HONEY MAKERS,
IXTKRESTtNG OCCUrATIO OP
BEE CULTURK EXPLAINED.
Queens, Drones, Workers, Robbers
- .Human Conditions Reproduced
In the Illves Great
Profits Made.
P1D yon ever hear of robber
bees, thai wage fierce war on
other colonies of bees and re
lentlessly carry off every drop
of honey belonging to the vanquished?
Well there are snob, in real truth, save
!he Washington Star. Their only ob
eat is plunder. When they set ont
on a robbing expedition thoy select as
their point ot attack a neighboring
defenseless colony, that has been dis
organized through loss of its queen or
demoralized through bad management.
The burglaries of robber bees are es-
m I I ft -i, i i h -i I 111! -TL
HONEY BEES.
1. Worker, Cnrnlnlnn vsrloty of Apis mnlllHca twice natural size.
9. Giant honey bee of En.it India (Apis dorntittO, worker twice natural Rise
8, Olant honey bee of East Iuilla (Apis dorsnta), drone twice natural size.
4. Drone, Carnlolaa variety of Apis melllllea twice natural sine.
& Queen, Carnlolan variety of Apis melllllca twice natural size.
peclally frequent when forage is soaroe
in the field, or when they see stores of
honey in hives other than their own
poorly guarded. In such attacks they
kill thousands of the defenders and
leave the remainder to starve misera
bly, while they thomselves make off
with the spoil. They seem to have no
code of morals that inolines them to
select as opponents forces equal in
strength to their own. With them
'all's fair in war." A great stir nnd
loud buzzing in the hive of the con
querors attest their rejoioing over
their ill-gotten gains. It is always to
the interest of the bee owner to stop
this demoralizing business, and the
quicker the better.
An interesting chapter on robber
bees, as well as a great quantity of
other quaint and curious loots about
bees, is contained in a timely bulletin
just issued by the division of ento
mology, United States Department of
Agriculture. The importance ot the
bee industry in the United States to
day is not generally realized, for de
spite it has developad chiefly within
the last forty years, its present magni
tude is 'surprisingly enormous. It is
shown that the present annual value of
bee products in this country is not far
from $20,000,000. The honey and
wax alone produced in 1890 and sold
t wholesale rates netted $7,000,000.
It is oaloulated that 800,000 persons
in the United States are engaged in
the culture ot bees. In 1889 nearly
64,000,000 pounds of honey were pro
duced by them, as compared with 14,
000,000 pound in 1809. There are
sow running in this country fifteen
team faotories, besides a large num
ber of smaller establishments, for the
manufacture of bee hives and apiarian
implements. It is estimated by the
experts of the Department of Agricul
ture tl at the present existing flora of
the United States conld undoubtedly
support ten times the number of col
onies that it now maintains. This
branoh of agricultural industry does
sot impoverish the soil in the least,
but, on the contrary, results in better
seed and fruit crop.
Keoent investigations by the De
partment of Agriculture show that
certain varieties of pears are nearly or
quite sterile until bees bring pollen
from other distant varieties tor their
cross fertilization.
These busy little oroduoers of "the
neotar of the gods" are truly wonder
ful oreatures, and their methods of life
and activity offer a fasoinsting study
in the country. Many ot their habits
and instinots are strikingly suggestive
of human nature.
Thus the swarming of an increasing
colony olosely resembles a strike of
workingmen or operatives in a milL
The outward indioations immediately
preceding the phenomenon are a par
tial cessation ot field work on the part
of ooloniee that nave hitherto been
industriously gathering honey, and
the loiterin not these workers in squads
nd dusters at the entranoe ot the
hive. Apparently many are awaiting
the signal to strike or migrate, while
tome seem sot yet to have oaught the
spirit of unrest, bnt remain at their
work. Suddenly great ezoitement
Mixes the workers that happen to be
Inside the hive. They rush forth pell
xnell, accompanied by the old queen,
and alter eiroling about .' lor some
minutes eluster pa some neighboring
tret ot mruo.
The immediate conditions that incite
'colony to swarm arc an abundant
secretion of honey and general pros
perity of the colony, with combs
crowdsd with boes and breed. As the
bees before swarming usually fill their
little "knapsacks" with honey and are
quite peaceable, there is seldom much
difficulty in hiving them again by the
use of a little smoke. It the cluster
should be on a small limb that can
readily be out off, it can be laid down
in front ot a new hive. The bees will
then go trooping in cjntentedly, but
it they do not move fast enough lit
tle gentle urging of the rear guard
with a feather will hasten them.
To prevent swarms from absconding
and to facilitate the work of hiving
them, as well as to keep track more
easily of the age of queens, many bee
oulturiBts prefer to clip the wings of
the queens as soon as mated. The first
season one ot the large or primary
wings is clipped half wayt at the
opening of the second season the other
large wing, and the third season an
additional dip is taken from one ot
the large wins', nd with it a portion
of one ot the secondary or smaller
wings. The loyalty of a colony to
their queen is proverbial, and it is
principally by operating upon this in
stinct that bee oulturists manage the
work of a colony.
Eaoh colony of bees in good condi
tion at the opening ot a season con
tains a laying queen and some 80,000
to 40,000 worker bees, or she to eight
quarts by measurement. Besides this
there should be four to six combs
iairly stocked with developing brood,
with a good supply of honey about
them. Several hundred drones may
also bo present.
Under normal conditions the queen
lays all the eggs that are deposited in
the hive, being able to deposit as
many as 4001) eggs in twenty-four
hours. Ordinarily she mates but
once, flying out from the hive to meet
the droue the male bee high in the
air, when from five to nine davs old.
If the eggs are fertilized they develop
into workers or queens, according to
the character of food given and the
size and shape of the cells; it unfer
tilized, into drones. The queen's life
may extend over a period ot four or
nve years.
Upon the workers, which are undo
veloped females, devolves all the labor
of guthoring honey, pollen ana glue,
bringing water, secreting wax, build
ing combs, draughting desigus, stop
ping up crevices in the hive, nursing
the brood and defending tho hive from
invasion. To do all this, they are
furnished with highly specialized or-
AN APIARY IN
gons. The drones seem to nave no
other office exoept that oonneoted with
reproduction and contributing to the
general warmth ot the hive, necessary
to the development ot the brood.
Tbe liquid seoreted in flowers is
usually quite thin, containing, when
just gathered by the bee, large per
centage of water. Tbe bee enoks or
laps it up from suoh flowers as it oan
reach with its flexible tongue. This
nectar is taken into the honey sao, lo
cated in the abdomen, for transporta
tion to the hive. It is possible that
part of the water is eliminated by the
gatherer before it reaches the hive.
Uowovcr this may be, 'evaporation
takes place rapidly in the beat ot the
hive after tho neotar or thin honey
has been stored, as it is temporarily,
in open cells. Besides being thin, the
nectar has at first a raw, rank taste,
generally the flavor and odor peculiar
to the plant from which It was
gathered, and this is frequently far
from agreeable. To make from this
raw product the delioioua and health
WOI1KBB CBllS OF COMMON II0OTST BBFA
fnl table luxury of cured honey is one
of the special funotions of the worker
bee. The first step is the stationing
of workers in lines near the hive
entranoes. These, by inaessantly
buzzing their wings, drive currents of
air into and out of the hive and over
the cotiib surfaces. If the hand be
held before the entranoe at snoh a time
a strong current of warm air may be
felt coming out.
The loud buzzing heard at night
during the summer time is due to the
wings of workers engaged chiefly in
ripening nectar. Instead ot being at
rest, as many suppose, the busy work
ers are caring for the last lot of
gathered neotar and making room for
more. This may go on far into the
night, or even all night, the activity
and loudness being proportionate to
the amount and thinness of the liquid.
Frequently the ripening honey is re
moved from one set ot cells and plaoed
in oth rs, incidental to the manipula
tion bees eubjeot it to. When
flnall; he process has been completed,
tho water constituent is found to have
been rednoed to ten or twelve per
cent, and all disagreeable odors and
flavors, probably due to volatile oils,
have also been driveu off in a great
measure by the heat of the hive,
largely generated by the bees. Dur
ing the manipulation a subtle antt
septio, formio aoid, secreted by glands
in the head of the bee, has been added.
The ineen, by a natural instinot,
flies out to mate. Should she be lost,
no more fertilized eggs would be de
posited in the hive, and the old work
ers gradually dying off withont being
superseded by young ones, the colony
would become extinct in a few mouths
or meet a speedier fate through in
truderswax moths, wasps or robber
boes. The production of many drones
is accordingly provided for, so that
young qneens flying out to mate will
not inour too many risks from birds
and inseot enemies. But the loss of
queens while flying out to mate is
evidently one of the provisions of na
ture to prevent bees from undue
multiplication, for were there no such
checks they would become a pest in
the land. On the other hand, the risk
to the queen is not uselessly inoreased,
for she usually mates but once during
her life.
Queen bees are transported nowa
days almost invariably by mail, and
sent to all parts ot the United States,
and even to distant foreign countries,
in a cage of diminutive pattern con
structed for the purpose. The food
usually employed in these cages by
queen breeders is a soft caudy made
by kneading fine sugar and honey
together until a stiff dough is formed.
The food for the journey having been
placed in the end of the cage opposite
that containing the ventilating holes,
a bit of honeycomb is pressed
down over it to assist in retaining
the moisture. The cover, with a
bit of wire doth botween it and the
boes, for greater security, togethor
with the address and a one-cent stamp,
completes the transportation at rang
ments for a queen and eight or ten at
tendant workers for a journey of 8000
miles. A speoial postal regulation ad
mits them to the mails at merchandise
ratos one cent per ounoe. A reoent
estimate by one of the apiarian jour
nals plaoes the number of qneens sold
and thus transported through the
mails annually at 20,000.
The different races of bees vary ma
teriality from each other in individual
qualities, such as temper, spirit, tract
ability, pugnacity, industry, courage,
houey-getting oapaoity, enduranoe ot
oold and obaraotor and flavor of pro
duot. Besides the common or brown
MA11YLAND.
German bee, imported from Europe
to this country some time in the sev
enteenth century and now widely dif
fused from the Atlantio to the Paoifls,
several other raoes have been brought
in to the.United States and acclimated
the Italian in 1860, and later thu
Egyptian, the Cyprian from the Island
of Cyprus, the Syrian, the Palestine,
the Tunisian and the Carniolan from
Carniola, Austria. Of these the brown
or black German, the Italian and the
Carnlolan are probably tho only raoes
existing pure in tbe United dtatos,
the others haviug bjjooraemore or lass
mixed. Egyptian bees were tried here
some thirty years ago, and, like the
Syrians and Falestines imported in
1880, they were oondemned as inferior
in temper and wintering qualities to
the other races, despite their greater
fecundity and greater energy iu honey
collecting.
A8IHAM1E ACClUi2.1l',
A Horse Gets Its Tall Fastened to a
Tree.
One of the most remarkable acci
dents that has ever happened in the
fields of this country to etockjooenrred
on a reoent Friday night on the farm
of Ephraim Wilier, of Troy Town
ship, Ohio, and be lost one of his best
horses. The boast was out iu the field
grazing with number of othor horses
kept for farm use, and it is thought
that it backed np to a tree to scratch
its tail, as horses do sometimes. While
in that position the horse switched its
tail about the tree and the hair caught
in the bark. The horse was fastened
in that position like a vise, and was in
-iv". v
TOLLED ITS TAIL OCT DT TH8 ROOTS.
t horrible condition when found. It
bad pulled so long and hard that its
tail was partially pulled out by the
roots.
Mr. Willey does not know how long
the horse was in the terrible position
in which he was found, as the field in
which they were grazing was supplied
with all that is needful, and no atten
tion to stock Is required for supplies.
The horse was a valuable one, and
will be a great lots to Farmer Willey.
This is one of tbe strangest aooidents
that has ever been heard of in that
locality.
A Wonderful Creature.
The polype is the most remarkable
sreature that now inhabits the earth .
It cut transversely or longitudinally
Into several parts each part will soon
beoome a perfeot animal. Turn one
inside out and it will continue to eat
and enjoy itself. Professor Trombly
out them in two and plaoed them to
gether in suoh a shape that he formed
animals with two heads and animals
with two sets of hinder parts and no
heads I The out edges iu suoh cases
readily unite, and the patohed-up
creatures go right on living as if noth
ing bad happened.
The Champion Reinswoinnn of America.
To Mrs. Harriette Winoh, of Mid
dlobury, Vt., belong the title ot
champion reinswoman of the oountry.
Perhaps no other woman has a better
practical knowledge ot the horse thou
she, and there are but few men who
oan handle the ribbons any better,
especially in a race. It was in 1894
that she determined to beoome a pro
fessional reinBwoman, but illness pre
vented her making a publio appear-
anoe until this spring. After driving
a number of lesser turf lights, Mr.
MRS. HARRIET WINCIt.
Winoh bought Major Wonder from
Gil Curry and presented him to his
wifo. throe weeks lator, at Sandy
Hill, Ji. X Mrs. Winoh drovo Major
Wonder against tho track reoord
2 :201 made by Mrs. 8. F. Crosby
with braraa ii. Sue dipped 1 sec
onds off this record. At Glenn Falls,
X. Y., Mrs. Winoh drove the Major to
"bike" road cart, covaring a mile in
12:17. She thon repeated, and by
excellent judgment lauded the Major
past the wire in 2 :12, thus establish
ing a reoord.
An Ancient Tenor.
Sims Beeves, aged seventy-eight.
and his young wife and infant, are on
their way from England to South At'
rica. It is tbe intention ot tbe anoient
tenor to give oonoerts, and if his voice
nolds out he will go on to Australia.
One reason why Beeves has preserved
his voioe to suoh an advanoed age ii
that he has invariably refused to sing
when his throat was relaxed or in
bad oondition, and, oddly enough, his
throat has given him great deal of
trouble all through bis arttstio oareer.
Webster and His Butcher. -
Daniel Webster was once sued by
his meat man. The man did not oall
upon Webster afterward to trade with
him. Webster met him in the course
of a few days, and asked him why be
didn t call, "iieaause, " said tbe man,
"I supposed you would be offended
and wouldn't trade with me any more,"
to whioh Webster replied, "Oh, sue
me as many times as you like, but for
heaven s sake don t starve me to
death. ''Boston TransoripL
NEW DRESS DESIGNS.
BOMB TjATE HINTS FROM TI1K
WORLD OF FASHION.
A Stylish Rnsque Specially Designed
tor Stout Women Party
(lows for a Young Girl
Child's Apron.
TIE stylish basque depioted in
f tue large illustration is spec
I tally designed to meet the re
a" quirements of ladies who have
grown stout, the pretty pointed out
line of the lower edge, the double
under arm-gores, and the long pointed
revers conducing to give a slender
appearance to the stoutest figure.
Nut-brown mohair is the material rep
resented, small round pearl buttons
with buttonholes closing tbe front
edges. The standing collar fits the
nock smoothly, and a ribbon or silk
stock can be worn over and tied in a
bow at the back, if desired. The
pointed revers and coat collar are
finished with stitchad edges in tailor
style. They can be faced with con
trasting material or trimmed with
braid, gimp or otherwise decoratod.
The lining fronts oan be faced with
contrasting fabrio or decorated with
braiding to give a more deoided Test
effect, or the front with revers and
collar can be omitted and the vest
outlined with bands of passementerie
if a ohange in style is desired. The
mode can be stylishly developed in all
A BASQUE FOTt
kinds of dress materials, preference
being always given to those having a
smooth, plain finish, or small stripe,
oheok or figured designs in' serge,
Henrietta, Sioilienne-faced doth, can
vas, oheviot, tweed, mohair, alpaca,
silk or . peau de soie. To make this
basque for a lady in the medium size
it will require two and one-halt yards
of forty-four inoh wide material.
MayManton, in Modes,
IDEAL FARTT OOW.S FOn A GIRL.
An ideal daaoing or party gown is
here represented made of pale reseda
silk and deoorated with multioolored
embroidered ohiffon. Tbe front is ar
ranged over fitted linings provided
with single bust darts to which the
material is applied at square yoke
depth. The full front is joined to the
lower edge ot yoke, the joining being
conoealed by the pretty insertion that
forms a pompadour effect in front ex
tending over the shoulders and on
either side of the baok. Three bands
of similar Intertion fall from yoke.
The skirt-shaped front, side gores and
full straight baok is particularly
adapted to sheer fabrics. The foot
trimming consists of a narrow ohiffon
edged frill with band of insertion
above. The gown may be developed
inchallis, crepons, taffetas, or cream-
girl's party, aow or reseda silk.
white elpeoa, or fashioned in lighter
fabrios, as organdie, Swiss, or mono
seline de soie over colored linings.
Flax-oolored batiste over old rose
makes an effective combination. To
make this waist for a miss in the me
dium size it will require ot thirty-six
lnsh wide material two and five
eighths yards, and for the skirt fonr
yards.
APRON rOR A LXTTU OREL.
Oar illustration shows a serviceable
little apron made of grass linen with
trimmings ot batiste edging and inser
tion. The straight lower edge of the
full skirt is ornamented by a deep hem
and band ot insertion. An attraotivo
feature is the pretty bertha, gathered
at the top to fall well over the should
ers in square handkerchief style (a
fill
girl's apro.
novelty considerably in vogue). The
short, low yoke, fitted by shoulders
seams, has the fullness of the skirt
portion joined to its lower edge in
round outline. Muslin in plain,
striped and cross-bar patterns may be
employed in making, also linen, lawn,
nainsook and similar fabrlos, deooiat
ed with embroidery, edging, insertion,
etc. To make this apron for girl of
STOUT LADIES.
six years it will require four vards ot
thirty-aix-inch wide material.
ANTIQUE RUFFS TO BB FA3RIOV ARLB.'
Dinner gowns this fall are made with
rnQs. Pteincarnatioiis of Queen Eliza
beth appear at every social tunotion
in New York, and the ghosts of six
teenth oentury fashions have beoome
re-embodied in the ultra-modern drawing-rooms
of New York's fashionable
women. Undoubtedly tbe stately ruff
will do muah in the way of imparting
distinction to the costumes it accom
panies, but a fashion that cannot be
becoming to more than one woman
out of ten should not be too hilariously
welcomed.
It is the woman with the long neok,
the well-set head, tho erect and stately
bearing, who should selest the ruff as
her most appropriate adornment and
encourage her dressmaker in making
it as high and bristling as she will. It
will serve to emphasize the good pointe
of her form and make her faoe seem
only the more comely.
Stout, short women, on the other
hand, would better ignore the fact
that such a fashion is coming in, and
on dressy occasions leave their short
neoks, as far as possible, nnoovered.
That there is a time and a place for all
things is never more emphatically
true that in considering a matter of
modes. To know instinctively the
right time and the right plaoe is, in
tbe world of fashion, ' the summit ot
wisdom.
Tbe new ruff are of the highest and
stillest type. Oftenest tbe rufia are of
white muslin, stiffly starched and care
fully adjusted. As everybody knows,
the gown with which a ruff is worn
must te high necked in the back.
Thus the ruff stands very dose to the
baok of the head and tbe ears, and is
so stiff and straight that it makes an
ItlTanftVA .fill KiUl.iminn kiMlrn.Aa.J
! a pretty faoe. The corsage is always
j cut square iu front, and the ruff oomes
down for a little at each side of the
square out neck, leaving the whit
throat and the jewels whioh bedeck it
in a sort of frame.
Naturally with this manner of cos
tume the low coiffure has to be aban
doned, for, however many ooils might
be plaoed at tbe baok of the neok, the
ruff would eonoeal them. So the hair
is smoothly brushed up at the baok,
and puffed and frizzed and rolled into
as lowering a pieoa of architecture a
the material will permit.
The forehead is left nnoovered too,
after the manner of good Queen Bess
herself, and tbe hair drawn away front
the faoe at front and sides over differ
ent sized rolls and rats or whatever
these feminine devices may have been,
called in the coarse of sixteenth otu
tury toilets. New York Journal.