The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1888-12-13
A Farmers Experience With Bees.

Our Prospect correspondent writes: will
never supposed kept any until last Thursday.
In all the years past it has never occurred to
me once that hardly 40 rods from the barn in
the pasture there was hive of bees. But now
the my stery is solved and we can now explain.
One circumstance noticed in the past was that
under the only three shade trees that grew
close together-one beech and two yellow
birches, the latter with good spreading tops
the cattle never stood in the shade in the sum.
mer And when we put new cattle in the pasture
at times they would come tearing down to the
barn. or run down to the lower end of the
pasture, and seem to be wild with fright. A
new yoke Of years old steers bought last
spring became almost unmanageable when they
heard the hum of fly, and once they did get
away from me with a load Of hay In haying.
When there were moose flies around them they
would kick the highest for minute and then
strike into dead run. and no amount of pelting
on the head changed the result. Still the steers
We're hardy. Sometimes the calves would come
down to the barn, tail up and making their best
time. Once last spring when was away the
cattle made regular stampede. and five cows
jumped over the stone wall into the orchard
while the steers ran for the barn and one cut
himself quite badly. The young cattle Went
tearing around, and the boy said 1t was flies and
be could do nothing with them. Probably after
some Of the cattle were stung by the bees they
would run for moose flies.
Another thing about the beech tree where
the hive was. Four feet from the ground on
one side there was always rotten wood aud
only the shell Of the tree was alive. Above
that the sound wood grew clear around the
Tie hole about , by inches and up and down
in that hole it seems to me that for the last 20
years we have noticed light coloreu strip Of
rotten wood that was bright. especially at night
when we were after the cows and the sun
shone in. But we thought II nothing strange for
punky. rotten beech wood to be bright, so in
all these wears we never thought of such a
thing As to look into that hole only just above
our head and examine it closely. Last Thurs
day | concluded to cut down the three trees
and the first tree we began on was one of the
birche>. very near the beech and | had to
stand with the hole in the beech tree In easy
reach. uSt above my head, to chop. After chop
ping a few minutes | heard humming noise
and looked around and up little. and in plain
sight could be seen the bee comb Then after
seeing the comb once In that hole we could
stand off three rods and the little holes in
the combs. Probably had been nearer than
three rods from the tree hundreds of times be-
fore.
To finish all of my experience in bee keeping
| suppose | must tell how | managed with my
bees. In the first place. if Nou remember
right. Thursday, Nov. 21th, was quite warm
day. 50 struck on the tree with the axe. when
some of the bees came out and flew 1T me ana
lit on my back. and >tad there and hummcA
until couli knock them of with my hat. 70
make :,sl !itaa secure "c.t to the hou-e AMI
got an old RAJ and plugged the hole up and
managed to fell the tree so the hole would
come on the side. Then we got some straw and
set it on lire and then pulled the plug ont.
But only few bees came out. Then We