duty im deed. But the fact is, I hold a wai-rant for his apprehension under the name o\ Henry — Octave Henry — on a charge of"— "My patient," interposed Jim very quietly, "has just obeyed another sum- mons. The man died while you were coming up stairs. ' ' From the explanations which ensued ISOG 77/ A' AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. IH!) it secnipcl that our late patient" Had long boon "wanttfl" by the police on no less a charge thiui that of murder. Doubtless his nnwilliugness to be removed to a hospital arose from his persuasion that he was safer from detection in a private dwelling. Giiilty or not guilty of the crime he was accused of, it was long before Jim and I ceased to speak of him. Nor, iu turn, had he forgotten us. We were handsomely remembered in the will he had executed before the operation. But we will never again undertake the care of a resident patient. — Answers. Old English Inns. A feature essentially English is the cheery inn that overlooks the common. From that upper latticed window the jolly innkeeper of yore would watcli the solitaiy horseman of romance crossing the heath and perhaps hint his opinion of the traveler to the "gentlemen oJ the road" — the Claude Duvals — whc found it convenient to keep on good terms with mine host. But those days are gone, and now we can take our ease at our inn, with its deep bay windows on either side of the entrance, its 6wiugiug signpost, its horse trough, pujnp and out door settle. Enter and yoij will find that the bay window forms & delightful sunny recess with a seat all round. In one instance a branch of s vine from the adjoining greenhouse hac been trained into this recess, and rounc the window bunches of grapes wert hanging, some beginning to pui-ple ii the wai-m Aiigust sun. The fii-eplace is often a great, old fashioned one, witl seats on either side of the "ingleneuk, ' right under the chimney, while framed over one of these fii'eplaces I found the following verse from Sir Matthew Hale A Sabbath well spent Brings a week of content And hi-altli for the toils of the morrow, But a Sabbath profaned, ■Whate'er may be gained. Is a certain forerunner of sorrow. — Temple Bar. Dr. Nansen's Pedigree. Dr. Fridtjof Nansen's name bein^ now mentioned all over the world, hi. pedigree has been the subject of recent research. The result is that the earlies' of the forbears of tlie Norwegian nav igator of wliom there is authentic knowl edge was Ewert Nansen. a merchant a' Flensburg, in Sleswick-Holsteiu, wlic died iu 1618. So it is stated in th( "Genealogia Nanseniana, " which i! contained in an important collective work by Christopher Giessing (Copen hagen, 1781). Ewejrt Nansen's sor Hans went with his uncle on a mer chant ship to Russia, became aftersvai'C interpreter of the Russian language at the court of the king of Denmark and later on a special Danish envoy to th( czar. Subsequently, as chairman of tht Icelandic Trade society, he made manj voyages to Iceland and Russia anc wrote in Danish a "Compendium Cos- moraphicum Danicum, " which hac many editions (163.1-46). All the othei Nansens are traced from these ancestors, one of the first of whom thus showed alreiudy a bont for traveling and foi writing on his travels. A clear case oi hereditary character, going back to twc centiiries and a half! Only it is to be hoped that Ibsen will leave the subject alone and not write a drama called "The Man From the Sea. "—Pall Mai' Gazctto. The Tale Told of a Doctor. Apropos of doctors' beards and mi- crobes, a lady writes: "Several years ago I took the steam cars to and from school. For a week or more our family physician took the crowded noon train, always sitting very near me, and enter- ing into conversation. On questioning his sister-in-law about bis trips, she said : 'Oh, be has a smallpox patient at C. , and is afraid to take his carriage for fear of communicating contagion. So he takes the train. ' I always supposed his professional eye looked on me as " prospective smallpox patient." — Boston Transcript. A Lieg^timate Flea. Smythe — Do you think Scadds will bo severely punished for deserting his family aud running away with and marrying that young widow? Tompkins — No. He's rich, aud hav- ing one wife he certainly didn't need another, so his lawyer is quite sure he can clear him by pleading kleptomania. —Truth. The ivy leaved lettuce opens its leaves aud flowers at 8 o'clock iu the morning^ and generally closes again by 4. 140 THE AMERICAN HEE- KEEPER. May THE DEARESTONE IN ALLTHE EARTH. Mother. Ill line or lany;uaRe there is no other Word thut tells so clear a story Of life and love and living glory- Like that s'A'eet word, So often heard And yet so little known Until into our soul life grown, As that wliich names the precious one Who only knows her duty done When she has folded to her breast Her offspring for a longed for rest; She who has fought the prize to win For a noble life and an entering in Through the gates of heaven. By promise given, Of yielded life for life, of love for love. For bringing blessings from above, Lifting her offerings up on high, Ready for tbeni to do and die. And t'iis brief verse Woulu fnin rehearse The virtues and the modest worth Of the dearest one in all the earth. Mother. —Good Housekeeping. HIS CHANCE IN LIFE. Miss Vezzis came from across the border line to look after some cliilclreu who belonged to a lady uutil a regular ly ordaiued uurse could come out. The lady said Miss Vezzis was a bad, dirty nurse and iiiatteutive. It never struck her that Miss Vezzis had her own life to lead and her own afifairs to worry over, and that these affairs were the m.ost important things in the world to Miss Vezzis. Very few mistresses admit this sort of reasoning. Miss Vezzis was as black as a boot, and to our standard of taste hideously ugly. She wore cotton print gowns and bulged shoes, and when she lost her temper with the chil- dren she abused them in the language of the border line — which is part Eng- lish, part Portuguese and part native. She was not attractive, but she had her pride, and she preferred being called "Miss Vezzis. " Every Sunday she dressed herself wonderfully and went to see her mam- ma, who livt d for the most part on an old cane chair in a greasy tussur silk dressing gown and a big rabbit warren of a house full of Vezzisses, Pereiras, Ribieras, Lisboas and CTonsalveses, and a floating population of loafers, besides fragments of the day's bazaar, garlic, stale incense, clothes thrown on the tiuur, percicoats nung on strings for screens, old bottles, pewter crucifixes, dried immortelles, pariah puppies, plas- ter images Oi. the Virgin, and hats with- out crowns. Miss Vezzis drew 20 mpees a month for acting as nurse, and she squabbled weekly with her mamma as to the percentage to be given toward housekeeping. "When the quarrel was over, Michele d'Cruze used to shamble across the low mud wall of the compound and make love to Miss Vezzis after the fashion of the border line, which is hedged about with much ceremony. Michele was a poor, sickly weed and very black, but he had his pride. He would not be seen smoking a huqa for anything, and he looked down on natives as only a man with seven-eighths native blood in his veins can. The Vezzis family had their pride too. They traced their descent from a mythical plate layer who had worked on the Sone bridge when rail- ways were new in India, and they val- ued their English origin. Michele was a telegraph signaler on 35 rupees a mouth. The fact that he was in government employ made Mrs. Vezzis lenient to the shortcomings of his ancestors. There was a compromising legend — Dom Anna, the tailor, brought it from Poonani — that a black Jew of Cochin had once married into the D'Cruze fam- ily, while it was an open secret that an uncle of Mrs. d'Cruze was at that very time doing menial work connected with cooking for a club in southern India! He sent Mrs. d'Craze 7 rupees 8 annas a month, but she felt the disgrace to the family very keenly all the same. However, m the course of a few Sun- days Mrs. Vezzis brought herself to overlook the=!e blemishes and gave her consent to the marriage of her daughter with Michdc, on condition that Michele should have at least 50 rupees a month to start married life upon. This won- derful prudence must have been a lin- gering touch of the mythical plate lay- er's Yorksliire blood, for across the bor- der line people take a pride in marrying when they please — not when they can. Having regard to his departmental prospects, Miss Vezzis might as well have asked Michele to go away and come back with the moon in his pocket. But Michele was deeply in love with Miss Vezzis. and that hehiprl b^m *^r, ov.. 1896. TlIK AMEIUCAN BEE-KKEPKR. 141 dure. He acciinipaiiied Miss Vezzis to mass one Sunday, and after ma-ss, walk- ing home thrror to retire end mnk« up a verdict. He retired, and, after staying out for over an hour, came back and reported solemnly that the jury had failed to agree upon a yerdict. — LeuisTiDc Courier-Journal. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER . 143 Honey and Beeswax Market Report. Below we ^'ve llie latest :uid most authen- tic report of the Honey and Beeswax market in different trade centers : Cincinnati. 0.. Apr. 'I'l. IS'.Hi.— The demand for honey is fair Supply fair. Price of ooiuh 12 to 14c for be.-t white. Kxt. 4 to 7c Good demand for beeswax at -•"' to ;^0c per lb. Supply fair. (.'has. K. Muth a Sox. Cor. F'reeiiian and Central Aves. Dktiioit, Mich.. Apr . 2(i. IS'.Hi.— The demand for honey is slow. Supply nut henvy. Price of onib II to 14c iKjr lb. E.xtracted .")M^ to 7c per lb. Fair demand for beeswax, (iood supply. I'riees 2"i to 2()C per lb. All the best comb huney is sold short- ly after arrival bu- there i> a considerable (luaiiti ty of undesirable stock in the commissio'i hnuses. M. 11. lIVNr, Bell Branch. Mich. Albany, X. Y-- Aiir. 20. Us'.Ki.— On account of the warm we;ither and an abundant supply of Maple Sugar the demand for honey is verv small. Our stock is also quite limited We have a few ca.-^es of buckwheat which we offer at 7^ to 8c per lb. Extracted 4 to 5c per lb. (has. W. McCullough & Co. Kansas City. Mo.. Apr. 20, 1S9B.— The demand for honey is light- Light supply Price of fancy comb 14c per lb. Extr^icted 7m per lb. No boeswiix on the market. Prices 22 to 2.')c per lb. We have cleaned up this season on all comb hon°y at gi od prices. Hambi.in A: Bkarss, 514 Walnut St. Boston. Mass., Apr. 20. 1S9().— The demand for honey is light. Light supply. Price of comb 14 to 1.5c per lb. I- xtracted 5 to (icpe'lb. Fair demand for beeswax at 25c per lb. E. E. Blake k Co.. 75 Chatham St. QUEENS! QUEENS! :i lJ:uidril it:ill:ill«. breed f.T l)U?ine;-s. No better bees in the world. They work like Tigers when honey is to be hnd, winter well and handle ensv After .June 1, sOc each, ti for S4 50. .-afe arrival. J. S. KLOCK, Urban, Pa. One uJlan with the UiIAW Combination "'"' Saw <':in do the work of four ni'n using hand tools, in Hipping. Cutting-(jff. Mi- tring. I< abbet i iig, ( i r ooving, (iaining. Usidoing. Edging- uo. .Jointing Stufi. etc Full Line of Foot and Hand I'ower nchinery. Sold on Triti/. Ci((<(lo(iue free. Se-^eca rails IVl^K Co . 45 Water St., 2-12 Seneca Falls, N. Y. ■ m Mi m H^ ERS OF BEES and those in- mm ^^ ^^ B^ tending to keep bees should W3B MM ^B BaJ write us for large illust'dcat- Bm W" v^ W^ alogue and co|iy of A.mkri- ■ ^^ Lw I^H B can Bee-Kf.epkr. (monthly.) * ^ ^Ol ^^B ■ Out pr ices iiT&lowest2iad.stock largest. We keep everything used by bee-keeprs. including text books, comb foundations, all stvleshives.ctc. .\ddr's W. T. Falconer N\U Co. Jamestown, N.T );• ices are (owesta.nastock BEES You Have Seen if Before. Tliaf Name Plafe Means GONVENI&NGE AND Sf=\TISFf^GTION Whicli of course mean GOLD CRANK pf\LCOfS BIGYGIiSS. Send for Catalogue. THE YOST MNFG CO.. YOST STATION, TOLEDO, O. 144 Till-: . I MKRICAN BEE-KEEPER. Man JOHN F. STRATTOS^'S CELEBRATED GUITARS, Importer of and Wholesale Dealer in all kinds of MUSICAL MERCHANDISE, 811 , 813, 815, 817 East 9th St. , New York. Carl Thorbahn. Musical Director. Standard Theatre Orchestra. Chicago, Ills. April, 14, 1892. Messrs. John,F. Stratton Dear Sir;.— 1 am pleased to be able to State that I ian highly recommend your Rus- sian Gut Strir^gs for durability and tone. Your orders for them should be tremend- oas. Tours truly, CARL THORBAHN. THE STI^ATTOIV Band Instruments Will elect our S EXT PRESIDENT. Now is the time to form new Bands for Campaign pur- poses. We are offering special inducements for 1892- Send ill oiui- fur llliiKtratFj rafaloEUC. JOHN F. STRATTON, MANtTFACTURERS, NEW roiis. Made by Automatic Machinery. Lowest in price. Falcon Polished Sections, finest made. Higginsville Hives, etc-, cheaply sold. Seven Railroads and four Express Companies ta ship over. Samples and Catalogue free. W. J. FINCH, Jr. 5-3 Springfield, 111. SECTIONS, BEE-g^EVES and other Bee-keep- ers lies, at bed-rock prices. liestof Goods at LOWEST PRICES. Write for free, illustrated Catalogue and Price list. G. B. LEWIS & CO., Watertown, Wis. :;-tf "Worth Material ^ Construction \- Unexcelled Finish ) ...SEND FOR CATALOGUE... QUEEN CITY CYCLE CO. Bufialo, N. Y. pay for good qiia.Ii- GGSvirax^ freight paid to m, Y. If you Iiave any ship it to us at once. (Prices subjectjto cliange without natice). THE W. T. FALCOKER M'F'G CO. VOL. VI. JUNE, 1896. NO. 6. Confining Bees. BY (HAS. 11. I'HIES. There is much said about confining bees, the length of time they will stand confinement without a cleansing flight, etc. During the past winter I had a little experience in the inattter without any effort on ray part. In preparing my bees for winter in the fall of 1895 I doubled ray nuclei, by which method some of thera were formed to sraall colonies or swarms. In forming my nuclei 1 put a thin partition in a regular 8 frame hive body, which gives me two nuclei to each hive, the entrance being at op- posite ends. In preparing my bees for winter I make one nuclei queeu- less and then pull out the thin parti- tion board and the uniting is done. I next put a thin partition board on each side which makes a double wall- ed hive on the sides. In putting in these boards I happened to entirely close the entrance, which remained closed all winter and until after the weather became very warm. So my bees were wintered on the summer stands and were confined six months without a flight. Of course we did not have very cold weather, but we had some very warm days. Upon ex- amining these bees in the spring they appeared to have wintered very poor- ly ; in fact upon opening the hive it took me a few minutes before I could tell what was really the matter with them. They acted much as though they were queenless, but upon exam- ining them I soon found a queen, also a good lot of brood of all ages. When I made a closer examination I found the entrance entirely closed. Take this colony tu-day and I am unable to see that they are any worse for their six months confineraent. Had these six months been steady cold I would not have been so much surprised, but as we had changeable weather they surely beca'ue very uneasy, and no doubt if they had not had very good honey would have died. I do not know as this experience will be worth much to any one, yet I give it more as a curiosity than what it might be worth. Steeleville, 111. Poisonous Honey. BY X. HALLOCK. I noticed in the last American Bee Keeper a letter from Mr. Jolley on the subject, "Poisonous Honey. — Do Bees Gather it ? 146 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. June It would be diflScult to make a Long Islander living on the boarders of the Great Plains that abound with a shrub known by the natives as Kill calf or Staggar bush, believe that they do not gather poison from the flowers. Sheep or calves eating the tender leaves, reel as though drunk and are partially blind, but seldom die from the effects. Honey gathered from it will on many, act in a very short time in a strange way. The person eating the honey will become dizzy and uncon- scious and face and throat will swell, and unless prompt emetic is given the result is very painful and dangerous. The neighborhood where this is written was once so afflicted with poi- sonous honey that few kept bees; but taking up and cultivating the land has destroyed the bush, and there has not been a case of honey poison in forty years, while twelve miles east of here where the plant is still abundant it is of not uncommon occurrance. A party offered me his stock of bees at a nominal price recently as his nephew had nearly died last year within an hour after eating of the honey, and he had become afraid to eat it himself. These facts lead me tu believe that here at least bees do gather poisonous honey from the Andromida Mariana (staggar bush). Queens, Long Island, N. Y. Modern, vs. Antideluvian.— Progression or Retro- gression, Which? BY H. E. HILL. To the interrogative preliminary to the Bee Keeper's April " leader," by Jno. F. Gates, I reply : Rows of painted hives out from under an old shed, on the green grass, in God's sunshine, neatly and conveniently ar- ranged, with movable combs which reverses the order of the " tall breed- ers," and enables the beekeeper to become boss of the situation ; rows of hives that admit of the application of apicultural skill, if such a thing ex- ists, from which queen cells may be saved, stores equalized, treatment ad- minstered in case of disease and its detection made possible, loss of ab- secondiug swarms prevented by clip- ping, such conditions as a failing or drone-laying queen, queeulessness or fertile worker, rectified. Hives that will take a super at the beginning of the season before their numbers are divided by swarming ; when their united forces will expend their ener- gies in filling the sections with honey instead of a part (the swarm) dividing their work between the supers and an empty brood chamber. The ''beauty" of breeders loses its charm when the bees persist in covering the exterior of their primitave box for ten days, like a bearskin robe, before swarming, while other colonies, w'intered in mod- ern hives, are filling a second super. To Mr. Gates those " tall breeders " are evidently " a thing of beauty and a joy for ever," and his way of put- ting his hobby may make interesting reading for admirers of "Blessed Bees," but it is hardly probable that the highest degree of knowdedge and incidental success shall come to us through retorgressive measures. My esteemed preceptor, Mr. J. B. Hall, of Woodstock, Ont., once remark- ed to me that bee-keeping would pay him even if he lost all of his bees every winter, but I have never known of him meeting with a winter loss worth mentioning. He is less fortun- 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 147 ate than Mr. Gates, however, in that with his system of management the honey in the brood chambers and the sections are not always strictly white. The mystery, to me, is, with Mr. Gates' method, what becomes of all the off grades. If the only advantage of keeping two colonies to do the work of one, is the probable lowering of the percent- age of winter loss, this is indeed " much ado about nothing." The loss of merchantable honey by waiting for the bees to swarm and the uselessness of the parent colony thereafter, coupl- ed with foregoing disadvantages, would be much greater than any winter loss that ever befel me during ten years experience in a county adjoin- in Mr. Gates' home in Pennsylvania, and several years much farther north. There are hundreds of apiarists whose winter losses are next to noth- ing, that control their bees in modern hives, and who would assist any read- ers of the Bee Keeper by advice, who have not already been wearied by the threadbare winter problem, that re- gard wintering as such a calamitous task that they contemplate adopting a system that necessitates keeping double the number of hives from which they expect returns, and those returns necessarily smaller in many instances than would be obtained from colonies that had not swarmed. Spruce Bluffs, Fla. Importation of Apis Dorsata — An Ofif-Hand Reply to C. C. Miller and Others. BY W. K. MARKS. Gentlemen : — The " reasons " for opposing the importation of Apis Dorsata, of yourself and others, jnib- lished in a late American Bee Jour- nal, though not unexpected, are cer- tainly remarkable and will be receive- ed as they deserve — with the contempt of intelligent bee keepers of the pres- ent and future generations. I can not believe that tne disgusting, un- called for, and unchristian, personal attacks upon Mr. Benton, are the qualities of Christianity or of progress. If to obstruct, discourage and oppose any and every effort for reform and progress are the requisites of a " well- informed bee keeper," then, I am thankful to say, we are not of that class. Perhaps we are not "well-in- formed," but we are certainly in good company and intelligent enough not to discourage any proposition intended for the advancement of apiculture. You practically admit that the sub- ject is beyond your knowledge. Could there be a better argument in favor of the undertaking than that ? "Will you ever know more if no progress is made in this line ? You pass lightly over Gravenhorst, entirely ignore Dathe and Benton, the only men competent to speak on the subject with authority, and quote at length the fallacious theories of Baldens- perger and Cheshire. You must have been hard pressed for some excuse for your position. Are the spiteful thrusts at Mr. Benton good "reasons" or arguments ? Must the importation of Apis dorsata be delayed to gratify the personal spite of a few individu- als ? I would say to all such , that at no very distant date Apis dorsata will be domesticated, and will remain to bless mankind long after they and their memories shall be dead and for- gotten. After all, I suppose you consider 148 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. June yourselves " progressive bee keepers." Who would think it ? The Standard defines Progressive as characterized by " making or tending to make prog- ress ; aiming at or encouraging prog- ress ; making effort for advancement." Your position does not verify your assumption. Imagine men who con- sider themselves " well-informed bee keepers" resorting to the English sparrow and similar bugbears to prej- udice the undertaking. " Well-in- formed bee keepers," indeed ! Why, this was the very argument of a mis- informed (I will not say ignorant) farmer I met, and furthermoi-e he said : " That bees were a nuisance ; they eat his peaches, apples and grapes, and if we had larger ones they would not only eat his peaches, etc., but the the pumpkins and everything eata- ble." Thus do the two extremes meet : the " well-informed bee keep- er " and the mis-informed farmer. Are they so much alike ? If so, then from the " well-informed bee keeper," Oh ! Lord, deliver us. The "reasons " you advance are not in keeping with the intelligence of our times, and in- tended only to deceive, prejudice and delay. Past events have left a shad- ow, and although you are careful to conceal it, the real reason for your course is apparent. You may " fool some bee keepers all of the time and all bee keepers some of the time, but you can not fool all the bee keepers all the time." There is not one word in the petition we would change. We believe it has already been circulated and signed by enough of the best and really progressive bee keepers to jus- tify us in every assertion. The gov- ernment will get these bees if we ask it. Would those who are engaged in other pursuits, if offered such an op- portunity , hesitate or try to delay it ? Oh ! shame. Here we are at the end of the nineteenth century and you think an undertaking " premature " that has already been neglected too long. We believe that God intended man should ' ' subdue and have domin- ion over " these beautiful honey bees, and to neglect them, generation after generation, is a sin. Why not import these bees into our own country, where we can test them in our own way, and in our own time? Your " reasons" are too absurd for further considera- tion. The time has come for action. We will not delay. "Art is long, and time is fleeting, And our hearts, though stout and brave, Still, like mutlled drums, are beating Funeral marches to the grave. In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of life. Be not like dumb, driven cattle ! Be a hero in the strife ! Trust no Future, how'er pleasant ! Let the dead Past bury its dead ! Act, — act in the living Present I Heart within, and Crod o'erhead ! " Chapiuville, N. Y., May 18, 1896. VASSAR GIRLS AND ATHLETICS. All Vassar girls are fond of the well- equipped gymnasium, but for out-of door amusements perhaps their first choice is for a fine long tramp over the hills, rowing or skating on the neat little lake close by, or a game on the tennis court. " We like to be country girls and wear cotton dresses and go without our hats," said one fresh-faced, healthy student ; and the statistics of the woman physician in the infirmary on the top fljor, which is a complete little gem of an infirmary, bear witness to the Vassar girls' wise choice of recreative amusements. Increasing interest in athletics has been manifested the jiast year. Basket and bot- tle ball teams liave been formed, and as the college i.s situated far away from the town, and the tennis and ball grounds are in the shelter of the Plaisance, the students are encouraged to this sort of exercise and al- lowed to count it as time spent in the gym- nasium.— From "A Day at Vassar," in Demorest's Magazine for May. 1891). THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 149 I b'rom Progressive Bee-Keeperj MANAGENG SWARMS HAVING QJEi-NS WITH CLIPPED WINGS. G. M. DOOMTTLK. Many seems to think that if they clip the wings of their queens they will have trouble with their bees in swarming time. This thought] eotnes from a misunderstanding of the mat- ter, I am sure, for with me it is a very simple thing to care for a swarm whose queen has a clipped wiug, so, with the hopes that it may help some, I will give the four ditferent ways I manage, either of which works well with me. The first way is to hive the bees on the returning plan, allowing the swarm to occupy the place of the old colony. This is done as follows : When the swarm is seen issuing, step in front of the hive far enough so that you will not be liable to step on the queen should she have gotten out be- fore you reach'^the hive, and also so you can take in quite a bit of territory with the visions, for if too close, you will see but little of the ground, which causes a longer search with less pros- pects of finding the queen, than if farther off. As soon as the queen is found, let her run into a wire-cloth cage, she entering the same readily if it is held a little in front of her and in an upright position. When she is in the cage, put in the movable stop- per so as to secure her, when she is to be placed in front of the old hive, or anywhere you please ; only so you do not step on the cage and kill her, as I knew a certain person of about my size to do once. Next, move the old colony to a new stand and place the new hive where it stood, placing the caged queen at the entrance. In from five to thirty-five minutes the bees v»'ill miss their queen, (generally in from five to eight minutes,) and come back to where they started in search of their queen, running with fanning wings into the new hive, when the queen is to be set at liberty and allowed to go in with them. The second plan is the one which I use when I wish to leave the old colony on the old stand, and is as follows : Proceed to hunt up the queen, as before, and as soon as she is found, turn the old hive halfway around and off of the ground (to the rear) where it stood. Now place the new hive where the old one stood, placing the queen at the entrance of the new hive as bef(;re. As soon as they come back and all enter the new hive, take the new hive and carry it where you wish to stand it, bringing the old hive back to it? former posi- tion. By these two ways, it will be seen that the bees hive themselves. No climbing of trees, cutting off limbs, or anything of that kind, which our fathers thought it necessary to do. My third is, when the bees begin to cluster on the branch of a tree, which I care nothing for, and where they can be easily gotten at, I attach a w' ire to the cage, and hang it with the clustering bees ; and when I get ready to care for them I cut the branch from the tree, and carry them to the hive, which has been previously placed where I wish the colony to stand, and treat them the same as any swarm is 150 THE AMERICAN BEE KEEPER. June treated. No danger of they going to the woods if vou leave them hancrincr all day, for should they try it, as I had one do once, they will soon come back and cluster about the queen again, there to stay and try to make a home on this limb, unless cared for by the apiarist. If any of the readers of the Progressive wish to have a swarm work in the open air, this gives them the clew to how it can be done. The fourth plan is to cage the queen as before, when a large corn popper is to be so held in front of the hive that the issuing bees will many of them run into it. If you do not see the queen , so as to cage her before the thickest of the bees have left the hive, catch the bees first and then look for the queen. Having the bees in the pop- per and the queen in the cage, attach the cage, by means of a wire hook, to the popper so it will hang snugly to the bottom of the same. Previous to this you should provide yourself with a light pole of sufficient length to reach the highest place where the bees are liable to cluster, into the small end of which there should be bored a hole of the right size so that the popper will screw into it firmly. Having all in readiness, screw the popper in the end of the pole, raising the same and carrying it into the midst of the swarm, where they are flying the thickest in the air. The bees in the popper will fan their wings on the side next to the queen, which tells to the those in the air that they have found the queen and are clustering about her, when as a rule the swarm will at once begin to cluster on the popper also. Some swarms however, are determined to cluster on a tree or nowhere, and in such a case, as soon as one-fourth of the bees have clustered on the limb, hold the popper immediately under and up against the limb, when the balance of the bees in the air will be- gin to cluster all over the popper. When about two-thirds of the bees have clustered, draw the popper away from the limb a little, so fixing it that you can leave it, when all of the bees will leave the limb and cluster on the popper as you wish. While you are waiting for them to go from the limb to the popper you can be getting the hive ready, or any other work vou may have to do. As soon as all are clustered on the popper you can car- ry and hive them where you wish, the same as you would had you cut off a limb. Thus it will be seen that we have the bees perfectly in our power in swarming time if we clip the wings of our queens, and can go about the hiv- ing of them with the same deliberation we would if setting down to write an article for the Progressive, with no danger of any swarms getting beyond our control. Some fear losing the queen, should they not be on the ground at once as soon as she leaves the hive with the swarm, but should it so happen that a swarm issues when you are away, the queen will return with the swarm, as a rule, if the alight- ing board reaches the ground so she can do so, and if not she is readily found by looking for the little cluster of bees which will always find her and stay with her when the swarm returns. Borodino, N. Y. Clubbing We will send the America the— American Bee Journal, American Apiculturist, Bee-Keeper's Review, Canadian Bee Journal, Gleanings in Bee Culture, List. N Bee-Keeper with PUB. PRCE. BOTH. (81 00) 81 35 ( lb) 1 15 (1 00) 1 35 (1 00) 1 25 (1 00) 1 35 1890. TUB AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 151 F'roiu the Southland Queen, i MORE ABOUT VIRGINS. BY L. I.. SiKA(;(;.S. Some bee-keepers tell us that queens will fill their hives all right if they are almost touching each other ; that won't work for me. I once arranged my hives in rows that looked nice — they were about three feet apart — now the result ; nearly all young queens got lost. 1 kept trying till I ruined several good colonies, trying to get the queens to laying. I noticed that the hives at the ends of the rows had laying queens in due time, so I thought they must be to close togeth- er along the row, then I commenced scattering the hives. All that I mov- ed out of the rows had their queens mated in due time, so I learned by costly experience that I must keep my hives at least ten feet apart each way, and not have any regular way for the* hives to face; just set them about our yard like we never had any taste for pretty things, for we can't keep bees for the looks ; it is to much trouble and loss. Some say that if queens are kept caged while they are young it injure them. I can't agree; if they are hatched in large cages ?> or 4 in. square, right on the combs so the queen can help her self to the honey as she gets out of the cell. As soon as she hatches raise the cage and let 15 or 20 bees run under it with the queen ; now place the cage back over them, press it well into the comb so they can't gnaw under and get out ; be sure there is plenty of unsealed honey in the cage. Now you can take this comb containing the virgin queen, but brush off all the bees that are sticking to the comb, or they may cause trouble, or cause you to get stung ; take her to any hive that you want to introduce her to. Catch the queen out of the hive, place this comb containing the virgin queen in the center of the brood nest, close the hive, mark the date on the hive so you will not forget it, in 8 days after that, look in the hive and destroy all queen cells, if they are all sealetl take off your cage and watch the (jueen, if the bees take no notice of hei- she is all right, but if they make fight at her I just smoke lightly, take my corn-cob cage out of my pocket, take cob out of one end, place tliis over the queen, and as soon as she ruus up the side of the cage, lift up the cage and put the cob back in place. One end should have ^ inch inch of soft candy, the other end nothing only a small stopper, through this end put 10 or 15 bees with the queen ; now put the cage in the center of brond nest and let them alone for two days ; by that time she will be out. As a rule, introducing virgin queens takes long- er, is all the difference that I see from laying queens. You must be sure there is no way for the bees to raise a queen ; if they have unsealed brood in the hive, you can't depend oa them re- ceiving her. Unless it is swarming time I have nearly as much trouble to get them to receive queen cells. The trouble is they let the queen hatch and then kill her. Son)c bee- keepers say that after the liive has been queeuless 24 hour it is safe to give queen cells ; not so with me, unless it is swarming time. If honey is scarce it is best to wait 5 days. Now you see how much time is lost, so I had rather let my queens hatch first, then introduce as I first describ- 152 TEE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. June ed and save the five days, and some times something will happen to cells and your hives are queenless ; that makes trouble. Queens hatched in small cages, to depend on candy for a living, or honey that you may fix in the cage for them always look sickly to me. They don't like the candy while they are young, and some of them will starve before they will eat it, but if they can get to the comb they will stick their heads in every cell till they find one that has honey in it, then they will stay there and eat till you would think it will surely make her sick, but don't be afraid, for that is what they want. They must be nearly starved when they are hatched, for if they can't get honey right at once they soon die, so be careful to hiive unsealed honey in cage. Don't throw away virgin queens that are under ten days old, but keep as near in line with nature as you can, both in raising (jueens and feeding them. Here is a quick way 1 have piacticed some with good results, for introducing virgin queens. Take queen and all combs from them, but give them honey in some way, old combs from the honey house are good, but be sure they have been from the bees two or three weeks, so there is no chance for them to have eggs that will hatch, place wire cloth over the hive and tack it down so no bees can get out. When the bees all get in the hive clo.se the entrance and put the hive in the shade, if the weather is warm; do this in the morning early, and that night just about dark, or a little before, take virgin queen in a cage by herself to -the hive, have a cup of honey with you, thin it a little with water, drop the queen in honey and stir her around a little, be careful not to hurt her, have the hive back on its stand, with cover on over wire cloth, so not to disturb them, now open the entrance on inch, take the queen out of the honey on a fork, put her right in the entrance, the bees will clean her and then treat her as their own. Don't touch the hive after you put her with the bees for a day or two. Click, Texas. (From Progres-ive Bee-Keeper. i SOME COMMOI;^ MLSTAKES OF BEE- KEEPERS. E. W. MOORE. Beginners in bee-keeping are bound to make many mistakes in their man- agement of bees. I have before me a letter from one of the beginners of 1895, stating that in May, last spring, he bought ten colonies of bees and that after they built up strong, he divided them, letting them rear new queens, and that this winter they have all but four gone to that sleep that knows no waking. This is one mistake very often made by beginners, trying to increase their bees too fast, and thereby get- ting their bees so weak in numbers and so short of stores that they either freeze or starve out before spring. And here let me say to anyone buy- ing bees this spring : Don't do as the one above did, and divide your bees, but let them build up and store you a surplus, and if the season and honey flow are right, your bees will give you natural swarms and stow away honey for winter use. Another mistake often made by ex- perienced bee-keepers as well as by beginners, it is to neglect feedin_ 189G. THE AMERICAN BEE-KEP:PER. 153 those colouies in the fall that havu't honey enough to run them for the winter, thereby losing many good strong colonies, and by neglecting to provide for our bees in the fall, I am confident is the cause of three-fourths of our winter losses, for I am confident that more bees darve to death in winter and early spring than are lost from all other causes combined. Another very serious mistake often made by beginners and inexperienced bee-keepers is spreading the brood in early spring, and of putting on the supers too early, thereby weakening all colonies, and with a good chance of having a cold snap, chill all the young brood, and if supers are on the hives too early, you are depriving the bees of warmth that should have been kept in the brood chamber, for warm- th and honey bees must have in early spring if they build up in time for basswood and clover harvest. Another mistake often made by many is hiving a new swarm in a new place. Why not put the new swarm on the stand of the old swarm, and and take one frame of brood from the old swarm and give it to the new swarm, and move the old swarm to a new location, thereby throwing all of the field force of workers to the new colony and doing away with after- swarming ? How many bee-keepers are there who have gotten their hives, founda- tions, etc., made up and ready for the coming harvest ? I am afraid there are a good many who havn't been putting things in shape for the coming busy season, and to those who havn't ordered and made up their supplies this winter, I would like to ask this question : When do you intend get- ting your supplies ? Better do so be- fore swarming time, as it isn't very profitable to^vait until you are in need of hives and sections before ordering, for if you do, by the time you receive your goods, the honey flow is a thing of the past, and your swarms if 3'ou save any of them at all, you will have to put them in boxes, kegs, or any- thing you can get that will hold them. And then what a time you will have of transferring. If you want to be in the race this summer, better commence now, and get everything in place. In conclusion let me say that if you wish to be successful with your bees, you must give them the proper atten- tion, and do it at the proper time. Furnish them some kind of shade for summer, and keep the weeds down from around the hives. Procure some good text book on bee culture, read and duchj the habits of the bees, and if you are in love with your pets, you will soon learn enough to avoid a great many of the mistakes often made by beginners. Remember that what is worth doing at all is worth doing well, and that well begun is half done. Griffin, Ind. (From Ainerican B* e Journal, Oct. 17, li*!).>). APIS DORSATA AND OTHEk THINGS. BY W. K. MORRISON. Apis Dorsata has had a hard time of it lately, according to some author- ities, but I take little stock in "sich." Prof. Cheshire's arguments have chiefly been relied on to give support to specious pleas. Now nothing can be more fallacious than Cheshire's reasoning on this subject. He must have hurried himself when writing on 154 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. June the races, otherwise I can't see how he came to write it. Here is the ohnox- ious paragraph : "Flowers and l)ees have been con- stantly interacting. The build of every floret is adapted to its fertilizer, and, could we suddenly increase the dimensions of our hive bees we should throw them out of harmony with the floral world around them, decrease their utility by reducing the number of plants they could fertilize, and diminish equally their value as honey gatlierers. Mechanics, physiology, economics, and botany, alike show any craving after mere size to be difficult to find an excuse." As there are 212 species of bees in- habiting the British Isles, the readers of the Bee Journal can form their own opinion of how much violence the in- troduction of otie new species w^ould do, and I shudder to think of the ter- rible havoc that occurred in America when Apis Meilifica was set loose by foolish settlers ! American historians have neglected this subject. As to the matter of size, even the British fauna is enriched by the presence of bees much larger (Borabus),aud which are more industrious than our own lit- tle pet Apis. According to Cheshire, the British farmer ought to abandon his magnificent Shire and Clydesdale horses, and adopt the little donkey or Shetland pony. The work of Bake- well and McCombie is not so easily overturned, "Bee-Master," too, has "put his foot in it," in making the astounding assertion that the earth has been ran- sacked, from pole to pole, in search of new bees. Will "Bee-Master" in- form an anxious reader who did all the ransacking? If it's so, I have a bone to pick with the editor of this journal. I would like to know who made the experiments on Apis Dorsa- ta, Nigripennis, Socalis, Dellessertii, Indica, Perrottetii, Lobata and Pero- nii — all near relatives of our own Meilifica, differing only in size and color. Being somewhat familiar with the Spanish main, I can affirm that his assertion is a misstatement, not warranted in any degree. South America abounds in honey- gathering bees, some of which have been partially domesticated and more might be. Not since the days of Azara Hall, St. Hilliare, and Gardner, have we had any information of moment on the bees of Terra Firma. And can "Bee-Master" furnish us .with knowledge of the bees of Africa, the southern portion of which is a veritable floral garden ? I guess not. Dr. Jamieson, the explorer, and now Commissioner of Matabele Land, and Dr. Brotherston, head of the Niger Co., have, I know, a knowledge of bee-cul- ture, and they would be the last to say that Africa has been ransacked for new I'aces of bees. This fact re- mains, that in certain portions of the globe bees are kept by natives, that have never been brought under scien- tific culture, and many races yet re- main to experiment on. For my part, I should be glad to see a smaller bee than Meilifica intro- duced, such as Indica, or even Florea. The great flower, Melianthus Major, is neglected by European bees, but may we not secure the bees that do feed on it, in its native land ? Dr. Alfred Russell Wallace, who is a good bee-keeper, and the author of that entertaining book, "The Malay Archipelago," gives lucid accounts of Dorsata which should be read by all those interested. Devonshire, Bermuda Isles, July 2. 189C. THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 155 I From Aniericiin Hee Journal.! SOME BEE-NOTES FROM OALirOR- NIA. BY PROF. A. J. COOK. Thk BeivKeei'Ees' Exchange. — It is foi'tuuate for the Califoi-nia Bee- Keepers' Exchange that the present season is so unpromising for a honey crop. As yet, we have received only about nine inches of rain, while, ac- cording to all reports, 15 inches is necessary for a good honey crop. True, we may get more, but bee-keep- ers or ranchmen do not expect much rain after this date. Thus, it looks very much at present as though the honey product of Southern California, the present season, would be like that of two years ago — nothing. Yet I do not believe the bee-keepers will be discouraged, or will give up the new organization. Those in the regions of orchards and alfalfa fields will doubt- less get something of a crop ; and others have already reaped advantage in the lower prices which they have had to pay for supplies. I very much mistake the temper and spirit of our bee-keepers if they let the discourag- ing prospect discourage them. We will hang to The Bee-Keepers' Ex- change, and be ready with the next harvest to secure a price that shall pay us for our labor in securing the crop. I quite agree with a recent writer in " Gleanings, that every State in the country ought to follow the example of California, then we should have full control of the honey, and could demand remunerative prices. I be- lieve this is a matter that should be taken up in all the associations. State and National, and we should not "cry quits" until the whole country was organized. This consummation will surely be realized in the not very dis- tant future ; whether we shall reap the advantages depends upon whether we are ready to act with energy and effect. Foul Brood. — The subject of foul brood is a very practical one in many of our bee keeping regions. I know a bee keeper not very far from Clare- mont in whose apiary a year ago there were five or six colonies diseased with foul brood. At my suggestion, that those colonies should be treated, and certainly better be desti'oyed than to be left to spread the disease, he re- marked that he thought his bees had had it before, and they got well. He now reports very sadly that every col- ony in his apiary has the disease. He feels very badly, and has double reason for his condition. It seems to me that every bee keep- er in the country should be thorough- ly informed regarding this malady, and that we should have such laws and inspection as would protect bee keepers against this evil. Ontario, Canada, has given us a very wise ex- ample in this direction. Buckthorn as a Honey Plant. — One of the most common group of plants in California is the buckthorn. There are many species of these shrubs, and all are very prolific of flowers. One, the California lilac, re- rembles quite closely the lilac of the East, and is very beautiful. Most of them, however, are white, and as we go through the brush-wood, we are constantly running upon these plants. I am happy to say that they are very 156 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. June attractive to the bees. I fiud the shrubs alive with these little insects, bearing away their heavy load of pol- en and honey. As they bleom in late March and early April, before the sage and buckwheat are in blossom, they are quite valuable as early bee- forage. 'J'his is especially true in out- apiaries away from the orchards. The genus of the buckthorn is Ceanothus, of which genus there are a large num- ber of species. Like nearly all of the bee plants of California, these buck- thorns are a long time in bloom, and are thus far more valuable as honey plants than they would otherwise be. Orange Bloom and Bees. — Dur- ing the last few days the hum of the bees has been very constant and very loud in all the region about Clare- mont. The orange orchards are in full bloom, and the odor is not only very preceptible in the streets near by the orchards, but is borne by the winds to regions far distant, even to apiaries miles away ; thus swarms of bees are passing from the apiaries to the orange orchards in quest of the nectar. Appropos to the above, I would say that 1 know of no honej^ more delici- ous than that from orange bloom. As we might expect the flavor reminds one decidedly of the odor. 1 have often secured enough fruit blossom honey in Michigan, so that 1 could test its quality. I always found it very delicious. There was a delicate reminder of fruit preserve which was altogether agreeable. Thus I was not surprised to learn how exquisite this orange blossom honey is. Bee-Martin or Kingbird. — It is a fact beyond question that the bee- bird, or bee-martin, or king bird, lyranmis tyrannus, destroys bees, both drones and workers, in the Eastern States, often to quite an extent. We also have a bird said to destroy bees here in California. It belongs to the same genus as the one already men- tioned. These birds sit on a perch, and as the bee comes towards the hive, darts after it, catches it in its bill and flies back to its perch. It is then seen to go through certain motions, after which the bee is swallowed, and it is ready to repeat the operation. I am very curious to know what becomes of the bee's stinger. From what we know, we should expect that the bird would certainly get stung in the throat as it swallowed the bee. I have seen toads swallow bees, and, upon dissection, I found just as man)- stings in the toad's throat as there had been bees swallow- ed. In this case, of course, the toad is either callous against the stings, or else not sensitive to the poison. Is it possible that in the case of the king- bird the sting is extracted before the bee is swallowed ? True, this would re- quire no little intelligence ; but I think many of our lower animals are brighter than we give them credit for being. We should suppose that an animal as highly organized as a bird, and especially as these fly-catcher.«, would be injured if stung so much in the throat, mouth, oe.sophagus or stom- ach. I wish those who have oppor- tunity to observe this matter would kill and dissect a bird and find what is the truth in the matter. If, as is 'probable, the bees are found without their stingers, then the latter should be looked for in the interior part of the alimentary canal of the bird. Years ago I dissected kingbirds and found worker- bees in their stomachs, but I regret to say that I never thought of the stingers, and so made no observations in reference to this point. Claremont, Calif., April 21. 189G. THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 157 The American Bce-Keeper, PUBI.ISHKD MOXTllLY BY THE W. T. FALCONER MANFG CO. TERMS : 50 cents a year in advance ; 2 copies, 85 cents ; 3 copies, $1.20 ; all to be sent to one postoffice. Postage prepaid in the U.S. and Canada; 10 cents extra to all countries in the postal union and 20 cents extra to all other countries. ADVERTISING RATES: 15 cents per line, 9 words: S2.00 per inch. 5 per cent, discount for 2 insertions; 7 per cent, for 3 in- sertions; 10 per cent, for 6 insertions; 20 per cent. for 12 insertions. Advertisements must be received on or before the 20th of each month to insure insertion in month following. Address, THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER, Falconer, N. Y. i<®*Subscribers finding this paragraph marked with a blue cross will know that their subscripiton expires with this number. We hope that' you will not delay in sending a renewal. 4S°"A Red Cross on this paragraph indicates that you owe for your subscriprion. Please give the matter your attention. EDITORIAL, It looks now as if the honey crop of 189G will be the largest for several years. The weather since spring opened has in this locality been all that the bee keeper could ask for. "We will send the American Bee- Keeper one year with the Cosmopol- itan for $1.25. The Cosmopolitan is a monthly magazine containing an average of over 100 pages and 80 il- lustrations each month. Evidently queen rearing is not so lucrative as in some former years. We notice there are very few adver- tisements of queen dealers seen in the bee papers. "How to Manage Bees " is a 50c book for beginners in bee keeping. We will send it postpaid for 25c. At the present time there is no particular subject pertaining to bee keeping that is receiving any more attention than another. This is a very unusual .state of affairs. Some one ought to start an argument of some kind. Wm Gerrish, East Nottingham, N H., keeps a complete supply of our goods and Eastern customers will save freight bv ordering from him. The bee industry in the Eastern States is pretty " dead ''' this season, as is shown by the letters and small number of orders received. We will send the Farm Journal, (Phila). and the Bee-Keeper one year for 50c, or will send the Farm Journal one year to everyone who owe a year or more subscription and will pay up. (Mention this offer). The Worlds Fair Commissioners have just distributed the diplomas and medals to exhibitors. It seems as if pretty nearly everyone got them. So many were distributed that they are too common to be very highly prized. If you need any bee supplies send along your orders at once. We can fill orders very promptly now. "How TO Manage Bees," a 50c book, and the American Bee-Keep- er a vear for onlv 60c. 158 THE AMERICAN BEE KEEPER. June Reduction of Prices. Foundation has been reduced 3c a pound from prices in our 1896 cata- log. This is owing to the lower price of wax. Our No. 1 Falcon Polished Sec- tions we now offer at $2.50 for 1000, $4.50 for 2000, $6.40 for 3000, $10 for 5000. Less than 1000 same pric- es as formerly. Beeswax is lower. We are now paying 22c cash or 25c in trade, per pound, delivered at our railroad sta- tion, (Falconer, N. Y). This price is not guaranteed. We will pay highest market price when wax is received. Prices are liable to be reduced again within a short time. If you have any wax to sell it is advisable to send it now. We have a quantity of Alley Drone and Queen Trap patterns of 1894 which will be sold at 25c each, regu- lar price 50c. These Traps are just as good for practical purposes as those of more recent pattern. We will duplicate the prices on hives and supplies offered by any first class manufacturers — and in many cases can do even better by you than anyone else. THE FEIGNING OF DEATH BY ANIMALS. The habit of feigning death for the sake of protection can be observed among many of the lower animals, — animals which differ widely in family, genius, and species. In- deed this habit is to be observed in crea- tures micrcscopic in size and of exceedingly low organization, as well as those as high in the scale of animal life as man himself ; for even man does not hesitate, on occasions, to avail himself of this natural subterfuge when he thinks it will aid in the preserva- tion of his life. With the aid of the microscope one can observe and study the natural history of the minute animal world which otherwise would remain a closed and unread volume. This instrument has shown me, beyond cavil, that creatures as low in the scale as actinophryans , very minute, microscopic animalcules, prac- tice death-feigning when surprised by an enemy from which they cannot otherwise escape. Thus, J have repeatedly seen acti- nophryans fold their delicate, hair-like legs or cilia and sink to the bottom of their min- iature lake (a drop of water) when approach- ed by a water-louse, which preys upon them. They remain to all appearances absolutely without life until the water-louse swims awaj', when they unfold their cilia and go back to their feeding-grounds, — a bit of water-weed, or moss, or decayed wood. — James Weir, in June Lippincott's. A UNIQUE REFERENCE BOOK. To say it contains information of nearly universal interest, and tiiat is, practically, obtainable by most readers nowhere else, is but the simple truth ccmceruing "Alden's Living Topic Cyclopedia." The second volume, extending from Boy. to Con., con- tains the latest facts concerning the nations, Brazil, British Empire, Bulgaria, Cape Col- ony, (Jhile, C^hinese Empire and others, and concerning three states, California, Colorado and Connecticut ; also concerning six large cities, Brooklyn, Buffalo, Charleston, Chica- go, Cincinnati and Cleveland. The facts are commonly from one year to five years later than can be found in any of the lead- ing cyclopedias, and commonly a year later than the 1896 almanacs and annuals We name only leading titles ; besides there are hundreds of others, all of them '' living " topics. One wonders how busy seekers after knowledge have got along without such an up-to-date cyclopedia. The whole series of six handy volumes is to be completed during the year, and at the surprisingly low cost of §l.-5'0 to §8.0U for the set, with liberal dis- counts for advance orders. Specimen })ages may be had free by addressing the publish- er, John B. Alden, 10 and 12 Vandewater St., New York. 189G. THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. lof) .■ i:i(;>Kiii- by a Quick Process. Viuegar ii:o.y be luude iu a very short tiiuo by a sort of fiheriug process that cau bn ban(ilf?d by auy persou of ordi- nary iugeuuity. A large burrel has a perforated shelf titted iu a few iuches below the top. From the holes fall euds of pack thread, which are kuotted at the upper end so that they may not be drawn entirely through. Glass tubes are fixed in the shelf as air vents. The lower edge of the barrel is filled with holes placed about six inches above the bot- tom, and a siphon carries off the liquid that accumulates below this point. Di- luted alcoholic liquor, slightly sweeten- ed with honey or with extract of malt, is slowly dripped through the holes iu the shelf and runs through beechwood ehaviugs that have previously been steep- ed in good vinegar. The liquor, which should be kept at a temperature of 75 to 85 degrees F. , filters down through the threads and over the shavings to the bottom of the barrel, whence it runs over through the siphon. After awhile the temperature iu the barrel rises to about 100 degrees F., the chemical ac- tion going on meanwhile. It is neces- sary to pour the liquor again and again through the generator before it is satis- factory. From three or four to half a dozen filterings are usually suflScient, though more are sometimes required, depending a good deal on the quality of the materials and the temperature at starting. — New York Ledger. 8ho Was Not Engaged. Mrs. B. had changed girls, and was undergoing the usual catechism at the hands of her kitchen's future ruler. After a succestr/lon of damsels from "the ould dart" her husband had strenuously insisted that she try "an intelligent and cleanly American girl. " He had found such a one and was sure she would prove a trea.sure. The lady of the house even thought he might not be mistaken, so trim and neat was the newcomer. "Yes. I'm a splendid washer," that person said, "and I can iron shirts to beat a Chinaman — I always did up fa- ther's at home. I always had time, for, you see, I know how to manage. Flat things, sheet.s, tablecloths, napkins, I fold and lay around in the chairs ; they come out beautifully smooth wheu you nave sar (ju t!iem a day or two. And that reminds me to ask, where had you rather I put them, here in your chair or your husband's?" It took Mrs. B. sometime minutes to recover ."Speech, but finally she managed to say that on the whole she feared she would not suit a domestic so progressive. — New York Journal. How Crockett Uved. S. R. Crockett, the Scotch writer, has been telling how he used to raise the heat v/heu a hard up student iu Edin- burgh. He lodged wnth a friend over a great coal station, and he used to go out in the evening and pick up the coals which the carts had dropped iu the streets. "Sometimes, " he says, "I grew so bold as to chuck a lump of coal at a driver, who invariably looked for the biggest lump on his load to hit back with, which was M'hat I wanted. Thus the exercise warmed me at the time and the coai warmed me afterward. And occasionally we got a large enough stock to sell to our companions, and buy a book or two. But I wish, here and now, solemnly to state that 1 never, never conde.scended to lift a lump off a cart, at least hardly — well, unless it was manifestly inconveniencing the safety of the load or overburdening the safety of the horse, you know !" A Gibraltar Legend. One of the stock of ancient legends relating to the Rock of Gibraltar, from which the passing griffs were formerly regaled, relates how a young Scotch subaltern was on guard duty with a brother officer, when the latter in visit- ing the sentries fell over a precipice and was killed. When the survivor was re- lieved from duty, he made the custom- ary written report in the usual form, "Nothing extraordinary." And this brought the brigade major down upon him iu a rage. "Whati When your brother oflicer on duty with you h is fallen dov.n a precipice 400 feet high and been killed, you report nothing ex- traordinary !" "Wcel. sir," replied the Scot calmly, "I dinna think there's onythiug extraornery in it, ava. If he had fa'cu doon four hunder' feet ard uot been killed — woel, I should hae ca'd that extruornerv. " TOO THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. Ju lie jsugland and Her Friends. Englraid as a uation has not and. rare- ly has had a friend. She is isolated, and the world delights to impress her isolation upon her. Once, indeed, she drew very close to Holland, so close that, after fighting her battles for two generations, she offered to make one re- public with her, but the only results were seven of the fiercest naval engage- ments ever known and the ousting of the Dutch from their dominion of the sea. The only European people who having passed from under our rule con- spired to return to it were the Gascons at the close of the hundred years' war. There can be no more curious example of the caprices of national friendship than tills. Normandy and Brittany, nearer to us in breed, climate and posi- tion, joyfully cast us out, and the hot blooded province of the south, for all that it had once rebelled against the Black Prince, entreated us to stay. With Scotland the j^se was different. She had for many hundred years a friendship, hardly extinguished until the middle of the last century, which brought woes unnumbered both upon England and herself and many times threatened to ovenvhelm England alto- gether. So surely as an English expedi- tion went to France down came the Scots across the border. The victory of geville's Cross was won when Edward I lay before Calais; the victory of Flodden was won when Henry VIII lay before Tournay. The story was eternal- ly the same. If that you will France win, Then with Scotland first begin. Nothing could shake the friendship of France and Scotland, and it was when France was in her direst need that Scotland came forward to help her in her own territory and for reward re- ceived the high privilege of guarding the sacred person of the French king. — Macmillan's Magazine. The Thief Discovered. An employee in an up town resort has been beld under suspicion for some time, and came near losing his position, on account of the antics of a big tom- cat. For v.'eeks the cash registers, when counted at the close of the day's busi- ness, .showed a deficit of several dollars, and no clew could be had to esnlaixi .the mysierions absence of the money. The proprietor, having' great confidence in his employee, was mystified, and not un- til a few nights ago was the matter made clear. While alone in the place, after closing hours, the proprietor was startl' d to hear the click of the regis- ters, follovred by repeated clicks, like those of a uovice upon the keys of a pi- ano. Looking up, he found his pet eat playing upon the keys of the register and apparently enjoying the perform- ance as .•much as if he were a feline Paderowski. — New York Journal. Vindicated the SL.aw. A friend of Representative Culberson of Texas related the following incident: "When Mr. Culberson was prosecuting attorney," he said, "there was a crimi- nal statute universally disregarded. The indictment of a well known man for violation of this law v^as secured through the efi:'orts of Mr. Culberson, who prose- cuted the case with more vigor than al- most any he had ever conducted, suc- ceeding in securing a conviction and sentence to the penitentiary. Then he left town, and no one knew where he had gone until he and the prisoner, who had been taken to the penitentiary, re- turned together. Mr. Culberson had gone to the governor, obtained a pardon, and met the convict at the peu:tentiary with it. The law had been vindicated, and there %Yere no rcore viclftions of that statute in Jefferson. " "^--i--- A Model Citizen. If anybody wants a model for a citi- zen of the highest clei.«;, he may find it in this eulogy of a. Boston man, written by a friend who was worth havi;:g: "Martin Brimmer, freed from privr.re cai'e, dedie-ated himself to the comnicn- weal ; he took his part in legislation, m charities, in education, in cultivation of art. He mingled in all public affairs — not only miuglen, but led. Nature had made him prepossessing. His dig- nity, his de: .baratloB. his reserve v. ere imposDig, hiy gentle courtesy was vviu- uiug, and when at last he intered a few pregnant words in a judicial tone the majority of his hearers fancied that he was but expressing their ser'timent.s, while the minority decided that opp:-i- tion was vain. The fusion was cc:i)- nlete. " 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. Kil WHAT IS MONEY? Money, my boy, is silver and gold Or a pii'i'i^ of pictured ij:ipor, And tlii^y win) i)ossi;ss it iiianifold May cut any kind of a caper. Money, my boy, is a worshiped god And a dearly troa-surcd idol, Used often as a divining rod At buriul, birth and bridal. Money, my boy, doe.s a world of good And more than worlds of evil — Good wIkii poured from the hand of God, Bad if dealt out by the devil. Money, my boy, does not grow on trees. Is not always had for the asking, Kor gathered in pocket from every breeze Without much deceit and masking. Money, my boy, will buy place and power, Husbands and wives and divorces — Truthful and false in selfsame hour. Marshaling all kinds of forces. Money, my boy, it is sad to say. Buys ''body, soul and breeches;" Is a curse to those who day by day Live only to hoard up riches. Money, my boy, both rich and poor Fall down on their knees before it. No matter how it may come to their door, All are quick to receive and adore it. Money, my boy, "'What is it?" you ask, As if it were something funny. A corrt'ct replj- is no easj' task. For money is nothing but monej". Money, my boy, alone by itself Is naught but a name for riches. And whether well or ill gotten is pelf, That hinders and helps and bewitches. But money, my boy, don't pass it by When skies grow bright and sunny, For it's ten to one that before you die You'll find it handy to havo some money. —Good Housekeeping. A MATEDIOXIAL JAE. It might have reniained there a long time, Picket's new hat, if Mrs. Picket did not repeat every tinae her eyes fell upon it: "What in the world possessed you to buy a.uother new hat when you leave it there for weeks without ever opening the box it came in?" "But, ' ' said Picket, "I have not worn it because you ki ep telling me that my old one locks all right. " "Yes, and you already have 27 hats that you have quit wearing, and you leave them in your closet covered with dust. What in the world do von Irppn them tor.' wiiy cTen'T " yOu tnrow V^Lz:, away?' ' "Throw them away! And yet you know very well that you never throw anything away. You would not throw away a match that had been already lighted. You're so fond of saying, 'It might ccme in h;mdy. ' " " Well, " said Mrs. Picket, "it is true that I never throw away things that might ccme in handy, but how can old hats ever come in handy? What sen.se is there in piling up old hats which are of no use to any one when there are so many pocr creatures who walk the streets barefooted?" "But," said Picket, "they could not wear my hats on their bare feet. ' ' "I don't .see anything funny in that, " said Mrs. Picket icily. "You know what I mean. You needn't pretend that you don't understand me. Why don't you send for an old clothes man and sell him your hats?" "I never think of it, " "I'd like to know what you do think of. I don't think ycii think at all. But do as you please. Buy new hats ; wear them; den 't wear them. It's your own affair." Mrs. Picket concluded with saying, 'You make me tired," and she retired from the room, slamming the door ^^^th a violence which made the chandelier rattle. "Such is married life," said the stupefied PicLat, gazing after his wife. "Whether I do a thing or don't do it, I am certain not to please my wife. Take that new hat, fcr esample! 'What did you buy it for, ' said she, 'when you never wear it?' and the first day that I put it on to go out she will be sure to say, 'What are you weai-lng your new hat fcr when the ether one is all right still?' " Some days afterward Picket said to his wife, "i am go:ng out. " "Indeed, " said Mrs. Picket. "TiTiere ai-e you going?' ' "I am going to see pocr Marley, who is ill." "And do you put en your new hat to see pocr Marhy?" " Just v/hrt I expected you to say," remarked Picket. ' ' Ye.s, that is what I am going to do. I am going to wear my new hat. Gee?" "Well, why don't you throw your old 162 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. June one m the closet, with the others?" With rising rage Picket took up his old hat, opened the closet door and hurled the hat into the closet. "There," said he, "I hope you will give me a rest on this hat business!" "That makes the twenty-eighth," re- plied Mrs. Picket, with a burst of sar- donic laughter. Picket went out. He started toward Marley's house, but he had scarcely gone mere than a couple of blocks when it began to rain. "There, " said the unfortunate Picket. "Just my luck. Beginning to rain. Got a new bat on and no um brella. ' ' He started into a neighboring door- way to wait until the shower should cease, and as he did so a man carrying a long plank on his shoulder turned and swept tlie unfortunate Picket's hat from his head into the gutter. Cursing like a pirate, the luckless Picket pursued his new hat and rescued it from the gutter, much damaged and covered with mud. A passing good Sa- mtu-itau stopped and said to him : "There's a hatter a couple of doors up the street there. He will brush it off and touch it up with the iron, and it will be all right. ' " "Thank you." said Picket, and he re- paired to the hatter's. When he had his hat polished, he stood upon the doorstep for a moment, and, not wishing again to exijose his hat to the fury of the ele- ments, he determined to step into a friendly restaurant nest door, where he would wait uuril the storm was over. He went in, seated himself at a table, hung up his hat on one of the hooks over his head, ordered a sandwich and began to look over the paper. But he coiild not take ills mind away irum the satirical welcome which he kncvy- his wife would extend to him v,"hen he returned with his damaged hat. However, theEubxon had to be crossed. The rain had ceased. He rose, and, still reflecting on his wife's receprion, took a hat from the hook and was about to go when two waiters came up to him and grabbed him by the collar. "Now we've got him, " said one. "Yes," said the other; "we've got him now. This is the fellow who has been stealing hats. ' ' Picket, paralyzed with astonishment, protested. "What! I steal bats?" bp said, "What do you mean?" ' ' You "will have an opportunity to ex- plain this at the police station, ' ' was the reply, and the proprietor, who had whistled for a policeman at the door, turned him over to the hands of a blue coated guardian of the peace. The un- fortuiiate Picket was yanked along the street, followed by a crowd of passers- by, v/ho applauded his ai-rest, and a number of street boys, who signified their disapproval more forcibly by hurl- ing mud at him. When the party reached the police station, the proprietor of the restaurant made his complaint to the sergeant there. "That's the man, " said he. '■ 'For the last two weeks seme scoundrel has been coming to my restaurant, and whenever he goes oiTt somebody misses a hat. We have been watching for him. Now we've got him. There he is. This is the thief. We caught him in the very act. ' ' "But I v\'as simply mistaken in the hat, " cried Picket. "If I were stealing a hat, I would have two here, but I haven't. This is not mine, but you will find mine hanging on the hook. " "Yes, " said the restaurant man, "I know. Ordinarily you were in the habit cf carrying a gripsack in which you put the other hat. This time you came ^yithout it.^' "But I am an honest man, " persisted the unfortunate Picket. "I am well known. Let the officer go to my house and he will .see." He gave his name and his address; and the sergeant, wav- ering in the face of his protestations, sent an officer to accompany him to the address given. In about half an hour the officer returned, bearing an enor- mous pile of hats. "Here sergeant," said the latter, "see what I found in tlie fellow's house. His wife had gone out, and it was the servant who let me in. ' ' "Well, ".said the sergeant severely, looking at the accused person, "do you still deny that you are a hat thief?" gazing at the gigantic pile of hats. "I deny it. I deny it in toto, " said the unfortunate Picket. "I bought these hats. I doii't wear them, but I bought them. ' ' "You don't wear them. W'hat in the world can you do with 28 hats?" "Well, my wife has always told me to 189(i. THE AMERWAN BEE-KEEPER. 163 sell tnem to au old clothes man. 1 never think of it, I van so forgetful. Why, to- day I even forgot my tiuibrella. I never had any head. ' ' "You hi'.ve no head? What do you want VN-ith 2.S hats, then?" But at this moment a weeping wom- an entered the police .station. It was Mrs. Picket. She had heard from the servant of the plight in which her luck- less husband was placed and came and told the police sergeant who he was and that the hats were really his. But was Picket grateful to her? Hardly. He wished a th msaud times that she had not heiu'd about his misadventure and that he had .siicceeded in going through all the pains and horrors of a police court far rather than that she should find him there with the 28 hats — 28 mute witue.'^ses cf her superior judgment staring him in the face. He said to him- self mentally, "Never shall I hear the last of those 28 hats. " He never did. In fact, he got it morning, noon and night. He had it with breakfast, luncla and dinner. He had it with his soup. He had it with his nightcap. He had it •with his morning slippers. And when- ever the rain began falling and poor Picket vs'culd incautiously say, "What dreadful wearher!" "Ye.s, " Mrs. Picket would reph", "exactly the same kind of a day as when you got rid of your 28 hats. " — ban Francisco Argonaut, TWO S.XAKE STORIES. TOLD BY ^> GENTLEMAN WHO IS AWAY UP IN SERPENTOLOGY. Snakes Thai. Fljoulcl Not Be Killed — How the Black S.nake lluuts i;nd Captures Ita Food^Resccing a Ship From a Python Who Had Calmly Taken Possessiou. "Sit down and sharpen your pencil, while I overhaul rjy mental shelves," remarked Mr. Thompscu, curator of the zoological collccticu in the park, in an- swer to a request for some snake stories. "Before giving you some of my experi- ences I want to enter a protest against the indiscriminate .slaughter of our cmi- mon hai'inle^s snakes, such as the black snake, garter snake and the like. Every farmer should protect them, for they ai'e benenciai* msteaa oi being Harmful, a:-; is generally supposed by a large major- ity of humanity. Any naturalist will tell you that the food of the black snake consists largely of rats, mice, etc., while that of the garter snake is principally insects, such as grasshoppers, caterpil- lars, etc. "Now for some of my experiences. In my younger days I was crossing Ashby'.s gap. over the Bhie Ridge, Virginia, in company with an uncle of the famous Black Horse Cavalry Ashby. We were making a portion of the ascent through quite a deep cut, when our attention was attracted by a toad, which rolled instead of hopped down the side slope. Ashby pulled up the horse and said, 'There's a black snake after that fellow. ' An in.<;taiit after the snake thru.st his head throtigh the fence, and on observ- ing us dri w back. In the meanvrhile the toad had gathered himself together, and was hopping at a lively gait up the road. Ashby remj'.rked, 'Now I will .show you something, " and sprang out of the buggy and caught the toad, which he carried a short distance and released. Returning, he turned the buggy and drove back down the road some 50 steps, when we alighted and tied the horse. Climbing over the fence on the opposite side cf the road to that on which the snake had made his appearance we stealthily work- ed our way tip until we came in sight of the point where he was first seen. Lying down in the long grass and peering through the rails, we did not have to wnit long before the snake reappeared. "He looked about for a few seconds, and then descended the slope down which the toad had rolled, and followed his trail up the road. On coming to the spot where it had b?en picked uj), he l^egan to circle, precisely as a dog would act on losing the scent. He gradually in- creased the size of his circles until he struck the spot where the toad had been put down, when he made a bee line after it. We leaped into the road and hurried after his snake.ship, who as soon as he discovered that he was being fol- lowed turned up tite slope and squirmed nut of sight through the fence. Ashly said, 'I am sure you are satisfied now that a black snake hunts by scent. ' "Now I sliall have to take you out to South Africa. I livi d in Durban, Natal, 164 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. Ju It t •WHICH IS about 1,000 miles around the Cape of Good Hope, up toward Mada- gascar. One morning I received a note from the port captain, asking me to come down to the harbor with all possi- ble dispatch, as a python had taken pos- session of a German brig and I was wanted to capture it. Taking one of my keepers with me, I hurried down, and found quite a crowd on the jetty, among which was the crew of the brig. On in- quiry I learned that there had been a shower during the night, and in the morning the mate had ordered one of the men to go aloft and shake out the sails, in order to dry them. He started up, and on reaching the maintop tux'ned and came down on the clean run. The tar was instantly ordered to hades and numerous other places, while the valiant mate started aloft to attend to matters on his own hook. No sooner did his head get on a level with the top than he came down at a gait which far ex- celled that of the disobedient sailor. He instajitly raised the alarm, and the en- tire crew lost no time in getting en shore and spreading the report that the rigging was full of the biggest kind of snakes. "With the assistance of the port cap- tain's binoculars I had no difficulty in making a critical examination of the entire upper works of the vessel, which was anchored about 100 yards from the shore. The result was one large python, coiled around the laps of the main and topmast. Borrowing a sack, I miinaged, after much persuasion, to get two of the crew to pull myself and keeper off to the brig, where they left us and turned back to the jetty. I unrove the flag hal- yards, made a nocse in one end of them and hunted around until I found a stout piece of reed some six cr eight feet in length. Climbing up the shrouds, I make my attack through the lubber 's hole by pmichmg his snakeship v\ath the reed, to the end cf which I had tied the Doose. Ke put his head down through the hole for the purpose of fighting me, when he was instantly noosed around the neck and the halyards made fast to the ratlines. lu his violent efforts to ef- fect a release he drew back with such force as rapidly to choke himself into insensibility. Calling to the keeper to hold the mouth of the sack open, I watched until I thought he was nearly at his last gasp, when 1 squirmed up on the top, loosened his coils around the masts, lowered him into the sack, when the keeper immediately cut the noose. By the time that I reached the deck he had nearly recovered from his severe wind stoppage. I gently opened the mouth of the sack to have a good look at him and discovered from his bloated appearance that he had recently par- taken of a hearty meal. On the arrival of the crew on board it was discovered that the captain's fox terrier was miss- ing. I therefore concluded that the python, in swimming across the harbor, had struck the vessel's hawser, up which lie had crawled on to the deck, swallow- ed the dog and gone aloft to digest his meal. ' ' — Bufi'alo Commercial. Not Enough Muses. The unmusical manager who protest- ed when he found a performer in his orchestra holding his bow during a rest, saying to him, "I don't pay you to rest!" was the same one who, on an- other occasion, was superintending the arrangement of some performers who were representing allegorical characters. "Here in front," said the author of the piece which was to be given, "we will put the nine muses." "Nine muses!" exclaimed the great manager contemptuously. "Nine muses would look well in that great space, wouldn't they? We will have 36 .2mses!"— Youth's Companion. "Have you any children?" asked the janitor. "I have," replied the prospective tenant. "Then you can't have the flat," said the janitor decisively. "But you don't understand," protest- ed the prospective tenant. "My youn- gest child is 20 years old, married and lives in New Yoa-k, and the Other two are in St. Louis. " "That makes no difference, " returned the janitor. "Orders are orders, and I have orders not to rent this flat to any one with children. " — Chicago Post. It is the old lesson— a worthy pur- pose, patient energy for its accomplish- ment, a resoluteness undaunted by diffi- culties, and then success. — W. H. Pun- shou. 1896. THE AMEIilGAN BEE-KEEPER. 105 One Way of Catchincr FiUdler Crabs. There ai-e various ways of catnliing fiddler crabs. Que way of catching tlio black or mud fiddler, the one that bores into meadow banks alonj? salt creeks, is with two boiu-ds so placed as to form a deep sided letter V. The fisherman seeks a spot where there is a little strip of sand at low water, between the base of the mud bank and the water's edge. The crabs come out of their holes and go down to the edge of the VN'ater, often in great numbers. The fisherman comes over the meadow with his boards, which he sets up on edge as quietly as he can on the sand, with the opening of the V toward the water. Then he alarms tlie crabs, and they come scurrying up the little beach in multitudes, bound for their holes. As they come they cai'ry their big claw aloft, somewhat as the soldier ctu:ries his gun. It is from this habit that Xho. fiddler crab gets the ua.me of soldier crab, by which it is also known. Those crabs that are ojiposite the opening in the V hustle with the rest of the line, but when they strike the botu-d sides they are thrown more and more together, until they converge in a mass at the point. The fisherman, sitting outside, takes them out by the handful. — New York Sun. uay, professional sailors feel and ex- press for the slodiers who form a por- tion of the complement on board a man- of-war. Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo da Vinci, being a great architect and engineer, as well as painter and sculptor, left notebooks proving that he had studied the flight of birds and had planned flying machines to be driven by wings or by screw propellers. But as Leonai'do was good at figures he seems to have abandoned his plans after finding out how much force would be needed. — Tudor Jenks in St. Nicholas. The Weak Point. The owner of a menagerie in Berlin, U-hich included a ' 'happy family, ' ' con- sisting of a lion, a tiger, a wolf and a sheep, w^as asked one day in confidence how long these animals had lived to- gether. ' 'About nine months, ' ' he re- plied, "excepting the sheep, which has to be renewed occasionally." — London Fun. Grace leads the right way. If you choose the wrong, take it and perish, but restrain your tongue. Charge not, with lights suflicient and left free, your willful suicide ou God's decree. — Cow- per. MYSTERIES OF THE LOUVRE. "Tell that to the marines" indicates the contempt which, even to the present Walls That Are Believed to Hide the Hones of Murdered Men. Every one who has ' 'done" the Louvre will remember the low pitched and somewhat glocmy halls in w^hich are stored the treasures of Egypt. Beneath these lie yet more darkly mysterious vaults, inaccessible to the public, though approached by a wide and hand- some staircase, such as would lead one to imagine that it communicated with apartments of some importance. Yet one finds at the bottom nothing but broad passages disposed in the form of a cross, and without any sign whatever of door or window. A recent examination, however, of the solid stone walls gives experts rea- son to believe that the masomy is more recent than the rest of the structure in this, the oldest portion of the fortress palace. M. Vaugneux, a well known critic, believes that many of the bodies of victims killed in the revolution of 18;j0 were immured here, and that the government was afraid to reveal the fact when the remains of their comrades were collected beneath the Colonne de Juillet. On the other hand, M. Blondel, the architect of the building, and M. Nor- mand, the secretary of the Society For Protecting Parisian Monuments, hold the opinion that these subterranean pas- sages led to the oubliettes, into which Catherine de' Medici cast those who were unfortunate enough to incur her hate or fear. A judicious exploration would clear up the matter and settle, too, several doubtful points as to the foundations of Lescot's original citadel. Unfortunately, the annual grant does not provide for any such archaeological research, and it would be necessary to appeal for funds to the generosity of the chamber. — London Chronicle. im THE A^[FAiI<'AN JU-.K- KKKPER. June BEAUTIFUL HANDS. As I rememt-er the first fair touch Of those beautiful hands tliat I love so much I seem to thrill as I then vras thrilled, Kissing the glove tliat I found unfilled When I met your gaze and the queenly bow As 3'ou said to me laughinglj', "Keep it now I" And dazed and alone in a dream I stand Kissing the ghost of your beautiful hand. When first I loved in the long ago And held your hand as I told you so. Pressed and caressed it and gave it a kiss And Slid, "I could die for a hand like thisl" Little I dreamed love's fullness yet Had to ripen when eyes were wet, And prayers were vain in their wild demands For one warm touch of your beautiful hands. Beautiful hands I O beautiful hands ! Could you reach out of the alien lands Where you are lingering and give me tonight Only a touch— were it ever so light— Mj' heart were soothed and my weary brain Would lull itself into rest again. For there is no solace the world commands Like the caress of your beautiful hands. —James Whitcomb Eiley. DIANA'S SPIDER, The Band, Gusset and Seam is a so- ciety recruited from an exclusive circle of Nob Hill's youtliful matrons. It meets through the winter, with aggra- vated activity during Lent, at houses of the membe- s ; its motto, ' 'First flannels to the indigent;" its symbol, a thimble crossed by a pair of scissors argent on a backgrcuud of flannel gules sur- mounted by a spool of thread couchaut. The demure maid who serves bouil- lon, tea and chocolate to the society's fair Dorcases hears tales from every quarter of the globe— of life in the sum- mer colonies along the New England coast, of yachting cruises through Nor- wegian fiords in the yellow wake of the midnight sun, of walking tours in the Landes and camping trips in the north woods. She knows her planet better than many whose orbits are less cir- cumscribed and can safely be relied up- on for information regarding elk in Ore- gon or salmon in the Columbia, the proper time to hunt the grizzly in As- siniboia and the relative merits of the Andalusian donkey and his twin broth- er, the Rocky mountain burro. After serving the Bradamante of the society with a cup of tea and a caviare sandwich, she retii'es to a dusky corner of i:he rocni, refills the lamp under the brazen kettle and rearranges the Dres- den cups and saucers and the jewel mounted spoons upon the teakw^ood ta- ble. When the fluffy haired Mrs. Jack, the society's president and the hostess of the occasion, begins her story, there is a lull in the talk, Which the wind fills in with a neatly executed arpeggio. Mrs. Jack's mouth droops in wistful curves, and beside her eyes an infant's would .^eem sophisticated. "Jack says I must go with him to Africa, but I shall never dare to look a tiger in the f.^ce after my experience on the Big Mud d>." Mrs. Jack r- adventures have familiar- ized the society with Tin Cup, Big Bug, Bumb ■ • Lee and Medicine Hat. But the Big Muddy offers delightful fields for speculation, for it has not yet fomid a place on any map, and its only high roads are the half obliterated trails left by the Utes when they unwillingly de- parted for new hunting grounds. "You remember the bighorn I shot after Jack and the guides had tracked him for ten days over the Rattlesnake range in Wyoming?" Mrs. Jack contin- ues plaintively. The society remembers the big-i:orn as ^^'ell as the giant shark in the Mexi- can gulf, the mountain lion and the cin- namon bear with amber eyes picked off by Mrs. Jack's rifle in the San Francis- quito mountains. The idea cf her not daring to look a tiger in the face under any circumstances taxes the credulity of the society. Has she ever known fear, ever quailed before beast, bird or fish — this modern Artemis? When she accompanies her husband on his hunting expedition, she wears the woods' autumn livery — leaf brown and scarlet — an abbreviated skirt and leg- gings of brown corduroy, a scarlet leath- er shirt with elk's teeth for buttons, a hat festooned with trout and salmon flies and shining leaders. A cartridge belt girdles her slender waist, with its depending revolver and hunting knife. It is remarkable that Mrs. Jack has escaped the cinnamon's embrace, and bruin might well be pardoned such an indiscretion. "Jack has always said that my phys- ical coiirage first attracted him. But I had never confessed to him that there 1896. Till: Ml: U KJA y liKK- KEEPI:li. 1G7 w;.i':iu' test to which 1 should be un- equal. It crane en the Big Muddy. Lis- ten: "We were cnmped in the quaking as- pen. Snow had fallen, and the elk were coming down. You could hear them bungling on every side just before dawn. It is easy to stop a band of elk as they pass near your camp by imitating their call upon an empty cartridge shell. I have learned the trick, and Jack had no hi^sitation in pei*mitting me to cht.)Ose my own trail one morning and follow- ing it alone afoot, he iuid the guides scattering in other directions. The taste of the camp coffee was still upon my lips, my cheeks tingled with the frosty breath of the morning air as I kept cau- tiously to the windward of the elk, whose trumpeting stirred me like mar- tial music. "A stray bear track showed here and there in the fresh snow. But I was aft- er elk. A hundred miles lay between our camp and the nearest settlement. Ah, the solitude of those woods!" Mrs. Jack leans back in her chair and sighs remiuisceutly as she gazes into the blazing hearth fire, a chai-miug pic- ture in her house gown of old blue, brightened with gleams of Persian em- broidery, interwoven with uncut jewels. "I had gone three miles, perhaps four, over fallen spruce up the steep side of a rugged mountain, when crash across my trail came a band of elk, headed by a magnificent bull. "Crouching Jj! hind a bowlder, I wait- ed. I have vraited so often for big game, from Alaska (<.) the gulf. Jack says I have seen more than he can ever liope to see if he lives to be 100. My hand was steady, .jack often gets buck fever. I never do. I tc^ok deliberate aim. The elk came toward the bullet and dropped dead without a sti-uggle. Blazing the trail as i retraced it toward cainp foi the pack animals, I saw that there were new beai' tracks. I %s'as not out that day for bear, and I did not care to come upcm one alone, although I had nc thought of shirking the encounter were it forced lapcn me. "A bear in a bear pit is a clumsy creature. In the woods he challenges your admiration by his clever fashion of covering the gi-onnd without apparent effort. The one I soon descried ahead of me was luribering akng like a bunch of tumblcweed, lengthening the dis- tance br tween us at a rapid I'ate. "Foolishly I indulged myself in & shot at him, striking his .shoulder. He turn(d upon me \vith a roar of pain. At that instant I nei d( d all my nei^ve. This timt; I chose a tree for cover and await- ed. He came cu without a halt, straight toward me. I fii-ed again, missing him. I w:;s just abi.ut to try a third shot when the test came, of which I have spoken. ' ' "The test?'' murmurs the society breathlessly. "The test of my courage to which I had alway.s felt I should be unequal — the thing I had dreaded in my ff;rest wanderings with Jack. ' ' "What!" the society demands, with one voice. "I had rai«ed my rifle, when I felt something fluttering in my hair. I fan cied a leader had slipped from my hat rim. Oh, hon-or! It vv'as a .spider! And as I shook my head violently to dislodge it, it stiTiggled into my ear. "I have never been conscious of bav ing fired that third shot. Somehow the rifle was dischai'ged, and by the same chance the bullet laid the bear low. "I fainted, and when I came to my- self I was lying across the bear's body, with six strange men standing around me. "Ten thousand boiler factories were at work in my brain. 'Hear the noises!' I cried. 'Will no one stop them?' "And now comes the strangest part of my story. "The engineer of Jack's yacht once got a mcsquito in his ear. It drove him quite mad before we could find a doc- tor. He hung over the yacht's side, held by six of the crew, begging for death. When the doctor aiTived upon the scene, he applied a handkerchief wet with ether to the man's ear, quieting the mosquito's struggles and restoring the man to sanity. "I believed myself in the man's plight — stark, staring mad — when, upon this peak cf Darien, 500 miles from an ambulajice and a sui'geon, I heard one of the men to whom I had so wildly ap- pealed reply quietly, 'Have no fear, madam. You are in safe hands, for we are all doctors. ' 1G8 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. Ju ne ••They del'Liged my ear with water froiQ a nearby stream, which they brought iu a tin cup. Finding the spi- der still unsubdued, one of the doctors asked for a hypodermic syringe. Five were instantly proffered. An icy arrow penetrated seemingly to the seat of the gray matter — still, without effect upon the spider, whose pernicious activity caused me indescribable agony. " 'Ether?' cheerfully returned the doc- tor who was attending to me. 'Why,' of course. Brcwn, fetch out your ether bottle. ' Aiid if Brown did not produce from the depths of his waistcoat pocket a small bottle of ether may I be in- stantly retired from the presidency of our society. It transpired later that Brown was a physician with an alien hobby — entomology — and carried ether with him everywhere to anaesthetize his specimens. "In an instant relief came — such blessed relief as only one who has pass- ed through an experience like mine can appreciate. "The rest of the story is soon told. When I had gathered myself together, the six doctors presented themselves to me with due formality. They dined that night at our camp on my elk. "Jack was thoroughly ashamed of m.e. What did the elk and the bear matter with the memory of the spider fresh in our minds? "No, decidedly," Mrs. Jack repeats as the maid fetches her a second cup of tea, "I shall never dare to look a tigei in the face tif ter my Waterloo on the Big Muddy. It would have been a pleas- ing legend for my tombstone, this: "One To •whom the forests were an open book, ■Who joined to Diana's daring the skill of hei spear. Lies here, Slain by a bug in her ear." —Mary Wakemau Botsford in San Francisco Argonaut. Dore as a Beggar. Gustave Dore could show invention not only in his wonderful illustrations, but also in matters of everyday life. One day a friend at Verona was tak- ing a photogi-aphic view of a pictur- esque old street, and Dore tried to as- sist by keeping off the crowd of idle lookers on. It was a diflScult task, and the more he gesticulated and threatened rne greater became the tlu'oug. Sudden- ly Dore had a .rplendid idea. "Wait a minute, " he called out to his friend, "and I'll di.sperse them. " He then took off his coat, threw it on the ground, and, assuming a pitiful ex- l^ression, he went round, cap in hand, to beg for a few soldi. As he advanced the crowd drew back and melted away, and his friend quickly obtained the neg- ative. — I'hiladelphia Press. Castles In the Air. Dr. .John Wilkins wrote a work ir the reign of Charles II to show the pos- sibility of making a voyage to the moon. The Duchess of Newcastle, who was likewise notorious for her vagrant spec- ulations, said to him, "Doctor, where am I to bait at in the upward journey?" "My lady," replied the doctor, "of all the people in the world I have never expected that question from you, who have built so many castles in the air that yoii might lie every night at one oi youi' owji.'" — Pittsburg Dispatch. Mnman Sroth. A very singular superstition has just come to light. According to an author- ity iu Shanghai, the heathen Chinee lives under the impression that the heal- ing qualities of the human flesh are practically unlimited. For this reason when a father or mother is taken ill the flesh of one of the children is frequently sacrificed in order that it maybe made into what one might describe as beef tea for the strick- en parent. Not long ago a clerk in a government office deliberately cut off his finger in the belief that when made into soup it would improve the health of his mother, who lay ill. Atinosphere. There is a wide difference of opinion among the learned men of the world as to what would be the effect of wholly removing the atmosphere. Some think that if it were po.ssible to live afterward all the stars, planets, etc., would be visible in broad daylight. Others de- clare that there would be no day, and that the sun itself could not be seen un- der such conditions. — St. Louis Repub- lic. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEFEH. 1(;9 YET LUVE CAIN LAST. Yet love can la.st, yi-t V ivu ouii last, Tin- future be as was the past, Ami fai'ih aud foiuhu,'.ss never know Tlu' cln') of (Iwiiuiliiig afterglow, If t Pause ere they rise. The nestling shall rise and aspire to heaven's gate, And the butterfly, though in a shroud, he must wait In dim surmise, Tor all things shall rise. Oently kind spring has awakened the flowers- Sweet mysteries! Swiftly the grub on the ^ving, with new powers. To happiness flies. Ever with refluent wave and strong motion, Landward now march the forces of ocean. Grand auguries! For all things do rise. In the world visible lurks the invisible. Making men wise, Telling of blessed truths plainly perceptible To lovelit ej-es; Telling of heaven and the happy tomorrow; Telling of joy with no vestige of sorrow And of bright skies, Where love never dies. — C. P. Wilson in New York Sun. HALF A MILLION. I had been in the dry goods business ten years or more and had drudged all that while, winter and summer, with- out a holiday, except Christmas and New Year's day and the Foui-th of Ju- ly, when one summer, calculating my profits, I made up ray mind that I could afford to enjoy myself for once as other people did — cut the shop outright for a while aild spend a week or so in the country. Trade was dull, and I was dull too. So as Dobbins' aunt — Dobbins is my head clerk — had a house at Shady- slope and took a boarder or two and was anxious to fill her unoccupied rooms that summer, I gave my name to Dob- bins to fill up the list and ran down there with my trunk and bag about the 1st of July. I felt that it was an honor to Dob- bins' aunt as well as to Dobbins, but I made up my mind to be affable and not to malce them more uncomfortable than I could. No matter what your po- sition in life, it is very \vrong to put on airs, and I never do it, "Tell them not to put themselves out on my account, ' ' I said to Dobbins, "but to treat me just as they do the oth- er boai'ders, " and Dobbins said he would. "Puff of Puff & Co. , " I said when I met the aunt. "Don't disturb yourself on my account. I am quite simple in my habits. ' ' She said she wouldn't, though I could see it was not every day that the head of a firm ctime to Shadyslope. They had three or four other people there, a few who taught music and composed some, you know, and an artist and a doctor and a fev^- who wrote novels, but no- body cf any importance. "When I sat down to the table that night, I put them all at ease at once. "I distinctly desire it to be under- stood that I don't want to disturb any one, " I said. ' 'Go on just as you have been doing. I want relaxation, and it will amuse me. Simple pleasures are veiy charming when one is weary with application to more important matters. " Then I bovved. But you can't exi^ect everything of people not up to the mark. Two or three laughed — why I don't know. It was very pleasant there — particu- larly pleasant. My landlady had a daughter, quite a charming creature, with eyes like bluebells and a voice like a canaiy. She used to sing a good deal with the music man. The moment that girl locked at me she appreciated me. Before the day was over she was des- perately in love with me, and when a creature like that gives you her heart, how can you look coldly on her? Far be it from me to win the affec- tions of an innocent girl, knowing as 1 do that I have a position in the v\'orld and must marry with due consideration of the fact, but knowing what emotions I had awakened in her bosom I felt obliged to be kind to her. We walked together. We rode, we sung. I felt that it was VN^rong, but my feelings ctirried me av\'ay. Icften thought to myself, "li that girl's father had been in the whole- sale line and had left her well off, what a bli.ss would have been mine!" But he was nothing but a lawyer and had scarcely left a penny. Excelsior is mj motto. Large retail should always as- pii-e to a connection with wholesale. And Miss Briggs of Briggs & Bounce smiles very sweetly when she bows to your humble servant. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 173 Alus, %vli() shall CDutrol the hi-iU't's afft'Ctioiisr Eveliua's beauty and her de- votiou touched my soul too deeply. On the 1st of beptember, wheu trade \va« growing bri.sk. I began to feel that it ■was better for the i^eace of both oui hearts that I should fly. I should forget the dream iu a little while. But she, poor child, I feared that she would nev- er forget me. "Adieu," I said as I shook hands with her. ' ' Perhaps we shall never meet again." She turned her face away from ma Her emotions overcame her. And I took the next train for the city. I entered again into the turmoil of trade. It was brisk. But nothing could make me happy. I accused myself of trifling with the affec^tions of an angel. She loved me, I thought, and I have broken her lieart. — I who secretly adore her. I lost my appetite. I grew thin. When I saw fair creatures of her age bending over the counter, my mind flew back to her, lovelier than all. When Mrs. Briggs' daughter smiled upon me, I th(3ught how plain she was and how adorably beautiful was Evelina. At last — it was in ^October — my head clerk claimed a holiday. "I shall spend it with my aunt and Evelina, ' ' he said. I sighed. "A beautiful girl, " said I. "Yes, " said he, blushing at the com- pliment to the family, I presume. "The loveliest girl I ever knew, and a lucky one too. ' ' "Lucky?" said I. ' ' Yess ' ' said he. "In a year from this time she will be a very rich woman. Old grandfather left her everything, come of age or marry, and he was Worth $500,000." "Kalf a million!" I cried. My head clerk nodded. "Visit your aunt and cousin when you will, " I said, "and don't retm-n until you feel quite rested. You never mentioned to me before, Dobbins, that your grandfather left $500,000. " "You see it wasn't left tP ne, "he said and went off. "Half a million! Miss Briggs was not worth that. A wholesale business was the thing to be connected with, of course, but when the heart is touched we are willing to sacrifice all else. I will fly to your side, Evelina," I solilo- quized. "I will recompense you for your hour.s of grief by telling you how I adore you ! ' ' I iDictured the scene to myself. I sa^ her as shi^ confessed her love and fainted in my arms, imd that evening I ran down to Shadyslope to offer my heart and hand to Evelina. I aiTived after dark. The house was very quiet, and as I advanced I reflected that my sudden apjDoarance might agi- tate Evelina too terribly. I must an- nounce myself cautiously. I stole for- ward on tiptt)e to reconnoiter. Two forms were seated on the porch — a faint gleam of moonlight revealed them to nie — a lady with her cheek re- posing upon a gentleman's shoulder, his arm about her waist. They were my head clerk, Tom, and his Cousin Evelina. I stood as one petrified. They were talking of me. "He really thought I was smitten, Tom, " said Evelina. "He flirted with me ten-ibly. " ' "Didhedai"e" — began Tom. "Didn't he know" — "Of course I did not tell him I was engaged to you, " said I?velina. ' 'Why, Tom, yoti couldn't be jealous of such a fellow — a man with no^idea beyond his counter. ' ' Then Tom kissed her. I waited for no more. Fortunately 1 caught the down train. At 12 o'clock I was in the city. At the depot I met Simpkins about to start for Albany. "Simpkins, " I said, "I've heard you speak of a troublesome nephew you de- sired to provide for. ' ' "Confound him, yes," said Simpkins. "My head clerk's place is vacant," I said. "Tell him to come to me. " "Thank you," said Simpkins. I waited for no thanks. I strode away and wrote Dobbins that his services were no longer required. * * » * * * I have been married a year to Miss Briggs, and her father failed five months ago. Simpkins has just been arrested for embezzling sundry sums of money, and yesterday I passed Tom Dobbins and his wife in the street She is ex- cessively pretty — lovelier than ever — and I feel quite sure, despite qll that I 174 THE AMEliJCAN BEE-KEEPER. JllfU overheard, that her heart is still mine in secret. Of course she could not admit it, not knowing I returned the senti- ment. But when I remember liow much we were together I feel sure it must be so, and that two he;xrts were broken. Quitlling goods, but have made over eight hundred dollars in ten weeks selling Dish \\ a her>. It is simply ^yot derfulhow ea-y it is to sell them. All you have to do is to show' the ladie.s how they work and they eanrot help but buy one. For the benefit of others I will state that 1 got my start from the Mound (^ity Dish Washer Oo.. St. Louis, Mo. Write to them and the.\ will send you full particulars I ihink I can clear over S3. 000 the coming year, and 1 am not going to let the opportunity pass. Tvv it and publish your success for tlie benefit of others. J- F. C. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 175 Honey and Beeswax Market Report. Below we give llie latest and most aiitlien- tic report of the Honey and Beeswax market in different trade centers : Cincinnati. 0.. May 2ii. is'.lii. — Slow demand for honey. Fair supply. Price of eouib 10 to 14 cents per li). E.xtracted 4 to 7c per pound. F;iir de- mand for beeswa.v. Good supply. Prices 22 to 2.ic per lb. for good to choice yellow. Chas. F. Muth it .Son. Cor. Freeman and Central Aves. Dftroit, Mich.. May 2'). lt>!H).— Little demand for honey. The suiipiy of good honey is light. Price of comb liJ to i4c per lb. E.\tracted li to 7c per lb. Fair demand for beeswax. Good supply. Prices 2.') to 20c i)er lb. M. H. Hint, Bell Branch. Mich. Albany. N. Y.. May 2.i, 18(i().— Price of white comb honey 12 so Tic per lb. Dark 7 to 8c per lb Extracted 4 to Cic per lb. There is little demand for either oomb or e.xtracted honey. Stock of comb honey nearly closed out, but plenty of e.\- tracted on hand. H. 11. Wright. • Albany, N.Y., May 2ti, 180().— Demand for heney very slow. Light supply. Price of comb B to 12c. Extracted 3 to tic per lb. (iood demand for bees- wax at 28 to 32c per lb. Light supply As it is between seasons now there is no demand for honey. Chas. W. McCulloigh i Co. Boston. Mass.. May 25. 189i).— Light demand for honey. Fair supply. Price of comb 14 to loc per lb. Extracted o t;hould make from five to eight dollars a day selling cream, and from seven to ten dollars selling Freezers, as it is such a wonder, there is al- ways a crowd wanting cream. You can freeze cream el'^fiantly in one minute and that astonishes people so they all want to taste it and then many of them l)uy freezers as the cream is smooth and perfectly frozen. Every freezer is gurranteed to freeze cream in one minute. Anyone can can sell ice cream and the freezer sells itself. My sister makes from ten to fifteen dollars a day. J. F. Casey <& Co., lUli St. Chiirles !St.. St. Louis, Mo., will mail you full particulars free, so you can go to work and make lots of money anywhere, as with one freezer you can make a hundred gallons of cream a day. or if you wish they will hire you •n a salary. SECTIOfiS, BEE-HIVES and other Bee-keep- ers' Supplies, at bed-rock prices. Best of Goods at LOWEST PRICES. Write for free, illustrated Catalogue and Price list. G. B. LEWIS & 00-, Watertown, Wis. 3-tf We vsrill pay 22 cts cs&bIic, or j^- -^ - ' , 2S cts in goods^ Bicycles are \ fo^ ^ood quali- ty of Beesusja-x^ ffpsiglit paid to PALGOmilR, W- Y. If you have ^n-^ ship it to us at once. (Pr'ces subject to change without ri! tice). THE W. T. FALCOiiER M'F'G CO. HONEST BICYCLES $-7500 "Worth $100 Material \ Construction y Unexcelled Finish ) ...SEND FOR CATALOGUE... QUEEN CITY CYCLE CO. Buffalo, N. Y. VOL. VI. JULY, 1896. NO. 7. Using Empty Qombs. BV (i. M. DOOLITTLE. As I hear of (|uite a loss of bees in certain localities and, thinking that not all perhaps who read the pages of the American Bee-Keeper, realize the value of (Mupty combs, I am led to give a few expi'iirnents with them, and otlVr a few suggestions which may be of benefit to some of those who are just starting in bee-keeping, nnd to those who have empty cnmbs from colonies which have died the j)ast winter, if not to those who have wintered their bees well and having much experience along apricultnral lines. Wlien I fii'st began keeping bses 1 was short of combs, and as my bees would persist in building more or less drone comb, I was often oblig- ed to work colonies for comb honey with as few as six ^ l.-.-i.; 2, U«<0 . iil.>i' iiiciici in I i . rinil 1 i .. i ', . :,■! r. .'I ud-..|> franici . aJ.Jo. ;- Ui ri i ;, th'u •ici- iring :wty • '.k In -iTae 3?-'t..>ni. T< "oa-ie •jocd ar.-bi ^it those •, '>)r3 f :a.i • ' oio par iil/ 'li'fl with v">i!:,>r and dr ne omb, I cut out the Iroae -omb and 'Itted the 'orUer from an- other frame in the vacant place left, 178 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. July till every frame was filled with work- er corah. In these days of comb foundaliou, however, it is doubtful whether it pays to do much of this patching of conibs, but I think to melt up full combs, as some recommend, and buy foundation to fit in frames, is very poor policy. I never could see why such advice was given by those who had the name of being practical, level headed, apiarists. When swarms came near or at the com- mencement of the main honey flow they Avere hived on only five frames and as soon as these were filled with worker conib, which would be as a rule, I sp)'ead them apart, putting in each alternate space an empty comb, which I had made by patching, or gotten by saving through some hook or crook, thns completing a hive full of comb just when I wished it the most. If the swarms were too large to work profitably building these few combs, as the most of them would be, sections were put on so that they could be at work in these, this taking the pressure of honey off the brood apartment, so that the bees were more likely to build all worker comb, as well as to make the best use of every single bee. In this experiment, I found that I could secure one-third more honey from a swarm treated in that way, than from one building the whole nine frames full of comb dur- ing the height of the -honey harvest, and by filling the hive full of comb at the time pi' hiving, I obtained nearly double the amount .that I. did- when using a f.ull hive ,of .frames having only starters it them. • If these combs could be. filled with honey J as I some- times had, themj I could- secure fai- raoj-^e. honey, in the sections than -by any other plan. It the swarm con- tains a good prolific queen, and no oth- er should be used in such cases, nearly all the honey there was in these combs would be in the sections in two weeks, as well as that gathered from the fields and the combs nicely filled with brood. There is nothing of more value in the upiary than good, straight, worker cotubs, except good prolific queens, for the.se two can be called the foundation stone of successful api- culture. Such combs should oe look- ed after with care when away from the bees, and the larvse of the wax moth should not be allowed to spoil them as very many so often allow. Some have the idea that'foundation is preferable to frames full of comb. This I think a mistaken idea, for the bees must consume some time iu get- ting the foundation worked out to full combs, saying nothing of the expense of buying it, or the work of putting it into the frames. Foundation is good in its place, and I use very much of it, but I haye it all fitted in frames and drawn into combs by the bees, or have frames filled with nice worker combs by the bees building the same, I can- not see any sense in melting it up, or allowing the moth to consume it. I was pained not long ago, to see hun- dreds of moth eaten combs on the premises of a prominent bee-keeper, who had a few years before purchased a foundation machine. ' These combs had been looked after/with care in years gone by, and were built in the frames as straight and true as a board; and to my mind, before the' moths' had! damaged them, were worth double the same amouht of eomb foundation. ' In' bee-keeping, as well as in -any other business,, pi-osperity , comes only in. 1890. THE AMElilUAN BEE-KEEPER. i:!> husbanding what y()u already liave, and being careful of the outgoes. Especially is this the case where the best of honey bring less than one-half the price it did a few years ago. One of the sheet anchors of bee keeping is all straight worker comb and if you have much, use it in place of having the bees build more, or of buying foundation, Borodino. N, Y. Improvement of the Italian Bee. HY W. J. DAVIS. Those who keep bees (with possibly a few exceptions) keep thera for the profit they may yield, and it is safe to ■\y , when they cease to yield a profit for their owner for several years in succession they would cease to have owners, and if they existed at all, it would be in a wild state. J'hat there is a vast difference in the profits of different colonies in the same apiary, I think no bee-keeper of experience and observation will deny. One colony on a majority of the col- onies of an apiary may yield satis- factory returns while other just as favorably situated and in equally as good condition in the spring will give no profit. The only legitimate con- clusion that I can arrive at is that there is a great difference in the bees even of the same variety. (Viz.: Italians, German, Carnolan etc.) Neither is it surprising that sueh should be the case. We find the same condition of things among other domestic animals. There are cows kept which are an absolute bill of ex- pense to their owners. Most dairymen realize that there are cows in their dairy that are not for sale, while others are. We will not lengthen this article l)y {)ai'ticularizing, but simply say that the same degree of merit and de- merit obtains among horses, cattle, sheep, swine and poultry, and an ef- fort is being constantly made to prop- agate the good qualities and eliminate the bad. That is just what we should do with the honey bee, but we should start with the bed. The three banded Italians I take as the best domesticated honey bee yet brought to public notice, and I under- stand such to be the verdict of the world's best apiarists today. By way of practical experience I will say that I kept black bees for about 20 years and would have given up bee keep- ing in disgust had not now hope dawn- ed on the pursuit by the introduction of the Italian bee. When the seasons wQxejust right results were satisfactory, but it took about three years of fav- orable conditions, (rainfall, etc)., to produce one good honey year, and the blacks couldn't stand grief. The wax moth was troublesome with the blacks. They were much disposed to rob. Like some people they must do a big business or nothing. And then in spring they were prone to desert their hives, leaving brood, honey, and all the conditions one would think favor- able to contentment, viz : clean combs, clean hive, and sometimes 10 or 12 pounds of honey, and after flying like a natural swarm would try to forceau entrance into some othei' hive already occupied, and if they succeeded in- gaining an entrance they wete sure to be killed to the last bee. In July, 1866, I' procurec^ two Ital- ian queens which were safely intro- duced, and the work of Italianizing 180 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. July an apiary of 60 colonies of blacks be- gun, which was accomplished in 1867 and the apiary increased to 120 col- colonies. I found the Italians proof against the wax moth. They would never de- sert their hives in early spring, and whenever a small amount of honey was obtainable, they would secure that, and gain in stores, while the blacks wouhl require feeding. But when the blacks blood was all eliminated, I found that the Italians were not all alike profitable. I sup- posed that the queen that would lay the most eggs must be the best. That I hioio was a mistake. Some queens producing one-half the num- ber of Qg^!i that the other did, gave much better results in surplus honey. The Solons of bee culture told us to introduce uew and fresh blood to avoid the evil effects of in and in breeding. For fifteen or twent}'' years I secured by purchase and ex- change queens from the North, South, East and West, but cross as I might, the same fact ])resented itself, that some colonies were not worth keeping and some queens were worth their "weight ii) gold.'" J said why can not ail be a> good as the best. We can rear queens from only the best stocks, but we cannot be sure of the young que<'ns being fertilize ■ fift*^-n (l>n;ir> p..r ■ ■! y cny WrtT £M- 'I iln Viiiuc: ill ri*. \\t\\ mT yr^v ;.»-.f4' ''1^,.^ h\^ fact that Iroes iti the *^i"Mi^' w? • worth no mou* ^^e^ • -l-iiy ihuti t.Vi hives combs and honey la the fall. So it has been my practice for a number of years to reduce my stock by killing the colonies that did not come up to my ideal of what a colony ought to be. But some men will say " What is your standard of excellence?" First I would prune out everv colouy that shows any signs of black blood. 2nd I would kill all the vicious bees, I would no more keep a vicious colony of bees than I would a vicious cow or horse. Any of them would endanger a human life. 3rd another class of colonies are those that fail to give satisfactory results, though in appear- ance and temper they may be fault- less. Such colonies also must vanish. This great difference in productive- ness is probably more observable in large apiaries. I can account for the great differences in colonies only in this way. 1st the shorter proboscis of the workers of some colonies whereby they are unable to reach the nectar of certain^ttoweis which are obtainable by other.s. 2ud shorter or weakness of wing, or 3rd greater vitality and longevity of q een and workers. I incline to the to the opinion that in this the secret lies. We do hioxo that it is not the most prolific queens that have the strongest colonies in the early spring or give ^"'- ■ nio.st substantial results for the ,.»n. riiese facts being known it r- minds me fo»- itee-l;*^ ''■'»• '•' l'."-'y ''i" i 'g ■ i' -hi-'e ■'; «' '■■■ *»:!^',h a'.:*n ''n.>? .It- same y;>' I «. ;;p. '*!> Mio 1 .It cut ;ind ; ^ Vi^ ' x) ' ; .-.'!• i live oni's vnd th - sesirable queens and supplying the colony with better ones. Abundant "new blood" is secured tiy bringing home stocks from two out api- aries. If this plan followr-d persist- ently for a term of years will not de- velope "Apis American " what will ? Youngsville, Pa Building up Weak Ooionies. BY G M. DOOLITTLK. From the numerous reports coming in, I judge that there are many weak colonies of bees in the United Sfates the present spring, and if so it will be but natural for all having such to wish to know bow to best manage them. Therefore, I have concluded that I could do no better at the pres- ent lime than give an article on how to build up weak colonies of bees in the Amei'icau Bee Keeper, so that those having such can use the same if they so desire. The all imporlant question which confronts at the start in this mattt-r of liuilding up weak colonies, and a que.-^tiou not fully understood by mor^t novices, is the best means of securing and keeping the degree <»f heat retjuired by the law of nature, with the fewest bees demanded for the successful rearing !)f young l)ees during the fickle weath- er of early spring. Ju order that brood rearing may go on successfully the tenjperature inside of the clusieV of bees must be at least 92°, as I have proven by many experiments with a -elf registering thermometer. Now, suppose that we had a cluster of bees that on a moderately cool morn- ing occupies three or four spaces be- tween the cond)s in a full hive con- taining 2,000 cubic inches; we w'ill usually tind brood in but two combs and but small patches at that, with this brood increasing very slowly as the days go by on account of lack of sufficient heat to carry on brood rear- ing to the best advantage. Shall we leave tliis colony as it is or shall we try to help them, is the question ? Many will tell us to leave them as they are, as to do dift'erently will be only a waste of time. For the novelty of the thing let us experiment a little and see if the advice of the many is correct. We will set these two combs having some brood in them close to one side of the hive and by means of a nicely fitting division-board shut all of the bees on these two combs, allow- ing a little space under one corner of the division- board sufficient for the bees to run under to secure food whenever they wish, from a comb of honey placed just outside of this board, thus giving them the assurance that there is no danger of becoming short of stores, thus stimulating them to brood rearing. By looking a few days later we will find that the queen, under these conditions, can and has occupied from two to three limes the space that luis the one which was left v.'iih her b es and biuod in the center of a full sized hive. As tlie above has been spoken lightly of by some, they calling it " spring fussing," I have made some experiments rt^gard- ing it and for exam{)ie i will give one of them. I selected two colonies as nearly alike as possible, both being clustered between five ranges of combs and shut the one on two combs while 182 THE AMERICAN BEE KEEPER. July the other has the whole hive. Both were treated as near alike as possible, except this, and the result was that the one shut on the two frames had them filled with brood to the bottom bar and our at the corners by the tenth of May, while the other had brood in the center of three frames to the amount of less than one frame full or a little more than one-third what the other had. When we had gotten thus far, it will be seen that we could put a comb partly filled with honey, (the same having the capping broketi, if it was sealed honey, so the bee, would become excited in manipulating this honey), in the brood nest of the first hive, and the queen under this stimulating process wouhi fill it with eggs and brood in a very short time, and that to the bottom and side bars ; while if we undertook to stimulate the others in the same way we should be likely to ruiu m'lre or less of the brood which they already had. As soon as tl^e bees become crowded in this contracted hive we shove along the division- board and put in the center one omb having the desired amount of honey in, enough to cause great activity with the bees in remov- ing it, yet not enough to be in the way of the queens' depositing eggs in the cells, and so we continue to do until the hive is full, doing this as often as the bees become populous enough to allow it. This hive will be filled with bees and brood long before the other thinks of being so, which will give us many more bees for the harvest, should such be from early flowers, such as clover and bass wood. This is what is called a judicious spreading of the brood. No one, whether novice or expert, should think of spreading the brood when the bees are not crowded for room, or when they are covering and holding all of the brood that they can ; for when they have all of tht- brood they can cover it is only a waste of time, brood and heat to spread them furth- er. To illustrate a little farther: Take one of these colonies which we have had shut on two or three combs for a week or ten days and watch and see how many bees are going to the fields. Now at night, take out the division- board and place the two or three combs of brood which they have, in the center of the hive the same as they w(mld have been had not the apiarist interfered, and the next day very few bees will be seen leaving the hive for field work, while if at night they are fixed back as before, double the num- ber of bees will go to the field the next day, this showing conclusively that we are working along the lines of natures wants in contracting the hive to suit her wants. Of cour.se, this is only applicable to April and May weather, and not to weather when the mercury is 90° in the. shade ; for then the heat outside is sufficient for brood rearing in any part of the hive, pro- viding they are only nurse bees enough to feed the brood. Well does this pay ? I say yes ! not only in dollars and cents, but also in the fun there is in seeing the business pros- per in your hands, by dint of a little extra effort put forth to accomplish an object we are desirous of accomp- lishing. It is worth something to us to he successful in our pursuits. Borodino*, N. Y. "How to Manage Bees " is a 50c book for beginners in bee keeping. We will send it postpaid for 25c. ISltO. THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 183 Random Notes and Oomments BY \V. M. EVANS. My experience for 24 years i.s, that while my bees and chickens exercise their sweet will in my front yard of one acre, my loss of chickens from stiugs is next to nothing. I often en- joy seeing the chickens run for cover, which they soon learn to do. I had one cute old hen who would stand be- tween two hives which were close to- gether, and when she heard a drone come in she would dodge out and get' him before he had a chance to get in- to the hive. Then she would dodge back to her safety place. I had two half grown chickens that would catch them on the wing quite often. Did not this old hen exercise reason ? My way of keeping the grass down is as follows : I keep several colonies of bees in my bee yard and also our riding horses. Animals soon learn to run under the cedar limbs to getaway from the pursuing bees. More than this they learn to wait until the bees stop flying before grazing among the hives. I i)ut legs on my hives as I am op- posed to all unnecessary back bending and knee serai)ing business. Mr. Doolittle's point against paint- ed hives is too fine for a 40-horse power mciroacope. Ed. Jolly's new super without bot- tom supports for the sections would do very well for a "cussing" instigator. None in mine please. I have already a supply of instigators. W. H. Morse don't quite get up to all the cau.ses of the j)roductiou and non-production of nectar in different seasons. All the visible material things of earth are held in an invisi- ble condition in the three atmospheres, and when these atmospheric conditions are favorable the flowers attract the nectar and secrete it from the atmos- pheres and not from the ground. Sun- shine alone will not do it nor the rain. Everything in and on our visible earth are only efforts produced from the world of cause. I am much interested in the India and Chinese large bees. I wrote Sec- retary Morton when he first took his office advising the stopping of the humbug seed distribution business and the using of the Agricultural de- partment to introduce new things and ideas through the State Experiment Stations for the benefit of the people. If either of these bees can be intro- duced successfully in theUnited States the State Experiment Station should furnish queens direct to all the apiar- ists for their own use, thus killing the money grabbing game of the piofes- sionals. INIy 70 colonies have come through the winter on their summer stands without loss. As to the future supply of honey here, 1 expect we will get a return of the honey dew on the old field pines, which during the last 24 years have been our best source fully one half the time. Fruit planting will also help us in the future as the new fancy and taste of England and the North for our Virginia red apples has given new life to the planting here. The Chicago Fair has opened tlie way to salvation here for this tobacco cursed piedmout section. Our Wine Saps 18J THE A MEnrCA N P. EK- K E i;i'Ei; July are SI 00 per barrel above the highest priced northern appk^s. Our two best, the Virginia and York Imperial, are 50c his/her. Oar justly celebrated Albenijirle Pippins have all been taken in England ;it the top prices. This section of Virginia now produces three varieties of the best keeping and all around good winter apples, and is yet destined to supply even New York State with its best winter apples. Our Italian sunshine and mineral soil are especially adapted to ))roduce not only the finest and richest apples, but also the mrst beautiful. Our l)lack moun- tain cave lands are best for the Pip- pins, while our red lands are best for the Winesaps and other reds. I don't agree with Brother Doolittle on transferring bees. For spring transfers 1 prefer to make the bees do the job themselves. I fix a frame hive and generally put one or more frames of cumb in it, as I always keep a lot on hand, then I set the old gum on top of the frames, stop up tight around it so the bees have to go down through the frame hive. By the time the frames in hive are filled with brood the comb in gum will be filled with honey. I then take it i/ff, knock it to })ieces in front of the hive so the few bees in it will go into tlie hive. For fall transferi-ing I first fix a frame hive with enough honey in frames for winter ; either by raising some of my extra frames of honey or by first taking enough from old gums too Aveak to keep and fixing the honey in frames. Then I set this fixed hive on gum ^tand. "Bow TO Manage Bees,^ a 50c book, and the American liEE-KEEP- ER a year for only GOc. Editor American Bee Keeper — Dear Sir : Six years ago I bougiit two svvarois of bees and let them feed on wfiite clover and basswood blosst)ms. I have increased my swarms to tifty. I think white clover makes the best honey, but basswood furnishes the greatest amount of honey for the bees to gather, f commenced with large hives, but am now making up my mind to trim them all down to eight inches. I put 27 boxes on each hive and all above the brijod r.est goes to me. The occupation is not only health- ful but profitable, and I intend to enlarge my work. The experiences given in your columns are very .interesting and valuable to me Yours truly, Mayville, N. Y. P^verett L. Pike. The Falconer M'f'g Co.,— Gentlemen: T received the goods in good onier and am well pleased with the;u. The sections are the best [ ever saw. Thanking you for prompt attention, 1 remain, Your^ tjuly, Ciirdurov, .Fuiie ISlHi. Edwin Bish. Thk P^alconer Man'p'-g Oo., — Dear Sirs: The bee supplies were received all' riglii and everything tils nicely. We have the mo^t of them put togeiher and find everything sati8factory. I am much pleas- ed with the sf clions. Tiiey are the finest 1 ever got from any firm. Thanking you for your prompluess and for sucli nice goods, 1 remain, Yi.urs truly, O. O. M.ykioneaux. East Liverpiiol, O., June 15. IS'Jt). TH^: FaLiCOKKR M'F'otJo., — <^Jentlemen: Please t~enpicion awoke in me that he might not be acting in good faith. 1 ob- served that his horses ate the bay with rel- ish. Why should my horses be so much 'liore fastidious than his? I according kept the hay, »n<.\. mirahile diciu, my l.orses ate it and thrived I scornfully rejected the the him thit my gmofn dropped (i success- or to the afore-mentioned onej, that it was the same hay ; that, in other words, I h.ad in previous years soM my own hay at less than two dollars a ton and bought it l)ack at thiriy When in a somewhat acrimonious dialogue I sugk-ested this possibility u> the Long [slander in question, he stnilr-d in an uneasy, evasive kind of way, and remarked, " You are getting to be quite a firmer, ain't yon ?" — ffjalmar Hjorth Boymen, in July Lippincott's. 192 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. July The jlmepiean Bse-Kseper, Th^' PUBLISHED MONTHLY BT " -ALCONER MANFG CO.- TERMS : 50 cents h yisar in advance ; 2 copies, 85 cents ; 3 copies, •fl .20 ; all to be sent to one postofRce. Postage prepaid in the U.S. and Canada; 10 cents extra to ail countries in the postal union and 20 cents extra to all other countries. ADVERTISING RATES: 15 ccnt.s per line, 9Avords; S2.00 per inch. 5 per cent, di.scount for 2 insertions; 7 per cent, for 3 in- sertions; 10 per cent, for 6 insertions; 20 per cent, for 12 insertions. Advertisements must be received on or before the 20th of each month to insure insertion in month following. Address, THK AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER, Falconer, N. Y. *ir-Subscribers finding this paragraph marked with a blue cross will know that their subscripiton expires with this number. We hope that you will not delay in sending a renewal. -8®="A Red Cross on this paragraph indicates that you owe for your subscrijirion. Please give the matter your attention. EDITORIAL. The agitation of the subject of the importation of the Apis Dorsata, the Giant Bees of India, still continues, and we hope it will be kept up until it is brought to the notice of the Govern- ment in such a wa}- that steps will be taken to procure some of these bees. We have noted with regret that Gleanings is not in favor of the pro- ject and its views are of course close- l.y seconded b}- the American Bee Journal. • We have yet to hear any good reason why the importation of these bees should not be attempted. Wm Gerrish, East Nottingham, N H., keeps a complete supply of our goods and Eastern customers will save freight by ordering from him. Last month we casually mentioned that some one ought to start an ar- gument in the bee papers, Friend York, of the American B^e Journal, in a sarcastic mood, asks wh}' we do not start one ourselves and rails at us for being exti'emely modest. Now the fact is, we have no time for arguments. Life is too short for us to waste our time endeavoring to convince some one that it is better to use ten frames in a hive than eight, when common sense should teach us that each is proper under certain circumstances. Perhaps if our sole occupation was to write up two or three small pages of items once a week we would dote on arguments, but fortunately or otherwise our time for editorial duties is limited to an hour or two onl}^ each month. We will send the American Bee- Keeper one year with the Cosmopol- itan for SI. 25. Ttie Cosmopolitan is a monthly magazine containing an average of over 100 pages and 80 il- lustrations each month. June was a ver\' busy month for us. Our customers did not seem to "wake up" much until then, but they made up for lost time and the month ended with a record of many more orders than June nf last year. We will duplicate the prices on hives and supplies offered by any first class manufacturers — and in man}' cases can do even better b}' you than anyone else. Clubbing List. We Kill send the Amkkic.\s Bek Kkkpek with the— American Bee Journal, Americ'tn Apiculturi?t, Bee Keeper's Review, Canadian Bee Journal, Gleiminffs in Bee Culture, PUB. PRCK. BOTH. (SI 00) SI 35 ( 75j 1 15 n iio) 1 35 (1 00) 1 25 (1 00) 1 35 1800. THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 19:! Reduction of Prices. Kdii.vDATioN has t)fen roduced .'>c a [)()und from prices in our 18i)(i cata losi". This is owing to tiie lower price of wa\ Our .■•■ . I'ai.con Poushed Sec- tions we now otter at S2.50 for 1000, S4.50 for 2000, 8'i 41) for 3000, st^lO for 5000. Less i'imm hkhi <.,ni,. ,,.•;,■- es as formerly. BkesU'AX is lowi-r. We nre now paying 22c cash or 2oc in trade, per pound, delivered at our railroad sta- tion. (Falconer. N. V). This price is not guai-;inteed. We will pay highest market price when wax is received. Prices are liable to be reduced again witliin ;i short time If you have any wax lo .sell it is advisai)le to send it now " A.MKlilCAX POISONS.'' The Frenchman, not without reason, calls our iced drinks " American poisons." As a matter of fact, cool spring water will allay thirst much better than iced water ; hut it is very ditticult to convince those addicted to the iced -water habit of this fact. The grave harm caused by iced water is from swallowing it quickly and in large quanti- ties. ]f sipped slowly and held in the mouth for a motnent, the temperature is raised appreciable before it reaches the stomach, and its cooling effects reach that part of the body where they are most need- ed,— the head, thror.t, and upper part of the chest. For this reason ice cream is much less dangerous than iced water; we eat it slowly, and it is not only entirely melted, bu; also perceptibly warm before it enters the stomach. This well-known fact, whicii everyone can verify for himself, is entirely ignored by those alarmists who draw so harrowing pictures of the internal economy, represent- ing the stomach and its contents as almost paralized by the suddenly congealing in liuence of the iniroduction of a mass of frozen cream. Of course, if it were so the danger would be immense, for when the stomach is attending to its appointed duties — actively engaged in the process of digest- ion— it is a little furnace, and any tamper- ing with its tires results in the immediate discjrnfort of its owner and overseer When yon deluge it with ii.'ed drinks vou put out the lires, and irrested digestion ine.iiis -Ai-nXv ciiin Miifl much discinifurt. I'lm't ask it to do so fnuch work wht-u the thfniDiiieter gilt's aho\e 80°; then the tiies will not liiiAM-! to he so hot, aii "Even at the age when young maids of 0 do net live long in the thoughts of youths I vvas fond of Amy. She was com-panionable even then, and though at times noisy and persistent, she in* fused her grace even into those dis- agreeable qur.lities and made them hali lovable This was Amy at the age of 5. Well you know how a youth changes after 17. How he becomes then one thing or the other. Good or bad, studi- ous or careless, serious or trifling. Dur- ing the next ten years I saw Amy only now and then. She was changing and ^veloping also, ])ut I paid little atten- tion lo he? grov.'th, I was chasing aftei the false gods Whose worship is so at- tractive to the young man. Amy was- only A child to me at my advanced yeai\s, and while family connections kept mo in frequent contact with her, I thought of my old young friend only- as a rather awkward, shy girl of 15, wliile I wa.s rejoicing in the full man- hood and tmlimited experience and wis- dom of 25, "When I saw her in those days I paid little attention to her. There was still the old sweetness there, the power' of loving, the simple but strong attrac- tiveness, but I was busy with my false- gods and tinsel goddesses. You men of 30, you know where you worshiped then, and you know how devout you were in your worship and how the fal- lacy and hollowness of your creed never strike you till you have had five or ten years of it, and how then you learn your god is stuffed with the dirtiest kind of sawdust and the worship stinks in your nostrils. Well, I passed through that stage. I went the rounds and rejoiced in the designation of a rounder. No hog wallowed in his filth more luxuri- ously than I, and it took me ten long ismi THE AMKlifOAN BEE-KEEPER. 195 years to learn that there was not and never can be anything in dissipation, that alcoholieallv- stimularcd spirits and the purchased aifections of women are the bitterest mockeries on God's earth. They are hell's best counterfeits, but rank counteri'eits they are, and only the so called keen eyes of youth are de- cei^^ed by tlieni. "All this has a bearing on my story of Amy, because, thank Gcd. after a while my eyes were opened and I saw the folly of my life. And, as when a man has thrown the bloom and flower of his youtii in the gutters of dissipation he takes the faded remnants back to the highway, so I, seeing I had beeu giving much for nothing, bethoiight myself that perhaps the ways of decent people were wiser and I sought to tread them. So- ciety does not condemn the male sinner, tiis social position is thrown like a cloak over his life and virtuous mothers who know from worldly husbands the story of his escapades are glad to show him their jewels in the way of marriageable daughters — that is, if he may be eligible. "Well, I was rich and eligible. I eas- ily worked my ^Yay back into the society ,1 had quit for what is styled Bohemia. I saw young women far more sweet and attractive than tho.se who shine at pub- lic balls, late suppers and fancy resorts. And among them shone conspicuous my cousin Amy. 1 had never entirely given up her society, but of late years I had seen less and less of her. It seemed to me her manner had changed. She was now a woman of the world, with her three crowded seasons behind l^?r. New York, Newport, London and the Riviera had beeu her stamping grounds, and even her infinite sweetness — pai'dou the repetition of the word, but it fitted her — was partially covered though not ef- faced by the manner of the womaii of 22 years. I had not noticed this, or at any rate dwelt upon it, in our few meetings in the meantime. "Amy was .still and had never ceased to bo tend of me as an old friend and playmate, for in the far away old days we had even plas'ed together as children will. But I could never regain my exact old lootiu.?:. After a while she did let me get a little clo.ser, and then later I thought I noticed sometimes a return of someihins like the old camaradarie Was I tulling.iu love with Amy? I did aot say so. Then one day I heard some- thing and the next day she told me something herself. "I knew the fellow and liked him. He was all that a man should be, and if any man could claim such a standing he was worthy of Amy. Still, for a mo- ment I hated him, and could I have heard of his disgrace I would have re- joiced ; I hardly knew why, but I felt why. But Amy was very happy, so happy that I forgave him, and she soft- ened more toward me. "This is all of my story. Its enough for it's a story of what wafi missed and of fortune turned away from the door at the first and last call. How do I know? I will tell you. Amy was to be married after Easter. During Lent I passed a few days at her father's place on the Hudson. She was so happy and grateful to this old world for her happi- ness that she opened all her heart to me and told me her hopes and plans. So selfish is entire happiness. If she had confined herself to her future I might still have been' fairly happy even in her and his happiness. But in the fullness of her spirits Amy lapsed into reminis cence. "During one of our close and cordial conversations I noticed a look on her expressive face, a look half quizzical, half amused, and then she turned to me and smiled. Blushed? No. But when she told me this story I left her for a moment saying I tliought I would smoke a cigar, tliough I fprgot to light it when I gol oil the veranda i "I had spoken of her happiness, and without thinking what I was saying I asked her familiarly : " 'Amy, is that lucky fellow the first or are you giving him only the rem- nants of afiection a pretty girl has left after three years of society?' She laughed gayly and without embarrass- ment. 'Yes and no,' she answered. 'I have met no man in society I consider his equal in any way, and he has all the atfection I possess, but I must make a coufessiou to you, and I can do so safely now. I was in love once before, and oh, Jiow in love I was. It was a fooli.sh afrair, ' she said smiling, 'but at the time I was terribly in earnest. I have quite recovered, so I can tell you all about it. Do you remember some years ago vvheu you were still quite re- 19G THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER, July cnew I was in certainly not, i never ■ ■- "■■ ■• child,' I re- spectable anrt nscci ro come ara caKe with us every h-'anaay evening?' " 'Of courso; 1 do,' I answered r;.t testily. '"Well love then, i1j.< " 'Why no, thought ff ■' plied. "'I was ij, r.u: ^.cj.;w, and I was very muck in Icve, and with you, you silly goose. You never knew it, you paid no attention to me, but would talk to father or some of the guests, and I would sit up and drink in your words and think thtm wisdom. Why, I re- member one evening when I was sent up to bed ai i) o'clcck I came back after the maid wr:.s gene and sat at the head of the stairs vvhere I could hear you speaking. Then my feelings got the bet- ter of me and I began to cry. Mamma heard me, but you didn't, and she came after me and sent me back to bed, be- sides giving n.e a good lecturing. ' "And Amy laughed heartily and I thought with unnecessary gayety. And so I made a fool of myself. In a mo- ment I felt that my cousin Amy was the one woman in the world for me and that she had really always been. (And she will always be. ) "And I said to her, 'Amy, you are telling me cf years ago, may I tell you something of the present time?' But she understood me, and Amy was loyal. For a moment only she seemed startled and drew a long breath. Then she smiled again. " 'No, no!' she said M'ith her old gay- ety, 'when your story is as old as mine, you may tell it to me if you like, but the exchange is not fair now. ' Which 1 thought was a jioor way out of it, and I told her so. "Still, when I left her and went out ujiou the ver;inda to smoke, I forgot to light my cigar. " — New York Sun. Nervess and Skyscrapers. A nervous condition bordering on prostration, to which the doctors have not as yet given a name, has lately been observed to affect persons who work many hours a day high up in the modern skyscrapers. The ailment re- sembles nervous prostration, except in the principal symptom, which is a con- 'iitidn of intense restlessness and, as one or rn. ;^ x- pressea w, " "li si;:g;:i,:r r;;..:!''' lo scream or to get down to the earth quickly." A sensation of relief is noticeable when the patient is taken to grass, so to speak, which leads some physicians to the Vielief that the change in the rarity of the air, slight as it is, has a peculiar etrect upon certain very seiisi- rive organ izatio!;^. Others think chat the constant trips in the elevators cause a slight disarrangement of the nerve centers, which brings on the condition referred to. In any case, there is no doubt that a new ailment has come among us with the advent of the sky- scraper.— -New York Journal. FEEAiasH 8TREAMS. REMARKABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF SOME .ARGE RIVERS. The Mispissippj No JLonijer Holds First Place In No7th America — A River of Writing Fluirl — Wonderfnl Channel of •■China's Sorrow." It is a recognized fact in science that very few great rivers have been thor- ■cughly txplorcd by going up stream. For nearly 2, 000 years travelers and ex- plorers endeavored to discover the sources cf \\vo Nile by ascending that wondei'fTil river. But by the time they had reachf^d the difficult pai-t of the stream i heir supplies and energy were exhausted, and they could gone farther. It is only b-y seeking tlie sources of rivers by overland routes that explorers meet with success. It was in this man- ner that Kenry M. Stanley traced the i-oute CI the Kcngo in Africa. In this way of procediire Frederick Schwatka was enabled to float down to Yukon and Speke f :und the secret of the river Nile. One of the most curious rivers that has ccme to the knowledge of men is the Webbe Lliebeyli, of eastern Africa, a deep and rapid stream, abounding in strange fr-h and ferocious crocodiles. Although it flows for hundreds of miles through fertile lands the immense vol- ume of water never reaches the sea. A .short distance north of the equator the river is lost in a desert region a few miles freni the Indian ocean. 1896 7 'HE A MKR I CA N BEE- KEEPER . li)7 Seme cif the more recent explorers of Alaska and British America claim that the Mississippi can iio longer be regard- ed as tJic lia-gest river nu the North Ami^ricai) coutineut. This distiuction is claimed for tlie great Yukon river. According to Ivan Petroft", who spent over two yetu's in Alaska, collecting ruati-rials for the last census, the Yiikon empties into Norton sound about one- third mere water than the Mississippi pours into the gulf of Mexico. The Yu- kon basin Cv;mi)rises the larger part of northei-u Alaska, and GOO miles from its mouth the river is a mile in width. Many centuries before it was discovered by white men it very likely served as the water highway into the interior, for tribes that we believe to have crossed from Asia to the x\merican continent. The Yukon river is over 3,000 miles in length. Travelers report that in Algeria there exists a small stream which the chem- istry of natui'e has turned into ink. It is formed by the union of two rivulets, one of which is very strongly impreg- nated with iron, while the other, meauderiijg through a peat marsh, im- bibes lai'go (juantities of gallic acid. Letters have been written with the nat- ural compound of iron and gallic acid which forms this small, yet wonderful, stream. The Rio de Viuagre, in Colombia, is a stream the waters of which, by ad- mixture with sulphui'ic acid, become so sour that the river has been appropri- ately named the Rio de Viuagre, or Vinegar river. The Orange or Garieh river, in south- em Africa, ri.ses in the mountains which separate Natal from the Orange River Free State. The length of this stream is 1,000 miles. Its banks abound in vai'i- ous valuable woods, and. lU'ound it are found rich copper ores. In this stream are many varieties of fish, which are found until the river passes through a rocky region containing copper, below which the water is said to be poi.sonous, almost instantly killing the fish that ventiu-e neai- it. "China's Sorrow," a ctirious namo for a river, is the title bestowed upon the gi'eat Hoaug Ho, which rises in the mountains of Tibet and follows a won- derfully circuitous channel for 2,o00 miles to the Velhjw sea. The wayward- ne.ss of this mighty volume (f watvr makes the river a constant source cf anx- iety and danger to the 170,000,000 of people inhabiting the central pli..:n Asia. It is known to have suddenly changed its course nine times. It has movtd its mouth four degi-ees cf lati- tude each time, emptying its va-^^t fiord-; in ditfcirent directions, and findiiig a new chauni-1 for itself where scons, i f towns and villages have stocd. The rivw has greatly chai:ged the physical character cf a wide area, converting fer- tile regions into a sandy desert or mak- ing shalknvs of them. Whether it is within the power of modern science to save this gi'cat plain from disaBtr;i:< overflow and clmnges of the river's bed is a question which diiring late years has been widely discusstd, espcciaily in the scientific circles of Paris and Lon- don. Another remarkable river is the In dus. a rreat stream in Hindustan. I: rises in Tibet, and its course is a won- derful one. On reaching Sussi, its mrsf northern point, it turns southward, Icsest itself in the hills and reappears at Talict in Kohistan. The Indus is 1,700 miles in length. Afler receiving the waters cf many tributaries its channel grows nar- row, and here it is divided into many channels, sor.ie (^f which never return (o rhe parent .stream. It abounds in fish and crocociii^s. That classical river, the G;:nge.s, is erratic in its course, like the Hoang Ko. It IS proininc ut both in the religion and the geography of India. It varies not '. nly from sca.scu to st ason, bat fmrn year to jein, and frequently excl) old passage 'J for new (.'i:. s. It ha.- said that the Ganges (u livers ii::>i sea every year 534,000,000 tons < f :...•'. sand and other solid matter. — Philaae.1- uhiu Press. Tlie Burglar's Bug-bears. A reformed burglar, who has no fur- ther use for the knowledge himself, says there are three things a night thief dread.s. One is a baby, the second is a little whiffet dog that can sleep with both eyes open aud'barks when a needle falls, and the third is a newspaper. Al- most always the paper rattles or crackles when u foottejuches it. Unless a bmgJar is 60 desperate that he will risk his own life, he will leave the moment he strikes a house} strewn with uewsRapers. 198 )rHE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. July SKY FLOWERS. The sower is sowing the seed of the cloud, Mantling the eartli with its drifting shroud, Enshrining the lowlj- and humbling the proud. Gently and softly descend the sky flowers, Sprinkling white petals in dazzling showers, Garnered and wind borne from arctic bowers. Lost seems the earth 'neath its raiment oj white, Sprectral and ghostlike, seen in the light Of the wide moon this midwinter night. — James Sheridan Hall. LOVE IS BLIXD. Feathery palm trees, banks of flow- ers, softly hued fairy lamps, and de- licious strains of ever changing music, all these go to make up enchantment! So, at least, thought Lord Ronald d'Esterre. He had but just returned from a t\vc years' sojourn in 'the heart of Africa, g sojourn filled with dangers and priva- tions ; his years numbered biit five and twenty, he was possessed of a well knit, springy frame and a keen, cleai eye, and he had come back from hi? travels with fame, courage and endur- ance, but without a penny that he could call his own. What was next to be done? This wa« the problem that filled all his spare thoughts. His elder brother had fitted him out for his expedition with the po- lite intimation that the act was a vir- tual washing of his hands of the super- fluous cadet ; iiis aunts had kissed him so warmly at parting that he was amaz- ed to find the in "not at home" when h€ retiirned to London ; his godfather haci given him a i;20 Uote aud such a heartv farewell that it was bewildering to be cut by hira when they met once more in the club lacking room. "It really seems as sh I had never come back!" .'^, ^ ung man to himself, with a siiiJ ;;t tae incredible idea, but as time ijus.-^i .1 on his smiles died away, and he ground his teeth savagely as he realized that his relations had thoughl it a good iiri-.sr]nrnt to lay out £50C and an infii,/; v cf farewell in the hope of getting quiC of a troublesome incum- brance. The thought was a bitter one and in his iiisc iury he vowed to leave his na- tive shores by the nest sliip, and nevei return to them again. But upon the heat of his passion there fell a cooling breath, as if from heaven itself, and the lion was straightway changed into a lamb. Lord Ronald d'Esterre had been accustomed so long to be looked upon as a "detrimental" that at first he scarcely dared to show the attraction that lay for him in Violet Harvey's ap- pealing gray eyes and soft, shining hair. To his amazement, however, he found that obstacles melted away mirac- ulously at his approach. Violet herself was shy and retiring, it is true, but her mother smiled sweetly upon him and her father shook him warmly by th{ hand. Was ever man so blessed before? "True love does run smooth some- times, after all!" he said to himself on this bright June evening, as he walked homeward after a meeting with Mrs. Harvey in the park. "Shall you be at Lady Chesterford's party tonight?" she had said. "Violet and I are going, and we shall be so dis- appointed if we do not see you. ' ' His honest face had glowed with de- light as she spoke, and he seemed to be treading on air as he walked away. "Even Aunt Maria has taken me back into favor again, ' ' he thought. "She was horribly cross when I first came home, but now she is sugared satin whenever I come near her. I dare say it was all my fault, though. 1 know that I was an ill conditioned brute until Violet came to soften me!" Lady Maria's flowered headdress was the first object that met Lord Ronald's eyes when he entered his hostess' crowd- ed drawing rooms that evening, and somewhat to his surprise it was in close proximitj- to Mrs. Harvey's frizzled gray head. "I shciuld not have thought that Atmt Maria would have anything to do with her!" he reflected. "She always says that she can detect the faintest tincture of trade and she must know perfectly well that Mr. Harvey made his money in malt. " At this moment, however, he caught sight of Violet aud forgetting all else, he elbowed his way eagerly through the crowd until he reached her side. It might have been only fancy, but at any 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 199 rate it seemed to him that her welcome was a warmer oue thau she had ever giveu liim before, and his heart beat faster as he bent over lier. "Will yoii not come into the conserva- tory?" he said pleadingly. "It is so hot here." She rose without a word, and they walked away together. "Do you know that it is only six weeks since I first saw you?" he said. "I can hardly believe it myself, for it seems as if I had known you all my life." He had an idea even as he spoke that he had seen the remark in almost every love story that he had ever read, but he could not refrain from uttering it, for it seemed so exact an expression of his feelings. Violet, too, had probably heard it before, but from Ronald's lips it sounded ab!?olutely new, and her long eyelashes drooped lower upon her cheek as she listened. They were walking between banks of flower and fern and the silence bet^vcen them v.ais too sweet to be broken at once, but Ronald knew that their s* li- tude might be disturbed at any moment, and rousing himself from his dream he had just opened his lips to speak when a voice from some hidden speaker came plainly to their ears. "It is almost certain to come off to- night, I think. I got him an invitation on purpose. ' ' Ronald started. It was Lady Maria's voice, but he had not the remotest idea to what she was alluding. In another moment, however, she received her an- swer and it was Violet's turn to start, for it came in her mother's accents: "We shall be only too grateful to you if it doFs come oti', for her papa ana I have always set our hearts on her marrying a lord. The very minute tliut Violet tells me he has proposed the check shall be sent to you. " Ronald drew back a step, his check growing white beneath its bronze. His hands clenched involuntarily, and for a moment V'iclet expected to see him dash out upon the conspirators; but their voices were already receding in the dis- tance, and as he looked round he saw the anguisli in her face. "Violet! Violet!" he cried, seizing her hands in his. "You knew nothing of this! I swear it with my dyiu;; breath!" She drew her hands away and turned to escape, but he followed her. "I have not much to otf er, " he said, "but all 1 have is at your feet. " She quicklj- looked up, and a light of gratitude came into her eyes. "How good you are," she said. Ronald looKed at her in bewilderment. The words were not what he had ex- pected. "You do not understand," he said. "I want you to be my wife. " "I do understand," she answered gently, "and I honor you for asking me after what lias happened, but I will not take advantage of your generosity. " "It is not genero.sity, " cried Ronald. "It is sheer selfishness I" But Violet showed no signs of yield- ing. "I will not leave you unless you tell me one thing," said Ronald. "If your heart is. free, I claim it; but if not, I will never trouble you again. Violet, tell me, do you love any one?" She looked at him with a face that grew pale under his gaze. "Yes," she said, "I da" "That is enough," said Ronald hoarsely, and dropping her hand he turned and went. ' 'It is strange how ungrateful young people are!" remarked Lady Maria, a few days later, to the friends gathered around her tea table. "I had arranged a most suitable match for my nephew, really done everything in my power to promote it; and yet he actually came here the otlier day and used the most terrible language — said that I had spoil- ed his lit( , and aJl kinds of dreadful things; and now he has gone off abroad, nobody knows where. I am sure I only hope that I shall never see him again. " Lady Maria's wish seemed likely to be fulfilled, for five long years came and went, bringing no news of Ronald; and though five years could not take the bloom from her cheek, nor the gold from her hair, t'-.ev could, and did add very materially to the infirmities of her frame. But when at last he did reap- pear she was willing to overlook the past in spite of her resentment, for Ron- ald had found his way into a profitable foreign partnership, and instead of fame he brought buck money. "One of the best things I ever did for 2UU THE AMEBIC AN BEE-KEEPER. July you was' get ting you out of tliat eiitu;- glement!" she exclaimed .ferveutly wiitu they met, for Lucly M-Liria came of mili- tary stock, and she knew that one of the most succc'-'stul maneuvers is to carry the war into your enemy's quarters. Ronald !-hot a glance at her from un- der his dark eyo^brows, but said nothing, and she continued gayly : "Mr. Harvey went bankrupt a year or two after you went away, and th^'y are quite in poor circumstances now. That upstart girl waits upon the lodgers, I believe. ' ' "You don't pay so!" remarked Ron- ald. "Wht're are they living?" ' 'In Worthing. " said Lady Maria, de- ceived by his coolness. "Lady Henning- tou was there last mouth, and she told me thq,t she saw Mrs. Harvey on the) Parade, and that the woman actually had the audacity to speak to her! Can you believe it?" "I don't know," said Ronald; "but 3 am going to Worthing this afternoon, and I shall see whether she will speak to me!" "Oh, my dear boy!" cried Lady Maria in genuine distress. "Pray, pray don't do anything so foolish! You have no idea how deeigi ing poor people are" — but she ceased, for the sound of the loudlj' closing door informed her that she was alone. "But wh.y did you send me away?" said Ronald a few hours later as he and Violet st AliuuHt tu tlif Deutli. They -wore cauti(.us, thi so two, as if Xonokles fully realized the power iv.vl achieveiiK uts cf his ( pponout ai.d (41auku>« wishi'd to test the K'^'^'1^ '"-^^ attacks < f uu unknown rival bffcre pro- coodin^ t;) fight in ean;ewt. The snn was alrt^ady dcelining toward the western sea. An horn' had passed. The spt cta- tcrs grew impatient. Were the Ijdxc rs contending only to weary each c.thi r in held' ng lip the weight (f their armed hands? bui h fights hud been, but dif- ferent tactics v>ere locked for from Glaukus. They knew him for no eow- ai'diy trifler. Xenckles, too, must be of good heart to face so famous a fiphlcr. "See! Did I not say it?" cried a Krotonian. Witliont warning fi-om eye or muscle Glauk..s had sudd* niy closed with his cpp'.-ncut ; but, to his evident astonish- ment, Ihe other, without trying to evade the rush, met it wiih a blow full on the chest which resounded tl]rough the sta- dion. Glaukus' career was chfcked, but Xenckles, not satisfied with this, now sprang forward and stnick again and again with all his streiigih, until Glau- kus rallied from his surprise and, tak- ing advantage of an open guard, brought his rival to earth. The Ml .sseniau was on hisfert almost as soon as ho touched the ground. The combat was uo Ir.nger tame. Both men Wire wounded and bleeding, bur thry came together like raging bulls. Their great arms swung throiigh the air, raining d. wn blow after blow, while the ela.shi3;g( f brass upon brass, as tliey guardfd tlic strokes, laiig like the forge of Hephaestus. "Will not your AlytoR int(i*pose?" exclaim* d tlic Mede. "The niles forbid it," said E\ "but whoever kills an advers;.. his crown. Ha! That was too i; th(^ Messi niau. See how he s\\;.;, s ;. i drepH his hands!" "Now, Glaukus, row!'' screamed the crowd. "Strilre ere ];e reec.ver!" But the wary Krotonian ])auRrd to watch the < ffect of his la'f afternoon and through the 1< ng tvv-ilight ti the summer even- in^,s. Somehow there is a fascination in this Bern habit of perching on the windi^w sill, it grows on the sitter with use. Tliat brown haired j'oung woman, for instance, weiuld be hard put to it to live at all without her window cushions. She is an inveterate chatterbox, but it is difficult to be hard on her when one overheiu'S her rapid l<'"rench, her laugh- ter an-f o \->\ a .srcrond floor bureau. Ho; i]:e wiuduv,' usu- ally wlu i. f i/'j'.is. She has bt'U SI I '.s from the :-C\v,:\:.< !i ■• iptunied 1 1 ucei- V. The sej3g g • .1 loud thror.;:)) ■!•■ stu- dent k.. hidow next 1<. .osity — UO' ' vii — but some famil- iar - - to hje.k at every day. There i:-. 1 .f tie tnough io y> v, t;)0, even if lit V, :• :' rrv^lfy— -r brx irre-ru with ga: i':t" and m;;; I !i com- 202 THE AMinUGAN DKK-KEEPER. July mon forest ferns and some chrysanthe- mum CTittings. — Speaker. TWO MEETINGS vViTH MILES. SUGAR MAKING IN CUBA. One lai J*as»d«na, CbI., and the Other 5r\ Los Aiij^eles. "0}>r' night in the cfrice cf thr IT^tpi Rayra r:d in P;;sadena, Cal i travtitr. "I met General Miles. . I was introduced to Irl.a by r,Ia- jor Ben C Tinimau. The olilce was a big apartment. with a great fireplace on one side of it. Th^re were large rocking ut for the comfort cf : ) .sit thrre, and it which ladie.s did not hes- if they l^ui occasion (o shairs sea: guests Yvl. \7as a^ rocm t ikitp visit rffip "C ;i fire in th'^ gi'eat L; ■ u.s much fcr cheerfn.iL .thing else, and the hig^ rctiu \'.-u:-: dcu.d; uly a pleasant place. General Miles, Major Truman and myself sat there until 11 o'clock. The general tall:ed freely and most in- terestingly, and to me it was a most enjoyable evening. I hati always had the heartif'St adniiration for General Milp.s — I .had been a soldier myself — and I tihought I should always remem- ber that evening with gnitificaticn. ' 'The next miming, v.'hile going out of the Hotc 1 Nadeau in Lr;.=? Angeles, I met a gentliiian Vviio said 'Gcod morn- ing. ' I .stc pped and talked, but I could not possi]>ly recall him. Presently he said: " 'You don't remember me.' ' 'I r:nd I did not. " 'My name is Miles, ' he said. "Well, I wished that the Hotel Na- deau had bcr-n getting in coal and that there had been a ccnvenient coal hole open for nif to slide into, but there wasn't, and I did the lest I could under the circumstances, \vhich I guess was poor encugii. but the general was per- fectly good humored ab( 'at it, for which I was profoundly thankful. "Seeing tiie general in a different light, cr amid totrJIy different surround- ings and when I had least expected to meet him, f- upled perhaps with seme degree of natural absentmindnPS3 on my part, h.ad brought this disccmiiture upon me, and cha:;rin over this second en- counter will: General Miles has alwi.y.<^ materially lessened my enjoyment of thp fir.qt " — T\"p\v Vc.rk S-an The Crunimed as the impurities rose. It vvas then ladleel to the next kettle in f.uccession, each time being thickened in density and reduced in bulk by evapora- tion until it arrived at the "strike" kettle, v,her(^ a skilled attendant knew the ex;ict point at which to stop the fire anel ladle out the mass into the crystal- lizing lYdiis, in which it was allowed to cool. In a few d;iys it was firm enough to be taken out, placed in hogsheads and allowcel to elrain in the storehouses, losing at h ast one-sixth inelripptng mo- lasse.*;. The he>gsheads were then repack- ed tmd placed on carts and ciravvn many miles to the railroad for shipment to the merchants' stores at the scacoast, where' they wore again allowed to drain, W( re repacked, reweighed and sold, thus piling up an expense account that made the profits lock slim; but, as sugar was selling at a high rate, these expenses could be bo'^"'~. Over one-third of the entire popula- tion cf the globe, or about 400,000.000 people, speiik nothing but the Chinese IS! i:r A\n:i;iCAN iiee-kkei'i.i: 203 iVlAKJNG A S3NNE7. I've ainpi^ied me or.t a form : 1 would indite A vninet to be r'/!;i;l:ir us a buw Or iii-'jmise in tlu^ hi-avi'iis, tliat we do know Sho»rs always stjvc^ri coiorti to the sight; And twice Sfvi i; Ium's aro in a sonnet, quite. The octave noAV is Diakinj,' a yood .show. And will bo ond;'d soon, to n\y delight. I've hr.ii'd of f.onn"t writers that, in woe, Sat up all hours so as to get It right. The sestet's not so hard as the octave, But hard enoufrh for liie. Why should I sigh? 'Tis trr.e the task's not comjcal, nor grave, Nor liupeU'Ss is it, or I should not try 'Vo sin;,' a litilo running music stave. Which ought the Petrarch cult to satisfy. —Edward S. Creamer in New York Sun. HIS IDEAL WOMAN. The first thing I did on getting back from India was to spend a week with my people in the cotiutry. A good deal can happen in five years, and we natural- ly had plenty to talk about. But I tore myself away at last with a promise to return for August and settled myself in town in my old lodgings off St. James street Apart from the various business mat- ters recjuiring my attention — my invest- ments had i:f^t impi-ovetl during my ab- sence, and it was necessary to cast my eye about for other securities — London, at the moment, appealed to me irresisti- bly. There, within the four mile radius, was ma>'sed the whole of what I had missed diu-ing my five years in a remote station in Burma — the life, the mo- tion, the perpetual sense of something going on, of being in close proximity, if not in absolute contact with, the source of cun\-nt modc^ of thought, of hearing the ceaseles.'-: hum of the wheals of civliz:itiou, the throb of actuality, of which not cn-eu the echoes had penetrat- ed to the squat white bungalow on the banks of the Irawadi, where the mon- otony had not b«*n vai'ied by even so much as a moment's fighting, and one made up for saving one's intellectual by overfeeding one s physiciil instincts. Once in town, I fomid myself plunged into a vcitcs of amu.sement. There were eld tnends to be "looked up." When "Iciktd up, " they in.sisted on dinner, to Le followed by a theater or music hall. Some of the men I had "done the town" with five years before had got married. I had to make the ac- quaintance of their wives. Others who had been married had been divorced. I had to forget that they had ever been married. One way and another I was bo busy that it was not till the end of a mouth that I remembered that 1 had not seen Wetherby. He had always been "one of us" in the old days at Oxford and elsewhere, prepared , for anything and everything, and 1 could not make out hovv' it was that I had nut already come acro.s:s him. "Oh, Wetherby, " said Ben.son, the stockbroker, when I asked him what had happeiitxl to our old friend, "we never see Wetherby now. He is supposed to be in love. For myself, I believe he \vas just &oing to mun-y a girl, and she died, with the result that he has been brooding over her death ever since. Anyway, no one ever seems to see him anywhere, though he's still got the same old rooms in the temple. Go and look him up by all means, but I don't supi)oge you'll be able to see him, or, if you do, to get anything out of him. As 1 say, he never seems to go out anywhere, though, as you kno%v he used to be such a great ladies' man. " "With strong views as to the ideal woman," Iijut in, remembering various conver.sutioiLS we had had on tlie subject. "Yes, " assented Benson, "he was al- ways grt^at on the woman question, talking about 'the perfect type, ' and all that sort of bosh. He always was a bit of a dreamer. ' ' "Perhaps," 1 said maliciously, "that may ac-count for his never being seen now. He may have found this type and be keeping her to himself. ' ' "Perhaps," said Benson. "Howevej:, you go and see him. You and he used to be such terrific pals you may be able t-o get nvore out of him thim we other fellows have been able to do. " "Well, I'll go anyway." I said. 1 went dov,-Ti to the temple that very night. My loud knock on the outer dcxjr of his cliambers brought Wetlierby him- self to ojx^n it. It struck me that he looked half confu.sed, half annoyed, as if I hiwl sur|3rised him at a moment when he vvas occupied with other niat- tei-s and resented intrusion. I wondered whether, after all, the "perfect tviio" 21)4 77/ A' AMERICAN l) EK- K t.KPKU. JaJy theory was right. I put my suspicion aside, however, when, recognizing me at last in the semi- obscurity of the staircase, he seized my hand and shook it warmly. ' 'My dear fellow," he said, "I am delighted to see you. Vvheu did you get back?" He overwhelmed me with questions as I followed inside and pulled a chair up to the open window facing his own. For an hour we sat talking over old times and smoking. The conversation, reminiscent, as for the most part it was, enabled me to see that in some respects he vras changed from the man I had seen five years befoi-e. He spoke more ■deliberately — slower. As Benson had remarked, he had always had a tenden- cy to dream. The tendency seemed ac- centuated. At times he wlus silent for r« minute together, puffing meditatively at his pipe. A last I could not help questioning him even at the risk of giving offense. "Benson says, " I re- marked, "that you are quite different from Vi'hat you used to be. You never go out anywhere. What is it? You re- member our talking about the 'perfect type. ' You have not found her? You are not in love?" He was silent a moment, puffing out huge clouds of smoke. Then "Look here, old fellow," he said. "I don't know why I should not tell you. These other fellows could not understand if I did tell them. ' ' "I am afraid you are crediting me with more intelligence than I pos.sess, " I said. "If what you propose to tell me ■^^ould pass Benson's understanding, I am afraid it would also pass mine. " "You underrate yourself. Besides, after ail, it is quite i^pie, only Bi'u- sou \\' such a material person. The Stock Exchan;:;^ bus nuide him worse. Anyway, i am pov;'^ lo tell you. " "Ye;;?" I said invitingly. "You reraciubcr, " he .said, settling himsi'If I ;;ck in his chair. "I had al- vvay.s !;.y own views aboat women." " Y< u espfvlcd a gi'eat deal, " I said "Well," he went on. not heeding the interrnptio:! ' 'you know I can well afford to ni. v If I had found the woman I waul(xl, 1 should have maiTied long ago. I could not find her, much as I sought The clever woman had. no beauty, the beautiful no brains, or, where the cou.bination did exist, the woman was already married, or had some equally prohibitive defect. " "Y^ou .sought for what did not exist, " I said. "There is no ideal woman, as there is no ideal man. " "Not in your sense, " he said. "Cer- tainly not in the sense of a man like Ben.son, if he can conceive the pos.sibili- ty of an ideal woman at all. or an ideal anything. " "And in yours?" l said. He rose from his chair and going to a long drawer in a cabinet took out from it an armful of photographs — there must, I should think, have been .some 50 there in all "Just look through the.se, " he sa^d I did so, wondering. Every type of female face and female beauty was there represented, from the English and American woman to the French and Austrian, from the Creole to the Cau- casian, from the daughter of the people to the daughter of thepewr. Some of the faces might v.^ell have been those of saints; others were indubitably those of sinners. Barmaids jostled against Sisters of Mercy ; acitresses followed on the princesses of the blood royal. Some of the faces were too utilitarianly clever to approach physical beauty; others, again, proclaimed the triumph of body over soul. "Well?" I said at length, still more astonished. He spread out the photos on the table before him, eying them lovingly, fon- dling them as a man fondles the woman who is to be his wife. "There," he said, pointing to the rows of faces be- fore him, 'you have a perfect type I tried to find it existing in one v;oman. You were right. It was impossible, but I have got it there. " "Yes," I said, smiling at his iutemsi- ty, "but these are only mere photo- gi'aphs. The essence of them constitutes the perfect ty^ie cf womanhood, no doubt, but these things are not alive. They are mere counterfeit j)resentments. You are net a nineteenth century Pyg- malion. Yoa cannot make mere photo- graphs live. " "Perhaps not, " he said. "At least, who can tell? I know that when I gaze long en tnese faces I coujujre up from their various characteristics the perfect type of woman and can never care for IS! Hi rill-: A.)f/-/,'i(:,\x />'A7-.-A"/.7 '/./.' •J()5 any ouo else — I menu any woman. This face I have erected represents to me the supnuie essence of ftiminine loveli- ness, the one woman for whom a man should be glad to die, for whom I would die, did she require me, this very min- ute. Peojjle t
\:y. \o.' iy*tCinw^id to .'. ' '. • aiui (^i;3trl«- i-y.';j.;9^,s (h<$ r .■..>■■■...■:>. ,.-, i.-,.'-;^v^vg,ii^^O^ .,!/'■ J? e.<-< \'... I ';f^-ifr.l}'- .y f-'ijJ^^ t"h^ V i \ .. » * nit y ^hv ii xhi cuVtoiji teik, a friv ad rasheu rfiuud- and. tteatlx' '?> less, said to the distressed actor: "Do you know what you have done? Do you know who it vvas that you turned out of the box?" "I neither know nor care, " was the reply "Why, it w;i.s .John Ox- euford!" The actor was paralyzed, but he got his good notice all the same. The veteran critic went home coughing to praise the young actor who had turned him out. Shelley and Fire and Placae. Unlike most poets, and in this re.sem- bling his coutempcrary Turner in painting, Shelley began with no special love of color, but developed it v/ith his general development. The chief char- acter of Shelley's color is that it is al- ways mingled with light and move- ment. His is "a green and glowir.g light like that which drops from folded lilies in which glovvworms dwell." It is translucent color, proceeding from, some "inmost purple spirit of light," and he seems to be always looking through a rainbow hued cascade. A curious feature in his use of color is the evidently unconscious repetition of the same word v- :thin a few lines. The col- or seems to fl;;sh before him and di.^ap- pear. His colors are fluid, opaline, ir- idescent In this, again, as iu tiie "Witch of Altas, " strongly resembling Turner's later use of color, they roiike "a tapestry of fleecelike mist," or "v\'Oven exlialution underlaid with lam- bent lightiung fire. " No potit has ever used fire so exten- sively. "Men scarcely know how beau- tiful fir« is," he says. "Each flame of it is as a precious stone dissolved in ever moving light." He finds the sem- blance of fiamo in the tuilikelicst i)laces, even in wat<'r, for the dew iii a flower is like f-re., even in the st.-lid marble, " for tho pyT;nni<1 of Or"?tT'.s h a flmno. EvPTyvVrlit'n' ' ■ ■ :l with lig'jrt ni/1 i' ,.f. The \\:Iiole'.>- ■ Ii 'ii .kaa^ of M ;r,i.| {;. .;•:.. l\^( if. i^-.iiff whosoftt t wlJ/J,* .is , l.;Vil-H,-'-^> 'i-e funeral pj-m" -H^OBit u. ; { ; iii^ r»c . ic w. 2(M THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. July Honey and Beeswax Market Report. Below we give the latest ;ind most authen- tic report of the Honey and Beeswax mai ket in diiSt'erent trade centers : Kans,*S City. Mo., June 27. 1S9(3.— The demand for honey is light. Supply light. Price of comb 10 to 14c per lb. Extracted 4 to 6V('C per lb. De- mand for beeswax light. Supply light. Priiies 20 to 24o per lb. New comb honey will be on ths market in ten days. Crop iisihl in Western Miss- ouri. Hambi.ix k Brarss 514 Walnut St. CixciNXATt. 0.. June 25. ISCG.— Slow demand for honey. Good supply. Price of comb S to 14 cents per lb. Extracted 3^4 to Tc per pound. Good de- mand for bee.swax. Good ?uiiply. Prices 20to25e per lb. for good to choice yellow on arrival. Chas. F. xMutii & Sox, Cor. Freeman and Centnal Aves. Detroit. Mich., .June 21. l.S9o.— The demand for honey is 'lull. H.ive ab'Ui cleared out the old stock. Prii^o of new comb li' to I'-^c per lb. Ex- tracted 5 to 7c per lo. Fair demand for beeswax. Good supply- Prices 24 to 25o per lb. The new honey will find our market about bare of anytVing desirable. .M. H. Hunt. Bel! Branch. Alich. Boston-, Mass., .June 24, ISOiJ.— The demand for honey is. Supply fnir. t'rico of comb 14 to 15c per lb. Extracted 5 to fie per lb. Fair demand for beeswax Light suppb. I'vice 25c per lb. Fancy white comb hi'TH k No. 1 white com'j honey 12 to Icic. No. 2 white comb honey !• to !■ c per lb. Extracted 6 to 7c per lb. for uhite. Extracted, amber 5 to (ic PT lb. We look tor a goiiii fall trade in fancy 1 lb, comb bnney. K. E. Bi.AKE k Co., 75 Chatham St. loe Cream Now Made in a Minut*^ I have an Ice '~ream Freezer that will try so doing. The cream is frozen instantly tind is smooth and free from lumps. I have (b; e so well myself jtni have friends succei-di'g so well that I fel, it my duty 'O er oih"r< k' ow i.f this oppor- tunity, as r foe! confident that any person in any looility e:m muve money, as any person can slI! cre.im and thd Freezer ?ells itsel* J. F. ' asev k Co. l!43.-i. hiules .-t.. St. L..uis. Mo., will nvn\ you c'.inpiete itistrn ticms .and \'-in employ you on ^ alary if you can give thtm your whole time. ■ m mm Wm B^ ERS OF BEES and those in- mJW B J H^B tending to keep bees should WK Ug^ ■■ Hm write us for large il lust' dcat- H^ ^l H^ mi alogue and copy of Ajieri- H^ Hh| ^^ ■ CAN B£E-K£EPKR.(monthly.) ^ ^^ ™ Our prices aieloivestSindstock largest. We keep everything used by bee-keeprs.including. text books, comb foundations, | all styles hives.ete. Addres W. T. Falconer NIfi Co. Jamestown, N.~ !y? rices SLielowest&ndstock BEES You Mave Seen it Before. That Name Plate Means GONVENl&NGE PL&f\SUR& AND Sf\T!SFfiGTIQN Ich of course mean GOLD CR A N K bGQ Send tor Catalogiif..:.'* !;..', * ,.; THE-YOST /V\NFG:G0.,. ■■ YOST STATION, TOLEDO, O. TIIK A MElt ICA N BEE- KEEPER . 207 ^^^I Mm. ^^^^ ^g}«<^?. '§MM "^^ Combined iJirith rRf\CTICf\L DEf=\S, Make FAMOUS FOX FLYERS The Acme of Bic^f cle Construction. WE BUILD THE MACHINERY FOR BICYCLE MAKERS, AND ARE THEREPORE ACQUAINTED WITH THE VERY FOUNDATfOX OF CYCLE CONSTRrcn^OX. Famous Fox Flyers are guaranteed. )UR guarantee means SOMETHIXG. . LOOK UP OUR_ RESRONSIBILITY. 'a BEAUTIFUL' COLORED LITHOGRAPH SEXT TO ANl^' ADDRESS ON AI^LICATION. ,...;..-:,.,. 214 North Front St., GRAND RAPIDS,. Mich; 208 Tlfy A.SfKlilCAy I^.KK- KEEPER July: 2^ cts csg.s]i^ 02? ^- - - 2S Gte in goods^ Bicycles are foi? good quaii-^ AX ^ OTANTEB. HONEST BICYCLES i^ff^^^rf i^ $ncoo "Worth $J00 Material Construction ^ Unexcelled Finish ) FAX^GONKR^ M. IT. If you have anjf skip to us at once. (Prices subject to change without ...SEND FOR CATALOGUE... )UEEN CITY CYCLE CO. THE W. T. FALCOKER M'F'G CO. Buffalo, N. Y. JOHN F. STRATTON'S CELEBRATED GUITARS, ^-^ Importer of and Wholesale Dealer in all kinds of MUSICAL MERCHANDISE, 811 , 813, 815, tl7 East 9th St. , New York. Carl Thocbahn. Masical Director, Standard Theatre Orchestra. CUicaeo, Ills. April, 14, 1892. Messr.e. Jotmvf Strattoa Dear Sir? -I am plfusril to bij- able Id I* OM -nra* (ti fiin« ««« BiiM* for C jwar: f f strat ton," » t '< ^^ r A Chance to Make Money. 1 read how one of your subscribers made money '■fling Di.-ihwiishors; I Drtlercd one. rtiiil uiy lady fri<'i!ds were eiiarmed. as they hated dish washing. .My brother atid 1 commenced celling them, and have made SI, "tJO after 'paying all exiien.ses. We di'U't canvas any. Onr sales are all madi' at home. i'Ci'lile come or send fir theiu. The Mound t^'ity I'isirAVashcir is the bc.^t Dishwasher on the market. Our busiiu-s.< is increasinff, and we are going to- keeji right on, until we make ten thon.-Jaiid dol- ing Wi' •! II l;.,)ii i) to 1."' machines every day, ' 'o. 'i'he l»ish»asher is lovely,. , '.van Is one Th'jre i,'< no e.-ccus© • . . :,:. . . -Hfi-li ;,; >K.-. -.11 1... iiKHie sivll- i-^iiwir-lu^rs. ■ ■ •.■' Mtvss *Mjnl ( il\ ' ■ . *' ). ^SCTIONS , BEE'til VES . and otti«r Ba**ft9«p ers' Supplies, at bed r