124 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 



and doubling up in the fall. I have succeeded no- 

 bly in doing so, although I have had between 70 and 

 80 colonies several times. My husband is no bee- 

 man, and does not like the business. Since I com- 

 menced I have taken between 13,000 and 14,000 lbs. 

 of honey, over one-half extracted. It sells here 

 now for 15 cents, comb; 12% extracted. Those 

 troublesome debts are paid, and we have built us a 

 good new house, which we much needed, and my 

 husband gives the " blessed bees" credit for most 

 of it. My husband and son did the work. lam almost 

 62 years old. If I were younger I would try to care 

 for a larger apiary, as I do not lose my enthusiasm 

 for the care of bees. My health is not good, but 

 much better than it used to be before I worked in 

 the apiary— so much that I feel as though I wanted 

 to thank you for the biographical sketches you 

 sent out with Gleanings. I am very much inter- 

 ested in them, but most of all in the one that ap- 

 peared in Gleanings for Dec. 15. I can not tell 

 you how much we prize Gleanings. I shall take 

 that as long as I have any thing to pay for it, while 

 I live. 



I have wished many times I had Our Homes in 

 binding of some kind. I mean ever since they were 

 commenced. I have wondered if you had them. 



I feel to praise God every day of my life for his 

 goodness to me, and for all the way in which he has 

 led me, and for the success he has given me in my 

 labors; for it has come through much prayer 

 and humble trust in him that I have been able to 

 accomplish the desire of my heart in getting an 

 apiary established on a small scale, and it is a cher- 

 ished desire yet to be able to do a little more in 

 helping on the blessed cause of Christ in the world. 

 I am especially interested in the American Mission- 

 ary Association. Oh how I do want to help more in 

 that direction ! 



I am almost frightened when I see how much I 

 am trespassing on your precious time, but I will 

 promise not to do so again. You seem so much 

 like an old friend that I almost forget myself. 



We get our supplies at Jamestown, as the freight 

 is much less. I was sorry to change. 

 Farmers' Valley, Pa., Jan. 8, 1889. Mrs. B. C.Olds. 



By all means call me " dear friend," if 

 you feel like it, my dear friend. I can not 

 tell you how much it rejoices my heart to 

 know that' you have ultimately triumphed 

 in conquering the intricate and perplexing 

 minutiae of bee-keeping. I am really afraid 

 that, had you asked my advice, about the 

 time of your repeated disasters, I should 

 have urged you to give up the business, and 

 not try any more, a good deal as your hus- 

 band probably did. In fact, I should have 

 thought it almost impossible that one so 

 well* advanced in years as yourself could 

 conquer the difficulties that every beginner 

 must meet. However, you have given us a 

 grand illustration of what may be done by 

 one who has a steady enthusiasm for any 

 such industry, right along, year after year. 

 You loved bee culture, and did not tire of it, 

 even though beset with repeated disasters, 

 and therefore you conquered. The point 

 you make, where the debts were paid and 

 the new house built, is not only refreshing, 

 but it is a good rebuke to those who say 

 after they have got old, and let their bees go 

 to ruin through lack of attention, that " bee- 

 keeping does not pay." I think your hus- 



band and son must be exceedingly good- 

 natured to follow your directions when they 

 have no particular interest in the matter. 

 Another encouraging thing, like our good 

 friend Mrs. Axtell you have found your 

 health improved, as well as your pocket- 

 book ; and the improvement came, too, 

 without the use of medicines of any kind. 

 Now, any outdoor industry that gives us re- 

 newed health, without the aid of medicine 

 of any sort whatever, is a grand gift from 

 God, even if we do not make any money 

 by it at all. When it pays the debts and 

 builds houses besides, it amounts to one of 

 the grandest gifts that ever came from the 

 hand of the all-wise Creator. No doubt 

 your heart was stirred within you by the 

 accounts of Mrs. AxtelTs great achieve- 

 ment with honey-bees, for we notice that 

 you too are interested in missions. Never 

 mind about trespassing on my time, dear 

 friends, when you have such a story to tell 

 as we have just had in the above. You see, 

 I have taken the liberty of putting in even 

 your last paragraph also ; and I will tell you 

 why I did it. I want to say to you, and to 

 all others of the friends who read Glean- 

 ings, that, whenever you can buy your 

 supplies nearer home, so as to be the means 

 of saving you freight, or in any other way, 

 remember it does me good to hear of it, 

 even if your money does go into the pocket 

 of some other brother ; for 1 hope I have 

 grace enough in my heart to wish to have 

 you all do what benefits you most. If the 

 money did come to us here at the Home of 

 the Honey-bees, it wouldn't go to our good 

 brother at Jamestown ; and I am not sure 

 but it affords me just as much pleasure to 

 think he has been receiving good-sized 

 orders, as if they came right here to us. 



JOTTINGS FROM AMATEUR EXPERT. 



ENGLISH BEE-KEEPERS ; CARNIOLANS AND OTHER 

 RACES OF BEES. 



fRIEND ERNEST:-Your letter of Dec. 6th is 

 before me. So you have foraged out my 

 name and address from friend Blow, and now 

 wi6h to make use of me. I thank you for 

 offering to put me on your list of paid con- 

 tributors; that, I must decline. I never write for 

 "grit," but for amusement; moreover, my experi- 

 ence with editors is that they are an arhitary class 

 of men, so I keep free of them; and if they do not 

 treat me as I think I ought to be treated, I am then 

 in a position to throw up the pen and make my 

 bow. I shall, however, be pleased to include 

 Gleanings among my friends, as I always read it 

 with very great pleasure, and it is my wife's first 

 favorite among bee-papers. 



You suggest a host of subjects for me to give my 

 views about, naming Carniolan bees first. A very 

 innocent remark of mine in the B. B. J. raised an 

 awful "storm in a teapot" about these bees; and 

 when it came to high words it was brought to an 

 abrupt end by the veto of the editor. For myself, 

 I was not sorry; but for people who are likely to be 

 eased of their money in the future as in the past, I 

 was very sorry. There are immense numbers of 

 queens imported into En. land every year; and in 

 my wanderings labout I see great numbers of vari> 



