December, lyr 



a L K V N I K G S I N ]i K E V U J, T U U E 



933 



FROM THE FIELD OF EXPERIENCE M 



Letters from a Beekeeper's Wife 



AVinlcr Quarters, Dec. 1, 1917. 

 Deal- Sis: 



We have just had a funny experienice 

 that T must tell you about, while I wait for 

 ray bread. Did you ever notice the first 

 meeting of two strange beekeepers'? I 

 have, often, and it is most curious how 

 little it takes to get them around to bees. 

 Then ! Bing ! Something happens ! Some 

 small cord is freed in each man's bosom, 

 that reaches out and wraps itself about the 

 other fellow's heart, and draws those two 

 close together. I have never known it to 

 fail. The secret bond between keekeepers 

 makes them bosom friends at once, and the 

 stream of conversation begins to flow. It 

 would flow on forever, I'm sui'e, were it not 

 for beekeepers' wives, wlio have a way of 

 announcing meals or bed-time. 



Rob is always delighted to see a '' broth- 

 er " come np our lane and he always keeps 

 liim as long as possible. I know exactly 

 the trend of the river of bee-talk with all 

 its ramifications and branches and I must 

 say that I enjoy it, and join in occasion- 

 ally too. They always begin with the last 

 season's crop — why it was large or small — 

 what it was in other parts of the country — 

 then comes the honey-flow ard the weather 

 during it, then to sources of nectar. After 

 that they compare strains of bees, warm up 

 to methods of wintering, queen-rearing, 

 and disease. By this time day is waning 

 and supper interrupts. The visitor tries 

 to be polite and inquires about the chil- 

 dren's school, but his mind is always on 

 bees and he will probably inteii'upt my re- 

 ply by turning to Rob with " Oh ! by the 

 way, did I tell you that I am trying out a 

 new winter ease?" It is so hopeless that 

 we let him go and the stream wanders back 

 to its accustomed bed. After supper they 

 discuss the last national convention, then 

 to personalities, find mutual beekeeping 

 friends, until I go to bed. (They never 

 notice my slipping out for they have begun 

 on the relative merits of comb and extracted 

 honey and that is an endless subject!) I 

 hear the drone of their voices until I sleep, 

 and in the morning when I say accusingly 

 to Rob, " What time did you come to bed ?" 

 he always replies in a shamefaced way, 

 " Oh ! about half-past." 



What I began to tell you was that last 

 week an odd-looking man with a heavy, 

 black beard and slouch hat came to the 



door to inr|uire his way and Rob stood 

 talking to him a few minutes. Then they 

 sat on the steps and talked more, and I 

 gathered from what I heard that he was 

 a beekeeper. Soon Rob came into the 

 kitchen and said, " Put on an extra plate. 

 Mr. Samson will stay to supper." I whis- 

 pered, " Why, Rob, you don't know a thing 

 about that man. He may be a robber or a 

 murderer, for all you know !" 



" Well, I know he is a beekeeper," Rob 

 replied, and that settled it. Come to think 

 of it, beekeepers as a whole are about as 

 respectable and honest a gToup of men as 

 you can find. I noticed at the State Con- 

 vention how few of them smoked, and I 

 know of many clergymen who keep bees. 

 In foreign bee journals you will often see 



articles signed " Abbe " or " Pastor 



," so I believe that is the case in other 



countries too. 



The strange Mr. Samson did stay to 

 supper, and not only that, but over night! 

 I put him in the guest room, much against 

 my wishes, but I put the silver spoons under 

 our bed. I'll trust bee-men pretty far, but 

 not to the extent of leaving my silver down- 

 stairs. Our guest seemed very grateful for 

 our hospitality and went off the next morn- 

 ing, he and Rob the best of friends. I 

 couldn't feel just right toward him because' 

 of his brigand-looldng beard, I think; but 

 this morning the nicest letter came from 

 liim on paper engraved " Beechwood Api- 

 aries " and with it was a little bank shaped 

 like a bee-hive for Billy, with a five-dollar 

 gold piece in it ! I'll never suspect a bee- 

 keeper again of trying to steal my silver 

 spoons ! 



I will write again before Christmas, but 

 let me say that one of my New Year's 

 resolutions is to be that I shall not mention 

 bees to you again in my letters, for I know 

 you must be tired of them! My bread is 

 riz, and I fly! Mary. 



C(= 



Benefits from Co-operative Association 



After existing for twenty-five years mere- 

 ly as an organization, and giving only such 

 meagier benefits as could come from an 

 annual meeting with the Farmers' Congress 

 at College Station, the Texas Beekeepers' 

 Association has begun an active campaign 

 of education in co-operative effort under 

 the new name of The Texas Honey Pro- 

 ducers' Association. It bids fair to become 



