1884 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



407 



BEE-KEEPING- IN A MOUNTAINOUS 

 REGION. 



liEE-NOTES FIIOM THE BLUE KIDGE. 



TTflT Y last letter to Gleaninos has brought so 

 j¥li many inquiries about this country, that, 

 '^■TTr ^^'t^ your permission, I will answer the gist 

 -*-"''*' of those queries through the great bee- 

 keepers' medium. Many correspondents 

 seem to have but a confused idea of a mountain 

 country, and can not divest their minds of the land- 

 scape with which they are most familiar — broad, 

 cleared fields where the plow and reaper can run 

 with little hindrence, and farming operations can be 

 pursued on an extensive scale, with all the advan- 

 tages for bee-keeping peculiar to the mountains, 

 thrown in. This is an erroneous impression. Farm- 

 ing in a mountainous country is necessarilj- confin- 

 ed to small areas of cultivable land at best, and the 

 best location for keeping bees admits of but limited 

 farming. From one to ton acres is about the extent 

 of a mouni.iin field. The land is diversified by rug- 

 ged clifl's, lofty peaks, ridges, slopes, coves, or glens, 

 and narrow bottoms along the largest streams. The 

 bottom lands along the so-called rivers are general- 

 ly taken up by old settlers, who farm in the primi- 

 tive way. Higher up, the widest of the coves and val- 

 leys are also occupied by sparse settlements. The 

 higher plateaus neai-, and on the crest of the Blue 

 Ridge, are just beginning to attract settlers. In the 

 latter region, three to four thousand feet above sea- 

 level, is where the cool healthful air, the sweet,spark- 

 ling water, the cascades, and grand mountain scen- 

 ery are found. All through this upper region is 

 where the fine honey is produced. The whole coun- 

 try is good for bee-keeping; but choice selections 

 can be made, which will always prove e.\tra fine. 



The southern slopes and co\cs, which are over- 

 hung and sheltered by the lofty mountains and thin 

 flanging ridges, are particularly well adapted to bee 

 culture. Such topographical formations are des- 

 ignated by the general name of "coves" in this coun- 

 try. 



The atmosphere in this coves is several degrees 

 warmer in summer than on the plateaus above, and 

 the bee-pasture is very varied. They woi-k in the 

 low warm nooks earlj^ in spring. In one of these 

 coves, two miles only from Highlands, bees were 

 carrying in pollen from the alders on the 7th of last 

 February, and swarmed in April; while at High- 

 lands, swarming is a month later. The bees follow 

 the bloom and forage over mountain and glen, 

 wherever the flowers yield nectar. Abundance of 

 poplar (tulip-trees), locust, black-gum, sourwood, 

 huckleberry, buckberry, "kill-calf," maple, chest- 

 nut, and, in some localities, linden, or basswood, 

 abound. In addition to the honey plants and trees 

 named, there are scores of others; and where there 

 are cultivated fields, white clover is abundant. 

 These give a succession of bloom from early spring 

 till August, and sometimes there is a good flow of 

 fall flowers; but the fall crop of honey can not be 

 counted on for much surplus. Buckwheat yields 

 but little honey here. The asters and goldenrods 

 invite the busy workers in swarms, and they spring 

 up in abundance Avherever the forest is destroyed. 

 The mountain honey is very mild and of delicate 

 flavor, never harsh and pungent. 



This mountain region is not adapted to general 

 farming purposes ; but as a land for orchards, It will 

 f>e difficult to find a region that will fsurp^ss it, es- 



pecially for growing apples. For root ci-ops and 

 grass it is very superior; and when the superabun- 

 dance of forest has been cleared away from the 

 pai-ts suitable for orchards and pasture lands, the 

 dairy business, with fruit-growing, root cultui-e, and 

 bee-keeping, will move hand in hand, to make this 

 south-western Blue Ridge country one of the favor- 

 ite sections of the United States. The finest summen- 

 climate that has ever been discovered on the conti- 

 nent is here on the Blue Ridge of North Carolina. 

 All admit this superior merit who have visited these 

 mountains. 



But the country is wild and unkempt at present. 

 Those who come into it in pursuit of health, or to 

 follow bee-keeping, must make up their minds to 

 dispense with many of the conveniences and com- 

 forts of the old and thickly settled parts, where rail- 

 roads are but a few minutes drive or walk from 

 their dooi-s. The native population, though hospit- 

 able, sociable, and in every respect agreeable, are 

 very primitive, generally, in their habits and mode 

 of life, and in their home appointments and farm- 

 ing operations. The log bee-gum, the hand-loom, 

 spinning-wheel, and bull-tongue plow, predominate 

 in all this region of country. But the click of the 

 sewing-machine mingles with the buzz of the spin- 

 ning-wheel, and the sonorous tones of the parlor or- 

 gan swell with the evening hymn from the log' cot- 

 tagd (for those mountain folks are generally 

 church-goers and church - members). The Yankee- 

 inventions, and Yankees too, are coming, and they 

 are coming to stay. 



My bees are booming on this 31st day of May. 

 Some of the colonies have their second story al- 

 most full of snowy combs, and in another week some 

 will be ready to take off, and this is only a medium 

 location for the business. E. E. Ewino. 



Highlands, N. C. 



A GENTLE PLEA FOE. THE MEDICAL 

 PROFESSION. 



A KEPLY TO THE ARTICLE ON PAGE 90, FEB. NO. 



tRO. ROOT:— I do not like to see such medical 

 literature in Gleanings, although I do not 

 see how you could well pass it, considering 

 the request of friend Hayhurst. I do not 

 practice medicine now, being nearly 60 years 

 old. I feel such cuts, however, given in Pringle's 

 article, as wrong. The mind has more to do in re- 

 covery from disease than drugs; and any thing said 

 or done to break confidence in medical men acts in- 

 juriously in the sick-room, in the same manner-a 

 lecture by Robert G. IngersoU in your town would 

 on your work in the church. At one time during- 

 the Crimean war I was the only physician on duty 

 in a hospital of 1500 beds, all full. Of course, I could 

 not go half way round. I tried to get over 600 beds 

 per day. Here, then, were 900 sick, without a doc- 

 tor, for 11 days! As I had the daily deaths previous, 

 durino as well as after the 11 days, j'ou will readily 

 admit that I had data from which to infer results. 

 Now, the average deaths were greater among- the 

 900 than among the 600. Among the 600 there was 

 liopc. Not so among the 900. "By faith ye are 

 saved" was true of the 600, but not true of the 900. 

 This leaves medication by drugs outside. But the 

 very peg- on which these 6(X) hung their hopes was 

 wanting in the other wards. The great bane is, 

 that umj\iiilified men fi-ctinto tlie medical i)rofessiou 



