"I can go every day now on an exploring expedition. But there is
the breakfast-bell."
Mr. Clifford came in a little late, rubbing his hands felicitously, as he
said:
"I have just come from the apiary, and think we shall have another swarm
to-day. Did you ever hear the old saying, Amy,
'A swarm of bees in June
Is worth a silver spoon'?
If one comes out to-day, and we hive it safely, we shall call it yours, and
you shall have the honey."
"How much you are all doing to sweeten my life!" she said, laughing; "but I
never expected the present of a swarm of bees. I assure you it is a gift
that you will have to keep for me, and yet I should like to see how the
bees swarm, and how you hive them. Would it be safe? I've heard that bees
are so wise, and know when people are afraid of them."
"You can fix yourself up with a thick veil and a pair of gloves so that
there will be no danger, and your swarm of bees, when once in hive, will
take care of themselves, and help take care of you. That's the beauty of
bee-culture."
"Our bees are literally in clover this year," Leonard remarked. "That heavy
coating of wood-ashes that I gave to a half-acre near the apiary proved
most effective, and the plot now looks as if a flurry of snow had passed
over it, the white clover blossoms are so thick. That is something I could
never understand, Webb. Wood-ashes will always bring white clover. It's
hard to believe that it all comes from seed dormant in the ground.
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