960 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



ing right here in the United States. It is 

 evident from the letters embodied in these 

 printed tracts that this sort of self-scourg- 

 ing work and carrjdng of heavy crosses 

 barefoot, over ground covered with sharp 

 flints, is still going on, although it may not 

 be true just now that the crucifixion describ- 

 ed is at present going on, for the mission- 

 aries (now pretty well scattered over New 

 Mexico) are making such a protest that 

 these deluded people are waking up. 



SOMETHING FROM OUR GOOD OLD FRIEND MRS. 

 SARAH J. AXTELL. 



I am sure the following will be read with 

 much attention, especially by those who 

 remember Mrs. Axtell's history in the past. 

 As I have made frequent references to her 

 (see p. 695, Sept. 1) no further introduc- 

 tion will be necessary. 



Mr. Axtell and I are still plodding on, caring for 

 our little fruit-farm of 18 acres, though much of the 

 work is done in weakness. I am sure if we were to 

 give up work and " move to town " we should not 

 have the strength we now have. We have three 

 acres of blackcap raspberries, and from six to eight 

 acres in peach-trees that require a good deal of 

 trimming, cultivating, etc. The fruit is very large, 

 budded, and sells itself. We let people come here 

 for the fruit, and pick that and the berries. The 

 latter bring ten cents a box, and peaches net $1.00 a 

 bushel. 



Our little farm last year, including the bees, 

 brought in about $1900 besides our living. We had 

 only eight hives of bees last spring, as they all died 

 two years ago. We increased them to 16 colonies, 

 and got about 100 lbs. from each of the eight old 

 colonies. 



The year they died we had a very large peach 

 crop, and many peaches rotted on the ground; and 

 as there was but little honey in the fall flowers, the 

 bees gathered a good deal of the peach juice and 

 stored it in their hives. As we toiled so hard to 

 save our peach crop and apple crop as well, we were 

 so worked out that we did not have strength to 

 extract their combs and give sugar syrup ; but we 

 thought that, if we fed quite largely of the syrup, 

 they would use it in winter first, and perhaps not 

 die (as we had done so the year before) ; but every 

 colony died ; and some that had only sugar syrup 

 died also. They all seemed drowsy or stupid all the 

 fall and wdnter. 



The bees last summer and fall did not work on 

 the peaches at all. They seemed to gather white 

 honey until frost, and hence they have wintered fine- 

 ly. We have been greatly helped by reading your 

 Health Notes, and we try to follow them a good 

 deal; and Terry's book, too, has helped us much. 



If we cannot go to sleep we go to manipulating 

 all over — face, neck, and all— ^till sleep comes ; and 

 if I sleep all night I take some time before arising 

 in the morning. Deep breathing also helps much ; 

 and with large jugs of hot water, and a i-ow of them 

 at the back of the bed, which helps us to keep warm, 

 we can have our doors and windows open all night, 

 which I am sure helps us to good refreshing sleep. - 



Some are afraid to use jugs of hot water for fear 

 of the corks coming out. Yes, corks will easily come 

 out; but corncobs used for corks will swell and not 

 come out. We set the jugs on top of the stove with 

 a nail under them to keep them from breaking, and 



thus they will last several years. If a crock cracks 

 and leaks, and a little milk is put into it and boned 

 for a while, it will be all right again for months. 

 But: 



" Our hopes are built on nothing less 

 Than Jesus and his righteousness; 

 We dare not trust our sweetest frame. 

 But wholly lean on Jesus' name." 



Mr. and Mrs. L. C. Axtell. 

 Roseville, 111., Ap.-il 2. 



If I am correct, whenever bees work 

 around cider-mills, or gather the juices 

 from fruit left to decay on the ground, there 

 is more or less trouble in wintering. I would 

 suggest that, if it is a possible thing, the 

 windfalls should be picked up and either 

 be used for making cider vinegar or for 

 feeding to the pigs, etc., and thus avoid as 

 much as possible letting the bees get into 

 the habit of working on fruit. 



This matter of insomnia among elderly 

 people interests me greatly — not because I 

 am troubled by it, but because Mrs. Root 

 has had trouble in that direction almost all 

 her life. Exercising the limbs just before 

 retiring, giving the body a thorough rub- 

 bing, and finishing off with a sponge bath, 

 I am sure is a great help. But I know one 

 often feels too tired, and neglects this; but 

 after the blood is caused to circulate briskly 

 you will forget all about " that tired feel- 

 ing." 



For some time back, as soon as the weath- 

 er gets cold I have been troubled with cold 

 feet. I have before mentioned that, after a 

 good drj'ing-off, a warming-up of the feet 

 before an open gi-ate is a splendid remedy; 

 but as the nights keep growing colder, a 

 great many times I have been awakened by 

 finding my feet '' as cold as a frog," as the 

 expression goes, or perhaps a good deal 

 colder. At times it has seemed almost im- 

 poss'ible to warm them up. The hot foot- 

 stone or hot-water jug mentioned Avill warm 

 only one side ; and while that was warming, 

 the other would get cold. I have learned by 

 experience that it is quite important that 

 the feet be thoroughly warmed in some way. 

 Right here comes in another of my " discov- 

 eries;" and I know pretty well beforehand 

 that when I tell it a lot of you will say 

 with a grin, " Oh ! that is as old as the 

 hills." It is simply this: 



When your feet actually refuse to be 

 warmed up, put them into a bowl or jDail of 

 water as hot as you can bear it comfortably. 

 After I made this discovery I felt like say- 

 ing to those stubborn and contrary feet, 

 " Tell me you won't get warmed up, you 

 contrary toes and heels and ankles." The 

 explanation is, that the heat makes a per- 

 fect contact all around and all over the feet 

 and ankles at once. 



Some of you may suggest that it is lots 



