1902 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



933 



he meant; or if he did mean what he said, 

 then his experience is diiTerent from yours 

 and mine. — Ed.] 



I AM GLAD TO Skf:, Mr. Editor, that you 

 are not entirely satisfied with the term 

 " shook swarms," sug-gesting- in its place 

 " forced swarms," p. 853. But there is the 

 same objection to "forced" as to "artifi- 

 cial " — it has for years been used to apply 

 to other than shaken swarms. Now, why 

 not use the right word, "shaken" ? The 

 only objection is that, "to your mind" it 

 does not suggest so strong an ag'itation as 

 "shook." I sj'mpathize with you in that, 

 for there are some cases in which the wrong- 

 thing sounds better to me than the right 

 thing. But you and I must not be guided 

 in our use of words by what soun !s right 

 to us, but by what we know is riglit. To 

 thousands the use of the word " shook '• for 

 "shaken " if exceedingly offensive, and let 

 me assure you that "shaken" has in it 

 just as many and as hard shakes as 

 "shook," however it may now sound to you. 

 Do you know of any other term that will 

 tell exactly what is meant so well as " sha- 

 ken swarms "? [But the qualifying adjec- 

 tive shaken is too narrow. " Artificial 

 swarming" is an old term, as you say, com- 

 monly used for uniting; but the phrase 

 "forced swarming" has been used to a 

 very limited extent, but not enough, I think, 

 to bar it from the kind of swarms we have 

 been speaking about. I very much question 

 whether the average forced swarms have 

 been shaken. I find from my correspon- 

 dence that a great number prefer brushing. 

 Then there is quite a following who neither 

 brush nor shake, but who cause the bees to 

 rush down from the upper hive by smoking, 

 on the Coggshall plan of flopping a cloth. 

 I still think we must have a general word; 

 and if my brother-editors will help I will 

 do all I can to introduce the term " forced 

 swarming" to cover all kinds of artificial 

 swarming of bees, not covered by the term 

 uniting. — Ed.] 





Another cedar in God's garden falls 

 Amid the brambles and the weeds ; 



A life of threescore years and ten 

 Has closed, made up of loving deeds. 



\«/ 



The November issue of the Bee-keeper'' s 

 Review is a fine one in every respect. The 

 general subject discussed in it will be seen 

 by referring to the editorials in this issue 

 of Gleanings. One of the very greatest 

 improvements Mr. Hutchinson ever put on 

 his paper is to have the type set by ma- 

 chine, as are our daily papers. 



GAZETTE APICOLE. 



A writer in the Gazette Apicole, in speak- 

 ing of immunity from bee-stings, says an 

 inquiry was made in 1898 by Dr. Lange in 

 reference to certain persons being able to 

 become indifferent to them. He gives the 

 following results: Of 170 persons consulted, 

 144 were immune and 26 could not aci^uire 

 immunity. Among the first, some became 

 immune after 30 stings, others only after 

 100. Some persons are so naturally. Dr. 

 Lange has been directing his efforts toward 

 rendering beginners immune to stings, as 

 the}', from the nature of the case, suffer 

 most. It is found that pertnanganate of 

 potash will render the poison harmless. 

 The difficulty, however, is in applying it to 

 the poison, which, by the time a remedy 

 can be found, is coursing its way in the 

 blood. A few cases are given showing the 

 effect of stings on persons of different con- 

 stitutions, in France. 



A man 35 years old, stung by bees, was 

 obliged to take to his bed for a day, his 

 teinperature being 101. There was a loss 

 of appetite; aversion to drink, and sleep- 

 lessness. 



Another person, 25 years old, immediately 

 after being stung fell into a comatose con- 

 dition, with temporary loss of memory. 



Another one, 32 years old, had a fever, 

 with a temperature of 105. 



Another man, 29 years old, after being- 

 stung, suffered a loss of appetite; had nau- 

 sea, diarrhea, with slight delirium. 



Another person, 27 years old, after being 

 stung had a fever bringing his temperature 

 up to 102, accompanied with vomiting, loss 

 of appetite, extreme excitement, nightmare, 

 and other bad symptoms. 



The writer quoted says these cases show 

 that the action of bee-poison acts principally 

 on the nerve-centers, owing to a peculiar 

 toxine the existence of which is not doubt- 

 ed, and which acts more or less strongly 

 according to the constitution of the patient. 

 Certain persons are so affected by stings as 

 to shudder at the thought of them, this 

 causing them to avoid hives. He says he 

 saw one peculiar case, that of a man 27 

 years old. After recovering from the effect 

 of some stings he said he could never again 

 pass in front of a hive, and the thought of 

 doing so caused him to turn pale and trem- 

 ble. He saw this man later, and he admit- 

 ted he had been obliged to get rid of his 

 hives, as he could not get over the fear 

 which came over him whenever he saw a 

 bee. Stings are more serious on children, 

 the effects being more prolonged, abscesses 

 sometimes forming. When the bee leaves 

 its sting, much if not most of the poison is 

 still in the sac, not having been injected 

 into the blood. If the person stung would be 

 careful to pinch the skin tightly, if possi- 

 ble, below the sac, thus forcing the poison 

 out, much trouble would be averted. But 

 when one is stung he is very apt to give the 

 injured part a severe brush or perhaps a 

 blow, thus forcing the poison in deeper and 

 deeper. 



