AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



787 



germs carried into the hive in the air, or 

 perhaps in the water in the cases of 

 drowned brood. On this theory the fact 

 that chilled brood is sometimes followed 

 by foul brood, and at other times not, is 

 readily understood. The foul brood 

 germs may be plentiful in the neighbor- 

 hood, or there may be few, or none. For 

 this reason, Mrs. Jennie Atchley's hives 

 escaped the disease, although they con- 

 tained abundance of drowned brood. 



In the quotation from Rev. Mr. Gruetz- 

 ner's letter to Mr. McEvoy. it is said 

 that, " In Germany the opinion is uni- 

 versal that deceased brood is the cause 

 of foul brood." It is probable that by 

 this is meant that dead brood forms a 

 nidus for the growth of the germs enter- 

 ing the hive from without, and in this 

 way it becomes a factor in causing foul 

 brood. If it is intended to convey the 

 idea that in Germany the opinion is 

 universal that the queens lay eggs in 

 cells partly filled with decomposing 

 larvEe, and that the grubs hatched from 

 these eggs eat this rotten matter, which 

 then becomes metamorphosed into bacil- 

 lus alvei, the statement is a libel on the 

 intelligence of German bee-keepers. 

 There are too many eminent bacteriolo- 

 gists in Germany for such an absurd 

 theory ever to become universal. 



Lindsay, Ont. 



" (Concluded next week.) 



Bee.Keepiiig and Poultry as an 

 Occupation for M'onieu. 



Written for the '■ Womaii's Cont/ress of Texas''' 

 BY JIBS. S. E. SHEBMAX. 



In giving a glance backward over the 

 past 20 years of my life, nothing strikes 

 me more forcibly than the wonderful 

 change made in the world's opinion of 

 labor for our sex, and in the opportuni- 

 ties and openings for women who do not 

 wish to be idlers in life, and for those 

 who must be bread-winners. 



Twenty years ago women crept tremb- 

 lingly along in one or two occupations — 

 teaching and sewing. Now she stands 

 out proudly surveying the many fields of 

 different labor lying at her "feet, and 

 only seeks to select the one to which 

 her strength, tastes and finances nat- 

 urally lead. From the higher profes- 

 sions, and those requiring long mental 

 effort and training, many a woman may 

 still be debarred from lack of health and 

 strength to bear the confinement of 

 study, and with only small capital may 

 wish an occupation still intellectual and 



refined, yet having the rigor of out-door 

 life, and the demand for little capital in 

 its beginning. To such I come with a 

 plea in favor of a pursuit which has 

 brought me health and strength, has 

 given me golden opportunities for study 

 of the beautiful and useful in nature, 

 and has also had a very satisfactory 

 effect upon the size of my purse. 



If there is one person in all this broad 

 land of ours who has a right to be an 

 enthusiast on the subject of bee-culture 

 I certainly am pre-eminently that person. 

 A poor dyspeptic, who for years could 

 not eat anything that had a drop of 

 grease in it, or drink even a spoonful of 

 that delicious beverage — coffee — without 

 the most dire results following such im- 

 prudence ; I can now eat almost any- 

 thing with impunity, which change has 

 all been brought about by active out- 

 door exercise, working with the ever 

 busy little bee. Haven't I a cause, then, 

 to be an enthusiast, think you, upon this 

 subject ? 



One great advantage in this occupa- 

 tion is, it can be carried on right at 

 home, in our very door-yards. Another 

 is, it takes but little capital to begin 

 with — less than, perhaps, almost any- 

 thing else, in which a woman could em- 

 bark. 



In 1888 my bees gave me a ton of 

 honey gathered from the tiny flowers of 

 the hoar-hound alone, and two tons from 

 other flowers, making in all 6,000 

 pounds of honey, 100 pounds of bees- 

 wax, and 33 per cent, increase, bring- 

 ing the number of colonies up to 60 ; 

 since which time I have made no in- 

 crease, as that is as many as I can well 

 manage with other work. Remember, 

 this was the outcome of one colony of 

 bees in the spring of 1880! 



Gathering the honey is gleaning that 

 which is going to waste, and would 

 otherwise be a complete loss. Did you 

 ever think of how many things are 

 going to waste, which a hand careful of 

 minor details could garner in and make 

 profitable ? 



In the beginning of my work there 

 were plenty of persons, as there always 

 are, ready to discourage me, and I was 

 often told I could not find a market for 

 my honey. This was all a mistake, for 

 I have not been able to supply the de- 

 mand. The largest order I ever received 

 was for 1,030 pounds, and I am satis- 

 fied that is the largest amount that ever 

 has left our county (Bell) in one ship- 

 ment. I have made this statement be- 

 fore, and will repeat it, that I believe if 

 all the honey that is secreted by the 

 flowers in our "Lone Star " State could 



