The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1889-07-12

ming the hive.
ian bee, unlike either of the ma
les, if not naturally so, has be-
~.Jnghly domesticated, and may
be handled with ease without disturbing
their equanimity or rufling their temper.
Not unfrequently have / taken comb
hive in which the queen was depositing
eggs, and so little were they disturbed
that the queen kept on laying while the
comb was outside the hive, and the bees
seemed not to be disturbed in the least in
their labor.
2 There is that in bee keeping which
ln-=--s make 1t attractive, asi0o IIom 1ne
p1ofit derived from its pursuit. Who can
watch without interest the little pilgrims
as they go forth in quest of honey to store
away for their successors to winter upon,
long after they have died from exhaust
ion, or become food for the rapacious spi-
ders
How strange the sight, when the old
qneen and almost the entire colony, with
out any apparent regret, leave the old
home with all ofits. stores of honey; its
young, part of which are but just era
bed, and portion wrapped in their
ght blankets, to sleep until they are old
kough to take theirplace in the colony as
fhrse-bees and 90 forth to form a new col
tny in a new home. with no capital save
be energy Of the army of these little
orkers.
s How strange that these little insects
alould know just hew to build their combs
q just the shape which scieuce has dem
5astrated affords the most room, while it
a6ords the greatest possible strength, and
Aith a mathematical precision that is IN
&rpassed by human skill; that they
Should know when it is necessary torear
young queen, the kind of food that should
be furnished for her full development, and
how much room she must have to grow in!
And hundred curious things you see by
studying the nature and characteristic of
the honey-bee.
The caprice of the little creature is no
where more fully proved than by the find
ing of swarm in the carcass of the lion
which Samson killed. Many are the Gu
rious freaks of this queer little insect,
about the habits and needs of which too
little is known. No more interesting sub
ieet for the study of the naturalist, espec-
tally if his beeship should take a notion
to point the investigation and sit down
on the investigator.
Primitive Bookkeeping was rude IN its
inception, and barbarous in its prosecu-
.idn. The poor little insects were housed
- s---.---, -, inverted ss-alv hasl,.
ct, and left 10 shift for themselves; and
failing to find an abundant store of sup
plies for the winter, they were doomed. if
not to flake of fire and brimstone," at
least to the fumes of combustion, that the
proceeds of their toll might be enjoyedby
others, who labored not for it. If the col
Ony escaped the birthstone process, it was
lert to bate with the frosts of a long
dreary winter, upon the summer stand, I'M
sheltered and uncared for.
Nor was the avarice of man and the Sc
verify of winter the only enemies of the
little honey gatherer, for its home was in
vaded by the bee-moth in sumr r, and
by the rapacious mouse in winter, which
burrowed and built its nest within the
hive, while it fattened upon the honey
and the honey gatherer. But the invasion
of the mouse was the result of the gross
sest carelessness on the part of the bee
ekeeper, while the ravages of the bee
emoth seemed to long battle the skill and
| Ingenuity of the apiarist
Scarcely farmer present who has not
seen a "moth-proof" bee hive, and listened
to the lingo of the vendor, who knew as
much about bee culture as a Digger Indi-
an does ofmental philosophy; and ninety
nine times out of a hundred the moth
proof hive was grand success, for it
housed the bees, if you ever got them into
it, until the moth could hatch in sufficient
numbers to devour both bees and honey.
The bee-moth is a sort of anarchist, and
insists upon a division of capital, and is
especially opposed to the accumulation OF
large stores of honey, unless she is let in
for her full share; and her wages for a
time seemed to permanently endanger
profitable bee-culture, as our native bee
seems powerless to repel the insiduous at
tacks of this insiduous pest.
But the Italian bee, though of foreign
extraction (like unto most Americans,
seems to have adopted American ideas
- !; 49, j ,.,a--.,,elJsl- o- 71--;-ista,
900 Is 1llsIFssclr 10 anu tfOesi sa,anliusase.
summary justice on every intruder of the
moth family upon the apparent motto,
aL,et no guilty one escape" So that, in
stead of resorting to any moth-catching
process, all you want tic insure againstthe
Neutrality-suspicious. is, a simple cOmmor-sense
hive. and vigorous, healthy colony
of pure Italian Bees.
There seems to be about as much differ
enee in the disposition and intelligence of
the different varieties of bees as there is
in the different races of men; and of the
varieties known here the Italian has the
decided preference; although the large
gray bee. sometimes called the German
bee. is by no means without its very good
qualities. But OF all varieties none equal
the genuine native black bee. The real
little Ethiopian, so inquisitive in its ma
5ure. and always at leisure, you have no
trouble in becoming acquainted, getting
on familiar terms without the formality
ofan introduction. Ever on the alert,
YOU can scarcely come within earshot of
a colony of this variety, until you are met
bv from one TO dozen of the little "darl-
ings,p each one so anxious to peep into
your eyes, and, embracing the first oppOr-
tunity to nestle in your hair.
But attempt to manipulate n hive OF
this variety, and it is remarkable how
quickly they impress you with the convic-
ton that they are trne Americans-even
# they are Il little "off color" by their
ability to "repel invasions from abroad,
while of you they make a second Arnold
Winkleried.
Let Bookkeeping once become thorough
understood, aud honey viii be found on
every table-even the sting of the bee
will be utilized by our physicians as an
.:5.t- f,r ACKNOWLEDGEMENT beasWaY