AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



215 



I feed my bees when they need it, and 

 do not allow them to starve. In 1890 I 

 wintered 4 colonies, in 1891 I wintered 

 13, and last winter 19 colonies, and 

 have not lost one colony. I am a great 

 friend of the bees. We have very few 

 bee-keepers in this neighborhood, but a 

 great many " bee murderers." We will 

 have to drop this season, and work for 

 the next one. J- O- May. 



Flattwoods, Pa., Aug. 2, 1892. 



Combed and Extracted. 



Fuel for Bee-Smokers. 



Take dry cobs and pound them up the 

 size of hickory nuts or walnuts, and 

 start the first time with a few coals 

 from the stove. When refilling, save a 

 few of the coals to start the fresh cobs ; 

 and if they have gone out, you can start 

 or light them with a match, or use a 

 little rotten wood to start them, as you 

 cannot easily light the fresh cobs with a 

 match. I prefer cobs, as the smoke is 

 more agreeable to me, and to the bees, 

 and it takes less to quiet them ; no 

 sparks to burn me and my clothes, nor 

 ashes to blow into our honey while 

 smoking the bees out of the crates. I 

 can load a Clark smoker with cobs, so 

 it will last three or four hours.— Ches- 

 ter Olmstead, in Gleanings. 



Personalities in Conversation. 



Keep clear of personalities in general 

 conversation. Talk of things, objects, 

 thoughts. The smallest minds occupy 

 themselves with personalities. Person- 

 alities must sometimes be talked, be- 

 cause we have to learn and find out 

 men's characteristics for legitimate ob- 

 jects ; but it is to be with confidential 

 persons. Do not needlessly report ill of 

 others. There are times when we are 

 compelled to say, "I do not think that 

 Bouncer is a true and honest man," but 

 when there is no need to express an 

 opinion, let poor Bouncer swagger away. 

 Others will take his measure, no doubt, 

 and save you the trouble of analyzing 

 him and instructing them. 



And as far as possible dwell on the 

 good side of human beings. There are 

 family boards where a constant process 



of depreciating, assigning motives and 

 cutting up of character goes forward. 

 They are not pleasant places. One who 

 is healthy does not wish to dine at a dis- 

 secting table. There is evil enough in 

 man, God knows ; but it is not the mis- 

 sion of every young man or woman to 

 detail or report it all. Keep the atmos- 

 phere as pure as possible, and fragrant 

 with gentleness and charity. — John 

 Hale, D. D. 



Iodide of Potassium for Bee-Stings. 



I have never seen iodide of potassium 

 mentioned as a sting-cure, but having 

 heard of its use by a bee-keeper of forty 

 years' standing, whose verdict was " re- 

 lief and cure instantaneous," I tried it. 

 I have only used it in three cases, in all 

 of which it was successful. A juvenile 

 cousin, aged seven, was stung on the 

 hand, and the cure was so effective that 

 the sting only "tickled" next day, as 

 he expressed it, though he looked as if 

 the " tickling " was too much for him at 

 the time. In my own case the relief was 

 instantaneous, and no swelling ensued 

 the first time, when the remedy was ap- 

 plied at once, and very little the second 

 time, when applied about five minutes 

 after. The method of application is 

 simply to hold a crystal of the iodide to 

 the wound. It must be kept dry. One 

 crystal can be use theoretically ad in- 

 finitum — British Bee Journal. 



Convention Notices. 



COLOR ADO.— The Colorado State Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association will hold their " Honey-Day " 

 in Longmont, Oolo., on Sept. 28th, 1892. 



Littleton, Colo. H. Knight, Sec. 



OHIO.— The Darke County Union Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Society will hold a basket meeting on the 

 Fair Grounds at Greenville, Ohio, on Aug. 19, 

 1892. All bee-keepers are invited to attend. 

 Geo. H. Kirkpatrick, Sec. 



Union City. Ind. 



WISCONSIN.— The Southwestern Wisconsin 

 Bee-Keepers' Association will hold its next 

 annual meeting as Boscobel, Grant Co., Wis., 

 on Jan. 13 and 14, 1893. All members of the 

 Association are requested to be present as the 

 following officers are to be elected : President, 

 Vice-President, Secretary. Assistant Sec, and 

 Treasurer. Blank Reports will be sent each 

 member, for the year 1892, with instructions. 

 A cordial invitation is extended to all bee- 

 keepers, and especially to those that would 

 like to join with us. Each member will be no- 

 tified at least one month before the meeting. 



Boscobel, Wis. Benj. E. Rice, Sec. 



Be Sure to read offer on page 197 



