The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-06-15

A ''SweII-Head', Darkey'' Who
DID Just Like White Folks.
When 1 hear the horn blowing,
and the tin pans beating, and the
bells ringing, l know what is the
matter, and so l drop everything
and go to the house to hive bees. 1t
is a wonder that all this fuss don't
drive them clean away, but it don't
seem TO effect 'em one way or
another. If they have made up
their minds to go they are
going, and oicy rOOrcy. Pve
saved every swarm this spring with
very little trouble. We don't run
much science on bees at my house
haven't got time. These fancy hives
are all right, reckon, for educated
bees with an educated manager to
watch 'em and look after 'em every
day, but they don't suit me nor my
old-fashiOned bees, and don't want
TO be bothered with the little insects
very much, no how. Nevertheless,
we are educated to some extent and
don't use the old hollow gum like
our fathers did. l make plain box
gum with an upstairs and little
door on hinge to the second floor,
and | put little box with a glass
front in there and it is no trouble to
take it out when they fill it with
honey. j make no movable frames.
My hives are open at the bottom and
set upon little bits of iron, or big
nails, or even little rocks at the cor
ners, so theLe is no crack or joint for
the moth to lay in. In the winter l
let the hive down on a plank to
keep the cold out. l have had
very good luck this way and not
much trouble. Bees are very much
like the human family. The queen
is the head of the mouse and has
power and authority, and fares
sumptuously every day; but like all
great potentates, she lives shut up
in her palace and has a guard to
protect her and hardly ever gets out
to enjoy the sunshine or the flowers.
Sorter like the king or the queen or
the car, or even the president. for
somebody is always on the lookout
to shoot 'em for something or for
nothing, and it don't matter which.
Then there are the big, fat, lazy
drones, that lie around and eat aud
sleep, and have to be supported, and
don't do lick of work, and we can
pick out just such folks in this sub
lunary world who don't contribute
a thing to the public good and never
earn an honest dollar, but are al
ways forging on somebody, swim
ding, gambling or specializing, and
when they get ready to die they can't
recall single benefit they have con-
ferred upon mankind. Then there
are the working bees that gather all
the honey and make all the comb,
fill all the little cells aud store it
away for the winter, and they are
never idle, and what they work for
they will defend and protect. just
so with the laborIng classes who toll
and sweat in the field and workshop,
and in the mines, whose constant
labor supports and sustains the
Worldwide live hard and humble,
and see their earnings go into the
Golfers of the drones and specula-
tors, but still work on for more.
The working bees tolerate their
drones for time, and support 'em,
but once year they rise up and go
for 'em, and put 'em out of the way
to make room for another set of the
same sort. Folks don't do that, but
| am not sure they oughtn't to. The
books tell us that the diligent labor of
one man can decently support
eight people--provide 'em with good
food and comfortable clothing, and
it's a fortunate thing that it is so, for
they have it to do and more too, for
those who actually work have to
keep up the nabobs who don't, and
supply 'em with finery and foolish
| ness. My native American bees
don't seem to like these fancy hives,
| for some of 'em left 'em last spring,
and those that didn't got eat up by
the moths. Most all these new
things have to be nursed up and
handled up aud fondled up, and
made fine and slick, and then they
are put off on the fancy folks al
fancy prices, and ever and anon a
foolish poor man, like myself, gets
taken in. L suppose that man can
curry these Jersey cows and feed
'em on butter, and hire a boy to
keep the flies off of 'em until they
do look mighty fine and give big
lot of milk. Evan Howell told me
that the breeders around Atlanta
bought up-country butter at 10 cents
a pound and fed it to their Jersey
cows aud the cows refined it and it
was sold over again at 40 cents. |
know country cows that will do as
well as Jerseys with the same treat
ment. In fact, a good country COW
is the best for they are the hardest,
and when you want yearlin'
for beef there is some meat
on their bones. Jersey cattle
bring fine prices now, but be-
fore long they will go out of date
like last years bonnet, and a new
name will come along to create a
sensation. wouldn't give my old
Bess to-day for marry Jersey COW in
America unless L wanted to sell for
big pile of money, for she will
turn more common food into rich
milk and keep slick without curry
ing and stand the weather as it comes
and her calves will make more
I beef and her hide sell for more when
she dies. Mr.. Cox got tired and sold
his Jerseys, and when asked friend
of his what made him do it, he said
they cost more than they come to.
JeesO. Still we all like to have pets
and fancy things, even if they do
cost more than they come to. We've
tried fancy chickens and enjoyed
'em for while, but at the last had
to fall back on the good old Metho-
dist dominicker that will take
care of themselves and do their
own scratching. Nabor Freeman
tried some Hong Kong Herlong
Chitagong geese all the way from
China, and he had 'em six
years and has barely been able
to keep in the seed. It's all well
enough to watch for improvements,
but Pm Lot going to fix carp pond
until somebody else has proved it
to be success for mans family
supply of fish. I'd rather throw wood
on my old-time, heavy strong dog
irons than risk fancy pair with
brass tops. There's some good old
ways that Pm too old to desert. If
[ was rich man L think L would
experiment with most everything
new that come along, but poor folks
had better wait and see and go
slow. We are too much inclined
to run after rich folks anyhow,
and try to do as they do. Their
is no more melancholy spec
tacle than folks with poor
mans purse and a rich mans ways.
There was darkey working for me,