Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1901-03-03
M xzII 81 IoxIzRak1

EstfA
GxeeA Causoa HEim - 0yerssork Hfs
Fake County Bees-nesuIt - Ton's
Enert to Secure : winter Honey
Crep.
Old Tom Berger knew about bees
and he had enjoyed a familiar ac-
quaintance with Pike county whiskey
for . number Of years." said Deacon
Todgers reminiscently, ssbut when it
came to combining his knowledge of
the two he fell from grace. That's the
reason he isn't an elder in the church,
and is nursing a bunged-up face and
mourning the loss of the best paying
lot OF bees ever known in the State Of
Pennsylvania.
Toms greed lay at the bottom of
all his present troubles. Fol years he
had raised bees and made a good thing
of it, but last fall the idea struck him
that his bees might just as we'll work
winters as summers. There's that
big greenhouse of mine, lighted and
heated all through winter. I will put
my poor, cold bees in it. They won't
know it's winter, and will keep on
making honey. 1t will be an act of
Christian charity he said compla-
Gently, and hes ides that, your Uncle
Thomas will get more honey
bees amt Christians q told him
solemnly, but bees have their rights.
It's IN outrage to make an honest, in
dustrious bee, who has been working
all the Summer keep at the job by gold
bricking him into the belief that win
ter hasn't come
when the weather began to get cold
he moved all his hives into the green
house. 1T was plain that they were
puzzled at finding themselves in a
place where it was almost as warm as
summer. But they had a world of
trust in Tom, and every bee soon set
tied down to work and gathered in
honey from the greenhouse in a way
that tickled Tom Bergen's soul.
Mature is nature l warned him,
and it won't but but a little while be-
fore those bees or yours will feel the
want of their winters sleep and pine
away
Sure enough, after a week or two
the bees began to act sluggish and
tired. Some of them died and the rest
fell off in their honey making. Tom
was mad.
Tom puzzled over the matter quite
a while and finally came to me one day
with the air of man who had solved a
big problem.
when I get to feeling tired, what
do 1 take?" he asked me solemnly.
Its pretty often you are tired,
Tom,' | told him ~reprovingly, and it's
always a glass of whiskey you are
after then. But are you going to get
out a license for a beer lbar and sell
red eye whiskey to those misguided
little workers of yours?'
Tom saw | was sort of laughing at
him and his dignity was hurt.
When an able but honest old man
is planning a step which may change
the bee industry Of Pike county, he
says severely, it isn't any time to be
casting ridicule on him. Those bees of
mine will fell better during the win
ter months for a little bracer to start
them UP in the morning, and l am too
tender hearted a mar to refuse it to
them. It's more and better honey l
will gather in, too
THE next day Tom put a saucer fill
ed with whiskey and water in front of
the entrance to each hive. At first the
bees didn't pay any attention to it.
BY and by, n young bee, attracted
by the fragrant odor of good whiskey,
took a little nip. You never saw such
a change in a bee. From a tired, list
less little animal he was turned into
the busiest honey gatherer in the hive,
and went around buzzing and hum
ming as if he were singing some bee
drinking song. Pretty soon the other
bees took a drink, and by the time the
saucers were emptied every bee was
working as hard as ever he could, and
singing away,a if he never knew what
real bee happiness was.
THAT day the bees gathered more
honey than ever on a summer day,
Tom was delighted over the success
of his plan"
'The next day the bees went right
to their whisky and water and got a
drink before they began work. So it
was the next day and the next. But
Tom noticed one thing. and that was
that each day the bees wanted more
whisky and less water in their morn
e