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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Our Bocwrs Himts. 



By F. L. PEIRO. M. D. 



McVicker's Building, Chicago, III. 



An Acre of Rugged Health. 



Every family on a farm should have an 

 acre of rugged health. City people, as 

 much as they can get— which is usually 

 little enough ! What mysteries and revela- 

 tions are contained in an acre of Mother 

 Earth 1 They only will know who per- 

 sonally and familiarly shake hands with 

 this silent but beneficent Force ! The. plan- 

 ning and the digging, the planting and the 

 watching, the joy of blossoms and delight 

 of reaping added to the benisons of sun- 

 light and fresh air— how all Nature smiles 

 at the glorious result? By all means deter- 

 mine on it, and let no obstacle shake you 

 from it. 



Of course there will be opposition at first 

 from the head of the house. There usually 

 is, until the good wife shows the better 

 way? " O I don't want to fuss with a patch 

 of garden truck." No; oh, no, his lordship 

 can condescend to no such small things !— 

 but you insist on having that acre, not far 

 from the barn, plowed deep and fenced, 

 and you are mistress of the situation! 

 Along, and all around the fence, plant 

 berries of all kinds — black, rasp' and goose 

 berries. They take up little room, and will 

 afford luscious eating. Then measure off a 

 generously large square for a fine bed of 

 strawberries. Ah, just think of going out 

 there to pick a " mess " of the rubies every 

 day during their season ! 



Then comes your "tater" patch for 

 earlies, and the sweet-corn that makes the 

 children's eyes stick out ! And in that es- 

 pecially rich spot, right over there, put in 

 plenty seeds of water and musk melons. O 

 just look at them grow ! What a feast till 

 frost comes! And the lettuce, beans, " cow- 

 cumbers," spinach for " greens," and rad- 

 dishes that bite ; peas that children delight 

 to shell, and onions that make you cry 

 whether there is anything the matter with 

 you or not ! 



Of course you won't forget to set out a 

 few apple and cherry trees- they always do 

 well. Might try a few peach and plum 

 trees, they rrtrt?/ fruit. But one more plant 

 you must remember — pie-plant — lots of it. 

 Whether stewed or " pied "—it's always 



fine ! It can be canned for winter, and no 

 better, healtheir food (luxury, rather) 

 grows anywhere. 



And don't forget the flowers— any and all 

 kinds, not omitting roses and hollyhocks, 

 pansies and forget-me-nots. In your efforts 

 to do all this, you have coaxed the very 

 sunlight into your heart. You have ex- 

 tracted for yourself and children that 

 richest of blessings— rugged health. You 

 have taught that " horrid man " a lesson 

 of woman's ingenuity, and will have the 

 satisfaction of seeing in that husband's 

 wistful gaze the unuttered eulogy, "Ah, 

 Jenny dear, that's a pretty big head on 

 those small shoulders!" And in the future 

 he is yours to command ! 



Hard Hearing. 



What has been said of causes of coughs, 

 on page 634, applies with special force to 

 difficulty of hearing. It is frequently no- 

 ticed that from the same exposures sud- 

 denly one will become, in a manner, deaf. 

 This is particularly the case in persons who 

 have a catarrhal difficulty of the nose or 

 throat. A chilling exposure aggravates 

 the catarrh, closing the canals that connect 

 the ears with the throat, preventing the 

 free entrance and exit of air, thus produc- 

 ing dullness of hearing. Sometimes these 

 tubes become permanently closed, in which 

 case restoration of hearing is impossible. 

 Or inflammation of the internal ear may 

 occur, resulting in suppuration, which may 

 occasion rupture of the drum of the ear, 

 that the discharge of matter be accelerated. 

 Such results often attend acute catarrhal 

 conditions. This accident often impairs 

 hearing permanently. 



Then, too, the impaction of hardened 

 wax in the ear is another cause of deafness ; 

 so are polyps or foreign substances in the 

 ear. These conditions frequently give rise 

 to disturbing noises in the ears— snapping, 

 cracking, hissing sounds that almost drive 

 one to dispair ! Very many of these wretch- 

 ed results can be obviated by more care of 

 one's self than usual, and if attacked, by 

 proper, though simple treatment. Warmth 

 is one of the first comforts necessary to re- 

 lief or cure— either in bed or comfortable 

 room. In the more acute conditions, take 

 No. 1 (of the new remedies out of the " Bee 

 Journal " Remedy Case) every hour for a 

 few days, until all fever and acute condi- 

 tions have subsided, then take No. 13 every 



