THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



327 



miles wound in and out among the trees, 

 and for the whole distance was unspeak- 

 ably bad. During the first winter the 

 footprints of wolves were seen in our 

 vicinity; and once, at midnight, we heard 

 a howling pack sweep by the corner of 

 the clearing. Bears were often seen; but 

 it so chanced that we never had the 

 pleasure of meeting one in the botanizing 

 rambles which were almost the only recre- 

 ation of our first summer. Once, sister 

 walked a mile and a half to our nearest 

 neighbors, spent the night there, and then 

 in company with her hostess walked seven 

 and a half miles — passing on the way but 

 two small clearings — to the home of a 

 neighbor who had invited them to spend 

 the Sabbath with her, and listen to preach- 

 ing at the log school-house near by. And, 

 to their sore disappointment, the preach- 

 er did not come ! 



The second year was made memorable 

 by the building of the F. & P. M. R. R. 

 through our section of country; an event 

 which materially changed the situation 

 for the better. Our mail now came in 

 care of Messrs. B. & P., contractors, to 

 their store on the line, where also provis- 

 ions could be purchased, and all the sur- 

 plus produce of the clearing disposed of at 

 fair prices. 



Early in the third year — the railroad 

 then being completed to some point west 

 of us— a village was located within a mile 

 of our place; a village of great expecta- 

 tions and many unfulfilled prophecies. 

 The enterprising people who then began 

 to come in by rail, called themselves 

 pioneers — but for us, the true pioneer 

 stage had passed. Pioneers? — with a 

 railroad station almost at one's door ! 

 Nevertheless, apart from the narrow line 

 of railroad, the country was then an al- 

 most unbroken wilderness, and remained 

 a new country — a very new country — for 

 many years. Indeed, certain Eastern 

 friends who visited us in 1893, seemed to 

 think it sufficiently new and unkempt at 

 that late date. It is even possible that 

 the editor of the Review may consider it 

 a new country to day ! 



But during the summer of 1871, and 

 for two or three seasons later, deer were 

 sometimes seen, in the early morning, 

 feeding in our clearing; and bears were 

 often met in the vicinity; and the forest 

 itself — the great primeval forest — still 

 stood close about us and stretched away 

 to the north untouched and unwasted. 

 But its hour had struck ! The advancing 

 railroad was followed close by the lum- 

 berman; and ravaging fires came soon in 

 his wake. 



In December 1871, there appeared in 

 the New York Tribune an interesting re- 

 port of the meeting of the American Bee- 

 Keepers' Association at Cleveland. 



Glancing it over, my attention was 

 arrested by the fact that two ladies took 

 a prominent part in the proceedings; and 

 that they recommended bee-keeping as 

 pleasant and profitable employment for 

 women. Correspondence with these 

 ladies ensued, advice was asked, received 

 and acted upon, with this result: early in 

 May, 1972, I became the happy possessor 

 of a colony of Italian bees, which had 

 cost me only ^25. 00, plus nearly I5.00 

 express charges. When, in June, my 

 sister came home from a six month's 

 visit with a brother in the South, she be- 

 came my efficient helper and full partner 

 in the enterprise. 



We began with no knowledge whatever 

 of bee-keeping; nor had we a bee-keep- 

 ing friend or acquaintance. The Italian 

 Bee Co. — Mrs. E. S. Tupper and Mrs. 

 Annie Saverj — of whom our bees were 

 purchased, had recommened to us a small 

 text book and a monthly bee-journai 

 jmrtly devoted to Agriculture. As the 

 publishers of this journal did not adver- 

 tise rival publications nor giv-e the address 

 of correspondents, we were shut out from 

 access to the bee-keeping fraternit}-. 

 Still, much of our text-book's teaching 

 was good, and often the paper contained 

 interesting and valuable articles from the 

 pens of writers of repute. Perhaps it was 

 as well that, for our first year, we were 

 not too much distracted by opposing coun- 

 sels, even at the price of some mistakes. 



