The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-05-13
Improving tho Habit. OF Bees.

The cool audacity of Yankees, in their inter
probation of the Divine injunction to subdue the
earth, must be appalling to the mind of mere
routnier. The joke of making an offer to Govern
ment to conquer Mexico and put an end TO the late
war by contract, was one that none but Yankee
could ever have conceived. John Bull opened his
eyes very wide, and was too much astonished to
laugh at such tremendous piece of pleasantry
If war; therefore, should ever break out between
the United States and European government,
we have no doubt that some enterprising down.
easter will propose to make job of it, and take all
the trouble of winding it up on contract There il
something highly poetical in the audacious prac
teal view which Yankees take of every subject.
The national popularity was never more strongly
exhibited than in little pamphlet which fell into
our hands the other day on an improved method of
manufacturing honey. The bee, from the times of
Solomon and Virgil down to our own era, has been
regarded as a type Of intelligence, thrift, and
industry If nature has created any thing incapa-
BILE of improvement, it s certainly the honey bee,
who has, from time immemorial, been famous for
gathering honey every hour from every opening
flower, and making the most Of time. An enter
prising citizen Of Maine, however, thinks that the
habits Of the bee may be improved, and more no.
ney be got out Of its nbors than by the old process
of collecting that luscious gift of all bountful
ture. The name of this enterprising gentleman,
who proposes to take all the poetry if the sting
out of the busy bee, is ARA Gilmore; and he says
"hs object ia the better and more successful en-
poyment of the industrious habits" of that animal.
"This is effected" says Mr.. Gilmore, ''as in all
other industrious bodies. by multiplying the hands,
giving them supply of raw materials, and ar
ranging the fixtures in such manner that the
whole force Of the operatives may be directed and
applied in the most economical manner, as il re-
CARDS time and labor 1t is evident to many that a
saving of time IL as important to the bee as 10
man." The "time spent tho road" suggests
Mr.. Gilmore, should be employed in productive
labor; instead of flying off in pursuit Of flowers,
how much better it would be to remain at home
and make honey. The pleasure Of the travel is
one Of the sweets of honey making that Mr. Gill
more does not take into account We do not ina
CINE that he intended 10 convey great lesson in
political economy by his remarks on labor; but
puts of the strongest arguments in favor of
home production in its clearest light in illustrat
ing the benefit to the bee in saving the cost Of
travel and transportation in the ufacture Of his
great staples of wax and honey. What is the use,
in other Words Of sending cotton three thousand
miles across the Atlantic to be manufactured into
cloth for our own use, when il can be done equally
well at home? The time lost the road IL Ms clear
a loss in cloth-makng as in honey making. But,
said BEFORE the pleasure of the travel is left out
Of the calculation by Mr.. Gilmore, and the revel
among flowers, and the exercise in the air we ina
gne indispensableto the bee while the nsviga-
ton Of the stormy Atlantic, especially in the winter