1889 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



175 



another, and give in their testimony. The 

 book is so interesting that, if the hired man 

 or boys should open it almost anywhere, 

 they would read and read, and then turn 

 back until they had read it through. 1 real- 

 ly believe, as you say, that it will pay us to 

 buy it and leave it around where people will 

 get hold of it. You may tell the author that 

 I want 100 copies right away ; and those who 

 And it more convenient to order of us in- 

 stead of the author, N. A. Hunt, Mapleton 

 Station, Minn., can do so. 



We will furnish it at 45 cents, by express 

 or freight with other goods. Now, then, 

 friends, if you want to help along in this 

 work, order one or more copies, as you can 

 afford, and "leave them around," as our 

 good friend Mrs. Ratcliffe expresses it. 

 The book is neatly bound, and contains 192 

 pages, so that the price, 50 cents, is not very 

 high. 



Since the above was in type we have the 

 following : 



Mr. N. A. Hunt: 



I am glad to receive a copy of your book— a broad- 

 side against tobacco. I have read it from beginning' 

 to end, and believe pvery word of it. The book is 

 fair and moderate in tone, without exaggeration or 

 over-statement, nothing bitter or fanatical in it; 

 yet it is a terrible arraignment of the mischievous 

 and unworthy habit. I wish all the 5000 copies were 

 sold, and another edition twice as large called for. 

 Jas. H. Fairchild, President Oberlin College. 



It is refreshing to know that so great an 

 authority as the President of Oberlin College 

 so warmly seconds what I have just said in 

 regard to the book. 



RAMBLE NO. 11. 



THE RAMBLER'S IDEA OF WHAT A BEE-SUIT 

 SHOULD BE. 



fBFORE getting off upon this ramble I wish to 

 call attention to something else that is an 

 immense success in my every-day work in 

 the apiary. 



So far in bee-literature 1 have not read of 

 nor seen illustrated a really full dress-suitespecially 

 for bee-keepers; nor have I seen any thing system- 

 atic in dress in any of my rambles. The Rambler 

 tries to be a tidy bee-keeper, and has given bee- 

 dress much attention. 



A special work-suit must have several essentials. 

 It must, or ought to be, light in color; easy to put 

 on or off; must protect the entire person, and be of 

 a color, make, and texture, to stand frequent wash- 

 ings. 



Duck overalls and aprons usually worn are clum- 

 sy and inconvenient for all of the above purposes. 

 Getting thoroughly disgusted with the "sticka- 

 tiveness " of my clothes I rambled to a clothing- 

 store and found what is called an engineer's suit 

 —overalls and short coat, or blouse, made of blue 

 and white checked cotton cloth, the whole weigh- 

 ing only 154 lbs. Cost "zhust von tollar, zhust a 

 fit, and zhust the thing." The beauty of this suit is 

 the certainty of complete protection to your Sun- 

 day clothes if you choose to wear them; and the 

 price enables you to own two suits, and wash often, 

 and always clean. Then there are plenty of pock- 

 ets fore and aft, for pencils, jack-knives, screw- 



drivers, queen-cages, toothpicks, etc. There are 

 those who may possibly object to appropriating 

 or adopting an engineer's suit to bee-keeping; but, 

 friends, if a mortal man or woman, conducting an 

 apiary of two hundred colonies of bees, isn't an en- 

 gineer, who else indeed is worthy of the name? 



When extracting honey, or at work with sticki- 

 ness that is certain to get on my arms, I put on an 

 additional set of sleeves. What are called gossa- 

 mer sleeve-protectors have been extensively ad- 

 vertised; but my experience with them proves 

 them to be a humbug. Try to wash them off, and 

 they wet through; then they are of such a stingy 

 pattern that the elbow is not reached. I now use a 

 sleeve made of a new manufacture of oil cloth, 

 thin, flexible, and absolutely water-proof, reaching 

 generously above the elbow, and secured at wrists 

 and arms with a peculiar button. These buttons 

 are also on the bottoms of the overalls and on the 

 coat-sleeves. Rubber bands work well at first, but 

 they soon become a " vexation of spirit." 



THE RAMBLER'S COMPLETE WORK-SUIT. 



For head wear I prefer a stiff straw hat, with a 

 3>4-inch brim, over which a silk brussels-net veil is 

 worn in the ordinary way. A hat-brim of the 

 above width enables the veil to give protection to 

 the Rambler's three-inch nose. There are other 

 bee-keepers who would probably need a wider- 

 brimmed hat; but a slouch hat should be avoided, 

 as partaking too much of the nature of a cow-boy 

 style. 



The Rambler could never tolerate a white veil 

 wirh black portion before the eyes, as there is al- 

 ways more or less strain' on the eye through the 

 contrast of color; and then such a veil never re- 

 mains half black and half white. The white soon 

 tries to get to the shade of black, but never attains 

 to it, but gets dirty enough to look very untidy. 

 The Rambler has seen some horrid bee-veils, and, 

 rather than wear them, would prefer stings. 



To hold the veil snug around the neck I prefer a 

 stout cord with a slip-noose. This isn't half the 

 bother it is to tuck it under the coat; or if it is de- 

 sired to put the coat-collar over, it is already drawn 

 up nicely for the purpose by the cord. A net veil 

 can be slipped off the hat, and carried ip the vest 

 pocket, 



