1910 



GLEANINGS IN BE1<] CITLTURE 



403 



separating-float and sklin the honey in the tank, 

 and can It up, or the portion that is clear. Stop 

 drawing when the scum begins to run through the 

 gate: and what is left at the bottom of the tank 

 goes with the next day's extracting. 



The tank must be empty of cold honey when com- 

 mencing the day's extracting, or the system will be 

 a failure. 



THE M'iNTYRE UNCAPPING-TANK. 



As will be seen by the illustration, Mr. 

 Townsend now uses the long form of uncap- 

 ping-box instead of the cracker-barrel con- 

 tainers that he formerly used. A comb- 

 rack on the top of the tank furnishes a sup- 

 port for holding either the capped or uncap- 

 ped combs, so that all drip is saved and gen- 

 eral mussiness done away with. 



Near the bottom of the tank is a slatted 

 bottom to su]iport the cappings. The hon- 

 ey which drains through runs into the 2}4- 

 inch space under the rack, and from thence 

 out of the gate at the end of the tank. Mr. 

 Townsend names, among the advantages of 

 this large uncapping-tank, the greater ca- 

 pacity, larger drainage surface, and the gen- 

 eral convenience, on account of there being 

 no necessity for frequent lifting of heavy 

 capping, changing of barrels, etc. 



BEE-STINGS FOR RHEUMATISM. 



Dr. a. F. Bonney, of Buck Grove, Iowa, 

 has stood almost alone in his contention 

 that bee-stings will not cure rheumatism. 

 The reports have been very numerous of 

 cases that have been relieved, if not cured, 

 and we can not but believe that, for certain 

 kinds of rheumatism, the stings most cer- 

 tainly prove beneficial. The article by one 

 who signed himself "A Country Doctor," 

 page B2B, May 15, was written, as we hap- 

 pen to know, by a very prominent physician 

 in Michigan, and one who has had a great 

 deal of experience with different forms of 

 rheumatism. His opinions, therefore, de- 

 serve careful thought. 



In the March issue of the American Bee 

 Journal, Wm. Stolley relates a most remark- 

 able incident along this line. 



A gentleman by the name of Geo. Loan, at that 

 time the street commissioner of Grand Island, and 

 still among the living, was suflfering terribly from 

 inttanimatory rheumatism, at about 70 years of age. 



For about 8 months Mr. Loan was confined most 

 of the time, and several of our learned doctors were 

 pumping medicines into the suflferer. and kept his 

 legs well greased with their useless liniments: but 

 in spite of all the doctors were able to do for him, 

 the ailment got worse and worse. The children of 

 Mr. Loan had heard of the " Stolley bee-sting cure," 

 and they insisted on his giving the bee-stings a 

 fair trial. 



At last Mr. L., to please his children, consented 

 to be taken to my farm. He was utterly unable to 

 walk, and had to be lifted out of his carriage. The 

 rheumatism had settled in one knee. The swell- 

 ing was simply fearful, and the pain, as Mr. L. said, 

 was terrible. He told me he had not the least faith 

 in the bee-sting cure. I told him that that would 

 make no difference as to the effectiveness of stings, 

 and that he would not be a cent out of pocket in 

 trying it. So I gave my patient, to begin with, 7 

 stings on his sore knee, and told him to call again 

 a week later. 



The next Sunday Mr. Loan was brought down to 

 the farm again. He got out of his vehicle without 

 help, and said. " Mr. Stolley. I begin to believe in 

 your bee-stineing: the pain in my knee was almost 

 gone before I got back to town iVA miles), and, 

 you see, my swollen knee is shrinking somewhat," 



That day Mr. L. received 9 stings, and it was 

 agreed upon that he should come again the next 

 Sunday, when he was on hand promptly: he got out 

 of his carriage, and walked almost without limp- 

 ing and said, 'Your bee-stings have done wonders: 

 why, now I want a whole lot of bee-stings." 1 ob- 

 jected to his refiuest, but agreed that T would give 

 him 15 stings. As it hai)pened he received taut 13 

 stings, while 2 went into my own lingers. 



Mr. L. was under orders to call again the Sunday 

 following. During the week I did not hear how he 

 was getting along, but went to town on Saturday, 

 the day before he was to come out again to my 

 farm. The physicians in the city, of course, heard 

 of what was going on with Mr. Loan, and watched 

 the case closely. So, when I got to town on that 

 Saturday, one of the doctors, who had been dosing 

 Mr. L. with medicine, and kept his legs greased, 

 for 8 months, approached me thus: " Say, Stolley, 

 have you heard of Loan? " 



I answered, " No, I have heard nothing about 

 him for a week." 



"Why, Loan is dying: he has an awful fever. 

 Look here, Stolley, if L. dies you can be held respon- 

 sible for It. Y'ou have no right to i^ractice medi- 

 cine." 



Now, while this conversation took place I no- 

 ticed Mr. Loan coming, walking as though nothing 

 ailed him, along the street toward us, but the doc- 

 tor could not see him, for the simple reason that he 

 had no eyes behind, and talked right on. 



So I knew my Mr. Loan was all right, and not dy- 

 ing, and I told the " learned " doctor that I always 

 should insist that I had the constitutional right, in 

 this free country, to give to sick people bee-stings. 

 If they were in need of them, and asked me to apply 

 them, in particular since I was not charging any 

 thing for stings, time, and trouble. 



Meanwhile Mr. Loan had come up, right to where 

 I talked with the doctor, who, being blind behind, 

 was not aware of his presence. 



At this juncture I lifted my hat, and, gravely ad- 

 dressing the doctor. I said, " My dear colleague. 

 Dr. E., I have the pleasure of introducing to you 

 my patient, Mr. Loan;" and turning to Mr. L., 

 " Please tell the doctor what bee-stings have done 

 for you." And he did tell the doctor: 



"Why, doctor," Mr.L. said, "look here" — (and he 

 threw out his former sore leg. and shook it to 

 demonstrate how nice and limber it was after the 

 three weeks of bee-sting cure — "for eight months 

 you doctors kept me most of the time in bed, and 

 in pain: you have filled my stomach with medicine 

 and almost ruined it: you have taken ?200 out of 

 my pocket for thus treating me, and only made my 

 sick leg worse. You are no doctors at all. If you 

 want to learn something about the cure of rheuma- 

 tism, why, go down to Stolley's farm, where you 

 can learn all about it." 



I should like to tell my experience in bee-stings 

 for rheumatism. Two years ago a young man came 

 home from the rare atmosphere in New Mexico, 

 where he was working, to die at his home here with 

 rheumatism. He had been given up by the doctors, 

 who told him he would die it he stayed there. I met 

 him on the streets of our city. His muscles twitch- 

 ed continually like one who had St. Vitus' dance. 

 I asked him to come home with me and work for 

 me. The neighbors laughed, and told me he could 

 not do any thing. I assured the young man that I 

 had hired him in order to cure him. He said he 

 was willing to take medicine, no matter how severe. 

 Well, I began the fii\st day with one sting, which 

 caused no effect whatever, more than if he had been 

 an old bee-keei)er. In less than a week I was put- 

 ting three stings on his wrist over the pulse and 

 leaving them there. In a short time, not more than 

 two weeks, his rheumatism had mostly all gone. 

 But the bee-stings began to hurt. They would swell 

 very badly. I tried to get him to keep right on un- 

 til he was Immune. In one month he left me, to go 

 back to New Mexico to get his forty dollars a month. 

 He said, " I can now cure myself there if it ever 

 comes back." 



I have cured myself of awful rheumatism twice in 

 a few years by this treatment. I do not suppose it 

 will cure all rheumatism: but if it cures some it will 

 pay to try it on any case. I doubt if there is any 

 old bee-keeper who has rheumatism when working 

 on his bees: but I think it will come bark to them if 

 they stop bee-work. 



Marceline, Mo., May 19. Irving Long. 



