The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-06-11
WESTERN w1LDs.

RICHMOND MAN IN FAYEITE COUNTY, WEST
WA QUIET COUNTRY BEYOND THE RAIL
RoAp--THE s0NosTREss OF NEW RIvsR-
sunnrT MOUNTAIN CLIrrs--A FINE LKVfL
LAND WHERE YoU LOOK FOR MOUNTAINS
BOON IN BEES; QUEENS By NAHUM
TRAsTs.
correspondence Of the Richmond Dispstch.I
FAyxrTg COURTHOUSE, WEST VA,
June 3, 1880.
II you desire the experience OF unexpect-
Cd and startling contrast stop at Fayeue
station. on the Chesapeake aud ONO raii'
road. You have been travelling In crown.
Cd passenger-car, with the rafting motion OF
the steam engine aud train AT Ve'oc,.y y.
thirty miles per hour, passing the widest
and rrandest scenery, the tail Gins seeming
10 accompany and recede from you 10 gro
tesQue giants dance-the ming'eo co''x ,e,
,hs w.lfz. the German, and the Old Vir-
sIn;s reel. the New river, with its bound
Inv cascades and seething whirlpools, the
unbroken forests that line and shade the
precipitous mountain sides, they, too, SEEM
iugly Joining 10 the grotesque dance. The
trair, stops for moments time Tor pas
senger to step off with his carpet-bag. You
hear the cry, " All aboard" Yous mo-
ton made by the conductor; he springs on
the train. which immediately moves OIL. In
a moment the train and its accompanying
noise, its life and animation, are gone, ana
Won are left alone in the vast solitude. lou
see the gentlemsnly dcp0t-agent, house, a
SOLITARY boat fastened to the silent shore;
the mountains, the cliffs, the forest, all be-
come still and silent, and the river itself IL
here q still pool, lake-like IN its quietude,
and on each side meanderiDg turnpike
up the sides OF the mountains, unrencYeu
by q single vehicle or passenger. NO pro
or animal showing life is In sight. You feel
4 Loneliness which, il 1t does not sadden
YOU, gives something perhaps akin to the
feeling with which the condemned criminal
swings from the scaffold. There Is no scene
40 impressive for its stiffness and vast soii-
tude that at all approaches 1t In my expe-
riepce except the celebrated painting by
Church of the Heart OF the Andes. Remain.
ing at the depot for short time to wa't untii
the setting sun should be behind the noun
tain, and to gather strength and resolution
before encountering the necessary 1901,
Journey up the mountain, / was surprised
and delighted to hear music from inc
basement OF the depot building, wbicn the
proprietor has fitted up with all the luxury
and refinement required. The performer IS
not thirteen years OF age, and promises 10
But my proposed journey had to be ac-
eopplished. Eerving myself for the un-
dertaking, proceeded down the river
bank. was carried over the river in skill
by the experienced boatman OF the place,
and then commenced my solitary walk OF
three miles up the mountain to this place.
Occasionally YOU catch a glimpse OF the
railroad and the freight trains in motion.
You approach the Summit-Mountan cllfis,
and suddenly you emerge upon the top,
where you expect to obtain view OF hne
mountain scenery, its ranges rising around
you and extending to unlimtable distance,
but in ifs stead you find yourself upon
plain and country no more diversified than
our Iowlands-upon an open country, With
fertile crops, and fat cattle browsing upon
luxuriapt elover-telds. That is surprise No.
2. Approaching the village, all Is quiet--so
still that you think they are houses without
people. A few days soiourn. however, re-
moves this impression. You find hospita-
BILE, genial, active people, all intent upon
work and useful employment. l Will give
YOU a sample, which to me was another
surprise.
Near the hotel was attracted by The spec
tacle OF over thirty elaborate bee-hives in the
adjoining lot. This Is owned by Mr.. Van b.
Bower, a leading merchant or Fayette.
He finds time to attend to his bees, gets all
the books upon bees, the most improved
bee-hives, and studies their nature. He
knows all about their habits, their disposi-
ton, and how TO attend them. The secret
seems TO be to give them good home and
start. and to leave them alone. He gets his
queen bees by mail OF the most improved
Italian varieties. They make three crops
ner year OF sixteen pounds each 10 the up
per cells. The lower cell Is for the queen
bee. the drones, the hatch-house, aud for
the home supply for the bees in summer and
winter. He knows the queen bees by sight
that is, can distinguish them from each
other. When they are too old, be kills
them and puts in the hive another queen
bee. The process OF patching Is curious;
the drones are the males; the queen bee is
the mother OF the hive. She lays her eggs
in the bottom OF The honeycomb cells, one
In each. In three days the egg germinates.
The bees I'LL it with food, and then close
10 with wax. In sixteen days the bee
becomes of full size and has eaten its way
through the surrounding wax that bad Inn
prisoned II. II energies in full life. II Is
somewhat curious that the germ can become
common bee or queen bee, according to
the wishes and plans OF the working bees.
BY enclosing the cells at short distance
il Is o common bee-st greater distance, a
queen bee; and instinct teaches them this.
The queen bee kills all the young queen
bees as they emerge from the cells, there
fore, II you desire more queen bees you re-
move the old queen bee and you have as
many queen bees as you desire. But you
must understand that only small proportion
Of the young bees are intended by the bees TO
be queen bees. You can get about ten
from one hatching. The beehive becomes
crowded. They must follow Greeley's adj
vice--"Go West, young man." In the
natural course OF things they would leave
the bive and swarm-not so with Mr..
Bowers. He places some wax aud
honey In new beehive and places
queen bee ia II, and the surplus
population 90 into 1t and commence their
beautiful, wonderful, and sweet work. 1t
IL easy 10 know when they become crowded
The boxes have glass sides. You SEQ them
at work. During this hot weather they
crowd upon the outside Of the box, and
stay out all night. This Is ali right for
them tos.ay out all nights practice deemed
soimproper In men. The family know where
they are, and they are In good company,
and no questions asked. ! saw several OF
these swsrms clustering on the beehive late
In the evening and BY dawn 10 the morning.
They bad been out al night" regdiusters
In the COOL" In looking In the boxes you
see the bees busily at work, unloading the
h0ueyed treasures they have gathered from
the elover-blosoms, the nowers, the tulip,
poplar--in word, from every field. turf,
and forest IN radius of miles. They leave
their mountain home and make bec-line to
the nearest mountain gorge, and descend
rapidly to the Eew.Rlver Valley, and then,
when laden With their treasures, climb
No. ~ ~, srifh Aleir sarrof h.na f,Il ~