MRS. SARAH J. AXTELI.. 



Few indeed are the very prominent 

 women in apiculture, but those who are 

 widely known are very choice specimens 



MRS. SARAH J. AXTELL 



of " their side of the house." So far in 

 our biographical sketches during the 

 past, more than a year, we have shown 

 to the admiring gaze of our readers, the 

 pictures and sketches of the energetic 

 Mrs. L. Harrison, the pushing and go- 

 ahead Mrs. Atchley, and the ever help- 

 ful and " just-so " Miss Wilson. 



This week we come back for the third 

 time to Illinois for the lady bee-keeper 

 to be represented in the Bee Journal's 

 biographical department, having selected 



Mrs. Axtell. She is perhaps better 

 known to the hosts of readers who 

 peruse the pages of Gleanings, though 

 to the majority of those who take the 

 Bee Journal her name is fairly familiar. 

 In the "A B C of Bee-Culture" we 

 find the following about Mrs. Axtell, 

 which was written by the " stray-straw- 

 ing " hand of Dr. Miller : 



Mrs. Sarah J. Axtell is one of the 

 women prominently known among bee- 

 keepers, although she protests that her 

 husband, Linus C. Axtell, rather than 

 herself, should have the prominence. 

 Mr. Axtell is a farmer living at Rose- 

 ville, Warren county. Ills., his wife hav- 

 ing been an invalid most of her life. In 

 1871 they got their first colony of bees. 

 As these increased, Mrs. Axtell's interest 

 in them increased, and with increase 

 of interest in the bees came increase of 

 health, Mrs. A. finding that, after a 

 summer spent in the open air with her 

 bees, her health is so much improved 

 that she is able to withstand the winter 

 confinement, to which she might other- 

 wise succumb. 



Since 1877 the bees have been kept 

 in two apiaries. Mr. A. hires help to do 

 the work of the farm, which he superin- 

 tends, but spends most of his time in 

 apiculture. At the beginning of the 

 <cason he goes daily to the out-apiary, 

 doing the work there ; comes back in 

 the evening, and makes preparations for 

 both apiaries for the next day. Mrs. A., 

 with the help of the hired girl, takes 

 care of the home apiary, puts starters 

 in the sections, and does other light 

 work pertaining to the business. By 

 harvest-time swarming is nearly over, 

 and the work is reversed, Mrs. A. going 

 daily to the out-apiary, while Mr. A. 

 takes care of the home-apiary and helps 

 harvest the farm crops. 



Their success has been varied, the 

 yield per colony ranging from almost 

 nothing to more than 216 pounds per 

 colony in 1882, when from 180 colonies 

 were taken 30,000 pounds of comb 

 honey. 



Mrs. A. is deeply interested in the 

 work of missions, and an additional rea- 

 son for the beneficial effects of bee-work 

 upon her health lies in the fact that she 

 has constantly with her the delightful 

 stimulus of the thought that every pound 

 of honey secured allows her to devote an 

 additional amount to the cause so dear 

 to her heart. 



Although not a prolific writer, Mrs. 

 Axtell is practical and interesting. 



