1879 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



51 



ROCKY MOUNTAIN BEE PLANT. 



i Gleome InU grifolia |. This is a beautiful plant 

 for the flower garden, to say nothing of 

 the honey it produces. It grows from two 

 to three feet in height, and bsars large clus- 

 ters of bright pink flowers, as shown in the 

 cut. 







ROCKY MOUNTAIN BEE PLANT. 



It i:; a near relative of the spider plant. 

 which see. It grows naturally on the Rocky 

 Mountains, and in Colorado, where it is said 

 to furnish large quantities of honey. Al- 

 though it succeeds easily under cultivation, 

 in our locality, I cannot learn that it has ever 

 been a success pecuniarily. With this, as 

 well as with all other plants, it must be borne 

 in mind that, to yield honey enough to give 

 it a fair test, acres are needed, instead of lit- 

 tle patches in the garden. The seed has been 

 offered for sale for several years past, as a 

 plant to be cultivated for honey; even if it 

 does not pay for honey, it will pay to have a 

 bed of it on account of its beauty. I first 

 saw it in bloom, at a neighbors, but have 

 never learned whether it yields honey in the 

 same manner as the spider plant, or not. 



STING-S. It is true that bees cannot 

 lute and kick like horses, nor can they hook 

 like cattle, but most people, after having had 

 an experience with bee stings tor ttie first 

 time, are inclined to think they would rath- 

 er be bitten, kicked, and hooked, all togeth- 

 er, than risk a repetition of that keen 



and exquisite anguish which one feels as he 

 receives the full contents of the poison bag, 

 from a vigorous hybrid, during the height 

 of the honey season. Stings are not all alike, 

 by any means, and while I can stand the 

 greater part of them without even wincing, 

 or stopping my work. 1 occasionally get one 

 that seems as if it could not possibly be 

 borne. As I always find myself obliged to 

 bear it. however, I try to do so as best I can. 

 I have often noticed that the pain is much 

 harder to bear, if I stop and allow my mind 

 to dwell on it ; or after being stung, if I just 

 think of former times when I have received 

 painful stings, at the mere thought, a sud- 

 den pang darts along the wounded part. I 

 do not know why this is, unless it is the ef- 

 fect of the imagination ; if so, then it is clear 

 to my mind that even imaginary pains are 

 very hard to bear. I have sometimes pur- 

 posely, by way of experiment, allowed my 

 mind to dwell on the pain of the sting the 

 moment it was inflicted, and the increase 

 would be such, that it would almost make 

 me scream with pain. If you doubt this, the 

 next time your feet get very cold, just think 

 of wading barefooted in the frozen snow, at 

 a zero temperature. Perhaps my imagina- 

 tion is unusually active, for it sometimes 

 makes the pain, when riding in the cold, al- 

 most unbearable, while I get along very well 

 if thinking of something else. Well, if oth- 

 ers have had a similar experience, and I pre- 

 sume you all have, you can see why I have 

 so often given as a remedy for stings, simply 

 to keep on with your work, and pay no at- 

 tention to the stings whatever. 



Of course, where stings swell on one so 

 badly, as to shut an eye, or the like of that. 

 I presume you might be obliged to stop work 

 awhile, but even then. I would advise pay- 

 ing as little attention to the matter as it is 

 possible to do, and by all means to avoid 

 rubbing or irritating the affected part. I 

 have known stings to be made very painful. 

 by rubbing and fussing with them, that I 

 have good reason to think would have given 

 little, if any. trouble otherwise. You all know 

 that when you get warmed up with hard 

 work, a bruise, a bump, or a slight flesh 

 wound gives little if any pain; but to sit 

 down calmly and cut into one's flesh gives 

 the most excruciating pain. When a lad. I 

 have repeatedly cut great gashes in my fin- 

 gers with my jack knife, and felt but little 

 pain at the time, but when it became neces- 

 sary to lance the flesh to get a sliver out of 

 the foot, or to cut open a stone bruise, the 

 , pain was the most intense I can imagine. 



