48 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 15. 



don't seem to object at all to the dividers as I 

 now make them. Phase allow me to send 

 yon a sample. 



I believe yonr fence is all right for separa- 

 tors, for there is work on both sides of them, 

 but not so with the dividers. Surely there 

 are not many bee-keepers who would stick at 

 a cent or two per hive to have the very best. 

 The bits must be in good order, so as to cut 

 clean and smooth, and the divider sandpaper- 

 ed. It paA s to remove every excuse for daub- 

 ing propolis. Please your bees and tliey will 

 please j-ou. Study their wishes and th^-y will 

 gratify your wishes generally. 



Belmont, Ont., Can., Dec. lo. 



[You may be right in thinking that 3/^-irch 

 holes will be preferable to slats spaced fj of 

 an inch apart. But this coming season will 

 determine whether the fences clear up to the 

 outside row in the supers we are sending out 

 will accomplish the results desired ; namel}^ 

 in having the outside faces of the outside rows 

 as well built out as the faces of the inner rows. 

 —Ed.] 



CALIFORNIA THE LAND FOR THE SICK. 



A Handy and Efficient Remedy for Croup; Health 

 Regained : California's Resources. 



BV J. M. HAMBAUGH. 



Two years ago the 20th of last Maj' I em- 

 barked with my family to this far-away sunny 

 clime. The causes that promp'.eil us to un- 

 dertake so stupendous a change were manv, 

 chief among which was the breaking-duwn of 

 my health, caused by a jearly recurrence of 

 the grip, added to chronic catarrlial trouble of 

 the head. This malady was qui e fixed, hav- 

 ing bothered me from my youth. My wife 

 and oldest daughter were also troubled bj- the 

 same disease. The climatic changes of Illin- 

 ois seem to aggravate those troubles, and very 

 few ever recover from the malady when it is 

 once engrafted into the system. 



The trouble in our case was not only the 

 suffering consequent from this and other dis- 

 agreeable diseases, btit the contintious and 

 never-ceasing doctor's bills, making no small 

 item of expense yearl}'. Life, as you are 

 aware, without health, almost hcenis a burden; 

 and now to sum up the benefits derived. 



On our way down here from Pomona, a dis- 

 tance of 100 miles, we traveled in our surrv ; 

 and from exposure our babj' boy, Louis, took 

 a severe cold, resttliing in croup, which came 

 near a serious termination, while at Capis- 

 trano, the first night out ; and never in the 

 history of my life did I spend such a night. 

 Imagine being awakened from 3-our slumbers 

 near midnight, in a strange land, and among 

 entire strangers, with that dread disease, croup, 

 in its most hideous form, fastened upon your 

 l^aby boy, and no remedies at hand to check 

 this rapacious monster. We were by no means 

 ignorant of remedies for this disease, having 

 had years of experience with our older chil- 

 dren, chief among which was the alum-and- 

 honey remedy. In otir lunch-basket was the 

 desired honey, but no alum. The disease 



seemed to be making rapid headway, and 

 something had to be done, and th it quickly. 

 I ran down stairs, but no light could be found 

 about the building. Everybody had retired. 

 A faint light glimmered from across the street, 

 which seemed to emanate from a store or busi- 

 ness house. Hastily I ran across the street. 

 The door was open, and I quickly entered, to 

 find I had stepped into as hard a looking place 

 as cotild well be found in California or Arizo- 

 na. A bar was at the rear end, with decanters 

 and fancy V)ottles, wine-glasses, tumblers, etc., 

 promiscuously arranged. A trio of swarth}- 

 greasers was carelessly lounging about, and 

 some obscene pictures hung boldly from the 

 wall. The strong voluminous fumes of tobac- 

 co dealt heavily upon the sense of smell ; but 

 as my mission was imperative I made kno^\n 

 my business in short order. There being no 

 one behind the bar I inquired of a lounger, 

 " Are you the landlord ? " 



A gruff respons-e came, " Other room ! " 

 pointing to an open door. 



I hastily stepped in. Here the tobacco 

 fumes were next to blinding. A round table 

 occupied a central position in the room. About 

 it was seated a husky-looking quartette of 

 gentry, cards in hand and cigars in motith, 

 and noticeable were two piles of mone}- at op- 

 posite angles on the table. 



"Are you the proprietor?" I inqtiired of a 

 party next to the door. 



" I be," came as a gruff response. 



" Excuse me," said I ; " but I have a child 

 across the way dangerously ill with croup, and 

 am looking for a lump of alum. Have j-ou 

 any ? " 



" No alum about these diggins," came in a 

 surly tone, and I beat a hasty retreat, believ- 

 ing that hell was not one hundred feet from 

 those premises. 



When I returned to my room, the child in 

 its mother's arms was struggling for life in 

 one of the spasmodic spells characteristic of 

 crotip. It seemed to us he could never recov- 

 er, and would never see the light of another 

 day. We remembered that, back in Illinois, 

 our neighbor claimed that coal oil was a sure 

 cure for croup. There was a lamp in ottr room, 

 not in use, that had some oil in it. We decid- 

 ed to try it. We poured probably 30 drops 

 into a teaspoon, and gave it. This catised 

 nausea in a few moments, and in five mintites 

 or less he vomited a large quantity of phlegm, 

 to our delight, as we very well knew we had 

 mastered the disease, and our precious boy 

 was saved. 



He rested sweetly the rest of the night. 



Well, the following day we reached our 

 point of destination, Escondido; but our baby 

 was quite poorly, and we feared a return of 

 crotip ; and as soon as we were comfortably 

 situated I went to a doctor and procured med- 

 icine, which cost me $1 .no. The croup did not 

 return, but the child lingered on the verge of 

 lung fever for several davs, which required 

 close attention and care. He pulled through 

 all right, and has not had one minute's sick- 

 ness since, being over two years ago. 



As regards my own health, I have been very 

 much benefited, and the return of grip has 



