838 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAl.. 



tances apart, say three feet. The plant- 

 ing is done very rapidly with a boy to 

 hold the tree in an upright position in 

 the center of the hollow furrow. A man 

 can, with a spade, very quickly throw in 

 sufBcent soil from the furrow that has 

 been thrown out to cover the roots and 

 hold the tree in place ; then, with the 

 foot, press the earth firmly down on 

 them, take the plow again and turn 

 what remains of the furrows towards 

 the row of trees, and the work is com- 

 plete. They should be plowed a few 

 times the first season to keep down the 

 weeds, and after this they will care for 

 themselves. 



This willow is very hardy, never win- 

 ter kills, and is sure to furnish an an- 

 nual and an abundant crop of flowers. 

 Trees about six feet In height are the 

 most desirable for planting out. 



AMEKICAN LINDEN OE BASSWOOD. 



Another tree of great value for bees is 

 the American linden or linn (basswood). 

 Coming into flower later in the season 

 they fill a very important place in the 

 bee-keepers' pasture. 



The linden is also one of our very best 

 lawn or shade trees ; being a tree of 

 noble form and rapid growth, very 

 hardy, and also free from all insect 

 pests, it is one of the most desirable of 

 all our American shade trees. 



Every bee-keeper should see to it that 

 his place is well supplied with this best 

 of all honey-producing trees. 



The American linden being easily 

 transplanted, any one can grow them, 

 and we need more of these shade and 

 honey trees. 



Planted in groves 25 feet apart, they 

 also furnish excellent wind-breaks, and 

 with their large, round leaves are very 

 showy in the summer season. 



Bloomington, Ills. 



[Mr. Foster, who kindly contributes 

 the above article, is Secretary of the 

 Phoenix Nursery Company, of Blooming- 

 ton, Ills., whose advertisement may be 

 found on page 346 of this number of 

 the Bee Joubnal. — Ed.] 



Bee-Stings and Rheumatism- 

 Wintering Bees. 



Written Jor the American Bee Journal 

 BY WM. 8T0LLEY. 



Of late I have seen several times men- 

 tion made of this subject in the Bee 

 JouKNAL. Many years ago I read about 



an old forester in Germany, having been 

 cured from a severe case of rheumatism 

 of long duration, by the stings of bees. 

 As near as I can remember, the report 

 was as follows : 



The old forester, for years very much 

 crippled and afflicted with rheumatism, 

 was a bee-keeper. One day he went 

 tottering to take a look at his bees, and 

 as it happened, stumbled and fell against 

 a hive and upset it. Being clad only in 

 thin trousers and shirt, he was terribly 

 stung by the enraged bees, and it was 

 expected that he would die from the 

 effect of the numerous stings he had re- 

 ceived. But the final result was the 

 other way. In a few days the old man 

 got quite well, and was entirely cured of 

 rheumatism. 



Acting upon this report, I had occa- 

 sion, some seven years ago, when a sis- 

 ter-in-law of mine was suffering with 

 rheumatism, to apply the same remedy. 

 She had tried, for a long time, the treat- 

 ment of various highly-reputed physi- 

 cians, and still no relief would be ob- 

 tained, from all the medicines she took 

 internally, nor the liniments used ex- 

 ternally on the parts most afflicted. 



So, one day I called at her house ac- 

 cidentally, and found her suffering very 

 much with inflammatory rheumatism in 

 one of her knees. I suggested to her to 

 try the bee-sting cure, which she 

 promptly agreed to. I at once went 

 home to ray apiary and got a lot of bees, 

 and applied six of them around about 

 the affected knee, and, strange to say, 

 that in about a week, and after another 

 application of four more bee-stings, she 

 was cured completely. She was 63 

 years old at the time when this experi- 

 ment was made. 



Again, three and four years ago, a 

 daughter of ours (13 years old) was 

 quite sick with rheumatism in one foot 

 and shoulder, and I applied the same 

 remedy. The effect was always a good 

 one, and two or three bee-stings applied 

 at the place most affected, would bring 

 instant relief, and she would go to sleep 

 soon after the application, 



I subsequently, and before the attack 

 of rheumatism came again, sent her for 

 one winter season to the sunny South in 

 Texas, near the Gulf of Mexico, and 

 since then she is not any more troubled 

 with rheumatism. 



These instances may induce sufferers 

 from rheumatism to try the bee-sting 

 cure, and be benefited. I, myself, do 

 believe that a dozen bees can do more to 

 cure rheumatism than a hundred physi- 

 cians possibly can. Their (the bees') 

 remedy is applied with a point, is to the 



