1882 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



601 



side, tosrether with tho upright shaft and "jack." 

 There are two objections to this power; one is, that 

 the horse has to walli in a circle that is inconveni- 

 ently small: and tho other is, that lUMny horses will 

 not work without a driver. My fi u'nd had only one 

 horse that would work without a driver. Of course, 

 this power can be used for other purposes than hive- 

 making, such as cutting or grinding feed, shelling- 

 corn, etc. 



Friend II., why can the wheel not be 

 made a little larger? and if made so, may it 

 not overcome bolh the objections you liave 

 made, especially the last one? 



ladkf §qp,arhmi- 



MRS. HARRISON ON PROTECTION TROM BEE-STINGS; 

 LINEN GI-OVES SUGGESTED. 



LHEN I work with bees, I have the name of 

 making them cross, and I am not blamed, 

 either, without cause. When I go out to 

 Work in the morning, I know that dinner-time is 

 coming, and many times I have insulHcient help in 

 the house; so, in order to accomplish what I have 

 laid out to do, I must work fast to accomplish it, be- 

 fore it is time to get dinner. When I'm clad in my 

 armor, I do not care if there is a whole swarm of in- 

 furiated bees around my head, if they only attack 

 me, and let others alone. 



Sometimes, when bees are very cross, they sting 

 through my clothing if I have on a calico, gingham, 

 or thin worsted dress. When Mr. Harrison works in 

 the apiary, he wears a linen hat and coat, and says 

 that "bees cannot sting through linen when it is 

 starched and ironed." My own experience corrob- 

 orates his statement, and the past season I've worn 

 a linen sacque while working in the apiary ; and if I 

 forgot to put it on, I was sure to be reminded of it, 

 in receiving stings in my body and arms. 



I can handle bees without any protection, when 

 everything is propitious — honey coming in freelj', 

 etc. But work must be done at other times — nuclei 

 given eggs, and young swarms strengthened with 

 frames of brood and honey. I have not tried liuen 

 gloves, but intend doing so; they are sold at our 

 glQve stores, for driving. Any one could make his 

 own, by ripping up a kid glove that tits, for a pat- 

 tern. 



I can not agree with my fellow-workers, that "bee- 

 keeping is too hard for women." We have had a de- 

 lightful fall, and I have worked all day, day after 

 day, in the apiary and was wont to remark at night, 

 that I was astonished that I was not more tired after 

 the day's labor; for if I had been at work in the 

 house, baking, ironing, etc., for only part of the day, 

 I should have been more tired. 



How this arouses my indignation! "Total num- 

 ber of ladies at 00 each, $00.00." Showing to the world 

 at large that " ladies" are regarded as dead-heads by 

 the convention. 



Bees carry water cveiy day. Sweet clover is in 

 bloom, and beans and tomatoes yet green. 



Peoria, 111., Nov. 9, 1882. Mrs. L. Harrison. 



Why, Mrs. II., I knew, too, that bees can't 

 sting through linen, but I never thought to 

 mention it before. The truth is, that I al- 

 ways want linen clothing whenever it comes 

 summer, and I think your husband is just 

 right about it; but don't you believethey say 

 at our house, it makes a great deal of hard 



work for the women folks? Of course, I tell 

 them I don't mind if I don't always look so 

 spruce and starched up, but my wife says I 

 am just suie to get down in the dirt or grease 

 the very day she tixes me up nice in clean lin- 

 en clothes. I am sure she must be mistaken. 

 I know linen gloves would be even better 

 than rubber if we could keep then starched. 

 You see, they want to be so hard ahd glossy 

 that, when a bee tries testing, his " stinger" 

 slips off, just as a darning-needle would if 

 you tried to stick it into a dinner-plate. The 

 bees always look very much disgusted when 

 their '' stingers" glance off in that way, and 

 don't take hold; but I can't remember that I 

 ever felt very sorry for them on account of 

 their disappointment. Who will give us some 

 starched linen gloves? 



IS BEE-KEEPING TOO HARD FOR WOMEN? 



My bees are fixed up for winter, so I've time to 

 ask a question. Some ladies who have tried bee- 

 keeping say it is 'too hard work for women." Now, 

 can't you get Mrs. Harrison, Mrs. Axtell, and others 

 who have followed the business long and extensive- 

 Ij', to tell us what a woman can do in the business? 

 Many will be discouragedif we don't have the "other 

 side." Mrs. Mary A. Shepherd. 



Barry, Pike Co., 111., Nov. 8, 1882. 



Will the ladies mentioned please answer V 

 Mrs. Harrison has partially answered in the 

 above article. 



I have been on a visit to Lewis Co., N. Y., and 

 talked bees and honey to thes3 people, who were 

 much interested. I asked you last year to send 

 copies to two or three parties, and in one case I saw 

 Gleanings on the table as a monthly visitor, as the 

 result. 



Now that I have my bees all In good shape for win- 

 ter, I feel like sitting down and resting. I have been 

 to Lewis Co., N. Y., this fall, visiting my father and 

 other friends. One day of the tlrst week in Sept. was 

 spent at the house and apiary of N. P. Case, Glen- 

 dale. Friend Case has been a contributor to the pag- 

 es of Gleanings, and we ".4 B C uns" have learn- 

 ed some good ideas from him, and might learn 

 more, did he choose to open his mouth and teach us. 

 Friend C. suffers from asthma, and bee-keeping 

 does not seem to cure him ; so he is excusable, if he 

 does not talk much. But I was surprised to find he 

 had lost his enthu3iasm; the poetry of bee-keeping 

 had all vanished; nothing but stern realities, hard 

 work, -and warm work it was, too, that day, remain- 

 ed for him. I could not, however, but notice the 

 order, precision, and regularity with which he seem- 

 ed to conduct his work. Sections taken off were im- 

 mediately put in their proper place; frames were 

 stored where they belonged; no cards of comb tum- 

 bling around, leaning up against any thing handy, 

 but hung on suitable racks. Verily, I thought, here 

 is "a place for every thing, and every thing la its 

 place." I saw the beauty of the mosquito-net tent 

 in working order, and resolved to have one. His 

 bees were gathering honey then, the second day of 

 September, as freely as in the best clover or bass- 

 wood season, and he hardly knew from what; the 

 honey was peculiarly white, and not much flavor, as 

 I could detect —simply sweet. He had 140 hives; had 

 to feed until the 10th of July, as did others in Lewis 

 county; but it paid in the end, and I think R. Love- 

 joy, of Grcig, missed it in letting those colonies of 



