1909 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



353 



squire off. As I feaied it would be, my strength 

 and energy were gone at once. I was unable to 

 work or do any thing; but I kept quiet, and was 

 very careful of my diet until I pulled loose from 

 the morphiae tppetite. I<"or one or two days the 

 temptation was terribly itrong to have just a lit- 

 tle bit more of that medicine; but in a week's 

 time, or a little more, I was all over it, and I 

 have never touched any thing containing morphine 

 since Well, when these new tablets made me 

 feel so easy and comfortable I began to fear it 

 was the old morphine habit coming back; but I 

 was greatly pleased to have the doctor inform me 

 that the tablets contained no opium nor morphine 

 — nor quinine. 



When I was quite low with fever I was told 

 (by a good and experienced nurse) I must have 

 an alcohol bath. I suggested wood alcohol as a 

 saving of expense. When told it was poison I 

 maintained that, even if it was poison to drink, I 

 was satisfied it was as good as any other for bath- 

 ing purposes — that is, if alcohol or whisky is of 

 any benefit at all for bathing. After becoming 

 assured that it would refresh and strengthen me 

 I consented to the use of it. Now, at that time 

 I had eaten so little that I was only a bundle of 

 skin and bones. Rollingaround in bed so many 

 days had worn off the skin till (so it seemed to 

 me) some of the bones almost threatened to come 

 through. The attendant suggested that an alco- 

 hol bath would help the matter, and make me 

 feel refreshed in every way. Well, I do not 

 think I am stubborn or contrary when I tell you 

 that the bath (with the very best alcohol) did not 

 refresh me a particle. In fact, it made the sore 

 places smart, and I did not rest as easy for 24 

 hours after the alcohol bath. When told 1 would 

 have to take it every day I rebelled. I had only 

 that one. A bath in pure soft rain water has al- 

 ways refreshed and invigorated me. It did the 

 same before I had my alcohol bath and after I 

 had it, and it has never failed. But the bath 

 with alcohol gave no such refreshing feeling what- 

 ever,^ and I hope you will excuse me for insist- 

 ing that the use of whisky for bathing the body 

 is a silly notion — a relic of the age when doctors 

 used to take out a lot of a man's blood to cure 

 him. If he survived, then they said the bleed- 

 ing was what cured him. If the poor fellow 

 died, then they would tell the relatives that, al- 

 though they took away a large quantity of blood, 

 even that did not save him. 



Now, you need not dispute what I have said 

 above, for there are plenty of people to-day who 

 remember this "bloodletting" business. At 

 the present time, thank God, we do our best to 

 give a sick man more blood instead of taking 

 away what little he has. 



Now to go back to the matter of whisky-bath- 

 ing- 



Whisky-drinking, thank God, is about to be 

 put down and out as a remedy for sick people. 

 I remember my brother telling years ago of a 

 man who got a bottle of whisky to help his rheu- 

 matism. He forgot the directions. Perhaps it 

 was written as some of the doctors write them 

 nowadays — so nobody can read them anyhow. 



*Mrs. Root sabmitted to the alcohol bath daily for several 

 days, and her testitnony .lerees with mine exactly. She says she 

 fell no benefit whatever, while at the same time a b.ith o( pure 

 soft water was inviEoratiDe and lefreshiog. 



He drank the whisky and rubbed the empty bot- 

 tle on his rheumatic limbs. 



By the way, how many can recall incidents 

 where whisky, brandy, and alcohol were sent for 

 to " bathe the patient " when the liquor was real- 

 ly used for some other purpose? 



Oh that the doctors in our little towns and 

 big towns could be induced to read that article 

 of ten pages in McClure's Magazine, and cariy 

 ou' its plain and obvious teachings! 



When I began to convalesce the doctor gave 

 me what he called a tonic. He said I must not 

 object to it because of the port wine that it con- 

 tained, for it was put in simply to preserve the 

 other remedies. By the way, this grip fever, or, 

 as the doctor said it probably was, panly malari- 

 al fever, hung on more or less for seve-al weeks. 

 Well, I feel sure I am not mistaken when I de- 

 clare that just one spoonful of that port wine ag- 

 gravated and brought back the disagreeable 

 symptoms of that fever. T tried it again and 

 again, and every time I was satisfied that the ef- 

 fect on myself, at least, was injurious. It is so 

 long since I have touched any thing in the way 

 of alcoholic stimulants that very likely I was un- 

 duly sensitive to their effect. 



Poultry 

 Department 



Conducted by A. I. Root. 



NOTHING TO DO BUT GATHER THE EGGS. 



Just now we are getting from two to three doz- 

 en rggs a day from about four dozen laying 

 hens, and we havt got these so arranged that 

 there is certainly but very little to do but " gath- 

 er the eggs." The fowls are kept in an orchard 

 of nearly an acre; in fact, it is the very place 

 whert our dandelion cow gave such a lot of milk 

 when feeding on dandelions. The four dozen 

 laying hens, including two males, certainly use 

 a considerable part of the dandelion foliage, and 

 may be they use the buds and blossoms to some 

 extent. At any rate, they are keeping the dan- 

 delions down so they are very much behind those 

 outside of the inclosure. Perhaps I should men- 

 tion right here that we still find dandelions about 

 the best food we can get for cowi giving milk, 

 just as it has been for the last three years, and 1 

 am at a loss to understand why there is such a 

 complaint about " dandelions overrunning every 

 thing," as we see it talked about in the papers. 



To get back to the poultry, as wheat is so high 

 we are feeding just corn and oats. The oats are 

 soaked over night, and so far we find the egg- 

 yield nearly if not quite as good as when we fed 

 so much wheat. About all there is to do besides 

 gathering the eggs is to take care of an occasion- 

 al sitting hen. If she is promptly shut up the 

 first time we find her on the nest, a confinement 

 of two days usually cures her. We keep corn 

 and soaked oats constantly before the fowls. 

 While speaking of oats, the following card is 

 just at hand: 



Mr. Knot: — What is your method of sprouting grain for chick- 

 ens? Do you put it in the ground or in boxes? 



Millstone, Md.. May 1. J. W. Garry. 



