THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



173 



brave intelligent helpmeet." But really af- 

 ter writing the sentence wc have come to 

 the conclusion that it docs not include us or 

 else we are not capable of comprehending 

 our own condition. We never became 

 aware that avc were "in the bonds of sin- 

 gle bitterness," but always thought it 

 freedom ; then, too, we have always been 

 accustomed to consider the occupation of 

 the apiarist as a sweet one so we should 

 label tlie condition which the Professor ev- 

 idently means to describe as the freedom of 

 single sweetness. As far as bravery and 

 intelligence are concerned we presume there 

 arc many young ladies both North and 

 JSouth that would answer to that descrip- 

 tion, yet were we not afraid of a "^severe 

 trouncing" (see Sept. Oct. and Nov. No's. 

 of Bee-keepers' Magazine for '73,) we should 

 be inclined to say that most of tliem would 

 take but little interest in the cultivation of 

 the "little busy bee" or as they sometimes 

 term them," miserable stinging things." 

 However we should do injustice did we 

 not mention that there is one Southern 

 jMiss who surely takes an interest in bee- 

 culture, else she would not have ridden six- 

 teen miles horseback through the rain and 

 on the Fourth of July to receive two Ital- 

 ian queens. 



We well know that Mrs. C. is an excel- ' 

 lenc helpmeet, yet we never remember 

 seeing her in the apiary. Taking the views ' 

 expressed in the above statement of the case 

 we think the Professor ought to try and 

 have the beginner think himself suthcieutly 

 blessed if he but procure a companion who 

 would prove a "brave intelligent helpmeet" 

 outside of the apiary. Besides when too'- 

 mauy "bee-fplks" are around there is great 

 danger of one's getting "bee on the brain," 

 — a very bad complaint Avhichin most cases 

 narrows the mind down to one thing, and 

 , confines its sphere of action, thus making 

 ■of what might be a man, a mevn macJiine. 



Edgefield Junction, Teun. F. B. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



A Lady's Experience. 



I think as I am considerably indebted to 

 yourself and the Gleanings for the de- 

 gree of success I have been favored with. 

 I will give you an account of the experi- 

 ence I have had, since the fall of 1872. I 

 bought, at that time, 3 colonies of bees in 

 Langstroth hives, for which I paid $2(J. 

 I increased them last summer to 4, and in 

 the fall united my 2 nuclei, thus I win- 

 tered out of doors o stocks on natural stores 

 and fed a little sugar syrup ; I had no sur- 

 plus honey, the season being poor. To say 

 I was afraid of my bees would hardly ex- 

 press it. I almost laugh now when looking- 

 back over the last summer, to think how I 

 have overcame many dithculties, and I al- 



most dread to think of those nights of al- 

 most hysterical excitement ; how the bees 

 seemed to swarm around me as soon as I 

 closed my eyes to sleep, and nothing Imt 

 the continued angry buzz (as I imagined) 

 greeted my cars day and night, and then 

 those horrid slings. I liad to go to our 

 physician 2 or 3 times. (Now please do 

 not laugh it is not polite you know, espec- 

 ially when one suspects you have been in a 

 similar position yourself.) I asked him 

 Avhether I had not better give up those bees 

 entirely. I had not been well and he 

 thought I needed something to draw my 

 attention out of that gloomy state into 

 which I had sunk. So I attended to the 

 millers, around the blocks, and clipped the 

 grass in front of the hives and watched 

 them whenever I could. If woi-k kept me 

 in the house all day I often stole glances 

 through the wiixdow, or when I rested and 

 I read Longstroth on the Honey Bee in the 

 evenings, (I did not know anything, about 

 bee journals then,) when I made these arti- 

 ficial swarms how I trembled, and how 

 heated I got, and the little rascals seemed 

 to know I was afraid of them. They came 

 out all right last spring. I fed them a lit- 

 tle, and opened the spread, as Mr. Doolittlc 

 recommended. You see I had the Amj^ri- 

 CAX Bee Journal to study then, it has 

 been worth very much to me. I have an 

 acquaintance who lives about 3 miles from 

 us, who owns about lUO colonies ; he has 

 kindly instructed me from time to time ; 

 he has not used the extractor yet, but I pre- 

 sume he Avill soon. 



Last March I bought 5 stocks in box 

 hives. I transferred them very success- 

 fully. Some were in fine order ; one was 

 destitute of brood and honey, I think. I 

 bought them just in time to save them. I 

 gave them brood and honey from some of 

 the other hives, and now they are my best 

 stock, exceptoue. I drummed them out 

 and opened the side of the hive, on which 

 the combs lay fiat, with a cold chisel, bor- 

 rowed from my liusband's mowing machine. 

 When I asked for it, he laughed and con- 

 sented- to lend it if I would return it to it's 

 place, and remarked that he supposed I 

 would have all of his tools about those 

 hives if he did. not look after them. Of 

 course it was duly returned, I do not like 

 to hear men grumble especially when, thej' 

 are in the house. T)ve first, week in May 

 I visited A. I. RooL & Co., of Medina ; the 

 day was very waim but little daughter Edith 

 and myself hr.d a very pleasant time. Mr. 

 Root certainly is a gentlemen, and Miss 

 Andrews took especial pains to show us 

 their, apiary, and I learned what I could. 

 1 fear I troubled them with questions, but 

 as some Americans I have heard say, "I 

 wanted to know." Mr. R. has a pleasant 

 home, and a very nice family ; especially 



