IS'fJ 



(JLKAMXIJS IN HEE I'UI/rURK. 



em 



many nioiv colonicsof Ih-cs than if left to tlicm- 

 solvos. Tho liot-wattM" iivalintMit was a t'ail- 

 ur<\ 1 priu'ss. I am not (luilc Hiirc biil it did tin' 

 bocs a littlt' snioii: Imi l>y tal<iii>r oiH all tin- 

 combs Init Just ciioukIi tor llii' bees to ()i\-ui)y. 

 some roioiiics had l)ut two romlis left: and tlit^n 

 foodinsr daily in tho hives, as 1 had stfi'njith to. 

 sav«n! many a colony, and each little colony 

 was in tile center of the hive with i-halT on eacii 

 side close up. and lieavy carpc-ts and (juillson 

 top tliat 1 could lift and feed on top of the 

 frames. Some of those two-comb nuclei are 

 now built up into strong colonies, and are work- 

 ing in supers. 



We have now 74 full colonies, the most of 

 them in supers. About 50 liave lilled a .Wlb. 

 super, and S a second super. 70 to SO lbs.: '2.W 

 lbs. We also have .iO colonies that I think will 

 all be l)uill up in time to gather the fail crop of 

 honey, as we quite confidently look for one this 

 year. We have had much rain, and rJ4 colo- 

 iiies all together. We bought 10 fair oik^s and 1:.' 

 tuere nuclei. We liad i)ul 3.") colonies built up 

 strong enough to put on supers at the b<'gin- 

 ning of our honey harvest, and non(> of those 

 could be called good for that time of year (the 

 middle of Junei; but they have increased rap- 

 idly since then. We have had ten natural 

 swarms, and I prevented about half of them 

 from swarming by taking out one comb of 

 brood once a week in the center of the hive, 

 each time taking out the same comb, which 

 did not weaken the colony very much. If I 

 took out two it slopped some of the colonies 

 from working in sections, and one coml) was 

 sure to be filled with honey. One comb would 

 not stop them from working in sections. 



We began the spring by feeding outdoors; 

 but we soon found they would not take in suffi- 

 cient syrup to live on. even if we kept syrup in 

 feeders all the time: and. being exposed to the 

 sunshine, it quickly soured. We were n"ver 

 troubled by syrup souring before. We have 

 always had such a cloud of bees that they 

 would pounce upon it and lick it up and quick- 

 ly ask for more. 



" Many of our colonies were so weak they 

 would "not take it up when given in the hives, 

 except as we fed just a little daily. They were 

 very slow to take it out of wooden feeders of 

 any kind that we tried, so we Ijought a lot of 

 deep four-cent pie-tins, and cut each one in 

 two with the tin-snips we bought of you: and 

 with the pincers we turned up an edge along 

 the center where cut. which then held about a 

 teacupful. In this feeder we laid a clean old 

 cloth, and laid across it two corncobs, and set 

 it on the frames under the quill. Our best col- 

 onies would take the syrup out of those feeders 

 lively, bill the weak ones would not: so I took 

 some old sections that were filled with drone 

 comb, and having deep cells, and would fill 

 three or four by laying them in a pan and pour- 

 ing the syrup into them: and when I came to a 

 weak colony I would lake out their empty sec- 

 tion and lay a full one on the frames, and lav 

 a cob over the section. We have several such 

 two-frame colonies now working in sections. 

 paving me back for mv work (not trouble) ten- 

 fold. 



Last year we had our 22r> colonies in three 

 out-apiaries and at home. Last fall we 

 brought home all from two out-apiaries, and 

 this spring we brought the other one home, so 

 now we have all at home. It is just a pleasure 

 to care for one apiary. 



I said I felt paid for caring for bees in more 

 ways than one. This spring, as the bees were 

 in such terrible condition, it pushed me out of 

 doors to work sooner than I otherwise would 

 have done, and my health has improved won- 

 derfully, so that I liave enjoyed better health 



for the past three months than at any time 

 since I was a voung girl. Having but the one 

 apiary, and that so small to begin with. I have 

 l)een doing all my own housework' and Ihree- 

 fourilis of the ajuary work, as Mr. AxtelTs 

 health has been mori- delicate than mine, and 

 hi' does not like to work with bees, and I do. It 

 s(>emed quiet and nice to he alone one summer. 

 This summer we are of age as bee-k-cepcrs. for, 

 ;.'] or :.':.' years ago last spring, we lirought home 

 our first bees. 



lean stand liie heal of the sun so much bet- 

 ter, and thrive in it. than the heat of the stove, 

 or of work in the house, that I do all the house- 

 work I can in llie inoining, even preparing for 

 dinner all I can, so that at 11 o'clock I liave 

 only lo start my lire and place the food on the 

 stove to cook, and I can rest most of th(> time 

 while it is cooking, because^ I am generally 

 pretty lired about then after doing up my 

 morning work and working with bees for an 

 hour or so. I do not like to work willi bees be- 

 fore it or 10 o'clock, and in ilie afternoon they 

 are more docile to handle than in the forenoon; 

 and with a cool bee-hat and loose clothing, 

 thinly clad, out under the trees lo "ork. it is as 

 cool as in the house, almost: then it is a " de- 

 light and a joy for ever" to nu» lo be out with 

 the bees and see them groiv. 



Roseville. III.. Aug. 10. Mrs. L. C. Axtell. 



Heads or Grain 



FROM DIFFERENT FIELDS 



BEE-STINGS AND RHEUMATISM. 



Being a reader of the British Bee Journal, 

 I some lime ago came across a few articles hav- 

 ing reference to bee-slings as a cure for rheum- 

 atism. The subject had passed from my 

 mind until just recently, when a particular 

 friend of mine, who has suffered from this an- 

 noying complaint, was staling his case to me, 

 and I at once remembered what I had read, and 

 told him about it. His curiosity being aroused, 

 he asked lo see the hntei's; and after careful 

 perusal of the same. In- came' lo my apiary lo 

 try Ihe effect of the remedy. 



My friend is an ex-police sergeant, who has 

 suffered acutely for years from rheumatism, 

 and passed through the hands of several medi- 

 cal men. and spent seasons at various convales- 

 cent h(nnes, undergoing various kinds of treat- 

 ment, but all to no purpose. However, on 

 Monday, the 11 ih of July last, he came to see 

 me. suffering from severe pain in his right 

 elbow and right ankle. With the heli)ofmy 

 bees I gave him eight slings, three u^)on the 

 elbow, and four upon the ankle. When he 

 came he could not lift his arm. and il was with 

 very great dit'ticully Ihal he managed lo walk 

 a distance of two miles lo my place; but twenty 

 minutes after being stung he could work his 

 arm about as freely as if he had nevei- had any 

 rheumatism in his life, and he walked away 

 like a two-year-old. On the following night he 

 came down lo have another applica,tion, and 

 told me he had not had so good a night's rest 

 for six months, as after the bee-slings his pain 

 was gone, and his ankle was three inches less 

 in circumference than il had been for two years 

 previously. I gave hitn sixteen more slings, 

 six on each ankle, and four on the elbow, with 

 the result thai he was (juite free from pain un- 

 til the :i7th ult.. when he fell a slight return of 

 his old enemy, and came for a third dose. I 

 gave him another twelve stings, six on each 

 aiikle: and when I saw him on the 30th he 

 treated me to a short hornpipe to show me the 



