100 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



Fel. 17, 



existence of the apiary. No "sleepy head" has any business 

 to keep bees. 



It pleases me to hear Dr. Gallup and Dr. Miller say, " I 

 write from the standpoint of my own locality ; as much as to 

 say, " If there is anything you can appropriate in what I have 

 said, all right, use it; or, modify it to suit your locality and 

 surroundings." 



But, what do you know about bee-keeping, did you say ? 

 Well, I'll be candid. What I don't know would make a big 

 book ; but I've a few good teachers — my pets — and I'm learn- 

 ing a few things, some of which are not in the books. 



I may see you later, unless, like Mr. Bevins, I take a Rip 

 Van Winkle sleep. Geauga Co., Ohio. 



MR. C. THEILIMAKiy. 



The subject of this sketch was born June 6, 1833, in 

 Kieselbronn, near Pforzheim, in Laden, Germany. His ances- 

 tors escaped the massacre of what is called " The Cruel Bar- 

 toloma Night in France," and found safety across the river 

 Rhine, in Baden. 



Mr. Theilmann attended common sohool from his 6th to 

 his 1-ith year, besides one winter term in his 20th year, in a 

 drawing school at Pforzheim ; otherwise he staid at home and 

 helpt his father to work his land until he came to America. 

 He landed in New York in April, 1854, after a voyage of -±13 

 days. He rambled for two years, going to Albany and Buffalo, 

 N. Y.; Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati, Ohio; Louisville, 

 Ky.; Memphis, Tenn.; and to New Orleaus, La., where he 

 workt on a sugar plantation, got sick, and neiriy died with 

 yellow fever; when recovered he went to Shreveport, La., 

 Pittsburg, Pa., then to St. Louis, Kansas City and Council 

 Bluffs, and back to St. Louis, Mo. In June, 1856, he started 

 for Minnesota, and took up a Government claim in Wabasha 

 county, on which he still lives. During all his rambles he 

 earned enough to make his living and pay his way, as he had 

 given nearly all the money he brought with him from Ger- 

 many to a distrest friend, when he landed at New York. 



In the fall of 1856 he was married in St. Louis, and took 

 his wife to his new home in the wilderness, among the Sioux 

 Indians, wolves and rattlesnakes, tho they have never done 

 any harm to them. A cat, that came to them, was the first 

 domestic animal they possest for many months. Speckled 

 trout in the creek were plentiful, as the Indians would not 

 eat them. 



The first year Mr. T. had to carry his provisions on his 

 back from Wabasha (13 miles), making the round trip in a 

 day, sometimes without his dinner. 



In 1857 he hired four yoke of oxen and a 2i-inch break- 

 ing plow of some of his nearest neighbors three miles away, 

 and broke up the first six acres on his claim in two days, all 

 alone ; and paid for the outfit with IT days of l-t hours each, 

 or 50 cents a day, mowing grass for hay by hand. The boys 

 and young men of to-day would say, " I wouldn't do that ;" 

 but many of them would get along far better if they would. 



Mr. Theilmann kept on working and improving his claim, 

 and after awhile bought a cow and a yoke of oxen. Boy and 

 girls were born until there were five in the family. They 

 grew up rapidly, and soon helpt their father and mother. 

 The country settled up rapidly, a school district was formed, 

 and school was held in a primitive log house first. 



In 1860 the Indians disappeared. Just a little while be- 

 fore the New Ulm massacre, and never came back. In 1863, 

 Mr. T. raised over 1,100 bushels of wheat on 25 acres of 

 land, of which 200 bushels where sold out of his granary for 

 $500 ; he has also had wheat in succession for 17 years on a 

 16-acre piece, and never had less than 25 bushels per acre, 

 and up to 45 bushels without the least fertilizing. 



In 1869 Mr. T. found a bee-tree in his woods, and took it 

 home ; from this and two more swarms he found, he started 

 his bee-keeping, transferred them to frame hives, Italianized 

 and increast them to 74 colonies. In 1871 he lost all but 

 four colonies, but by May, 1872, he hunted and found 15 col- 

 onies in trees and rocks in his vicinity; this gave him a start 



again. For nine years after this he tried all kinds of winter-- 

 ing methods without satisfaction, until in 1882 he built a bee- 

 cellar all under-ground, which stood the test, and since then 

 his losses have been very light in wintering, and they have 

 averaged him an income of about .?1, 000 a year. 



On Jan. 25, 1S85, one of his bee-repositories, in which 

 87 colonies were wintering, burned down, but fortunately he 

 had 100 colonies in two other bee-cellars. He started the 

 season of 1885 with 90 colonies, which he increast to 170, 

 and produced 6,500 pounds of very fine honey, which sold 

 for from 15 to 20 cents per po-jnd. 



The season of 1889 was the best with him, 185 colonies, 

 spring count, producing 25,000 pounds of comb honey. His 

 honey crop and bees sold that year amounted to about$2,500. 

 The best from one colony and its increase he ever got in one 

 season was five good swarms and 600 pounds of honey ; this 

 was in 1872. 



A carload of the honey crop of 1896 was sent to a Chicago 

 commission man, who has tried to swindle him out of It for 

 the past IS months: it is still in court. 



The season of 1897 was almost a total failure, getting 

 1,700 pounds of honey from over 200 colonies. 



In 1877 a railroad was built from Wabasha to Zumbrota, 

 with a station on Mr. Theilmann's land. Mr. T. saw the 

 opportunity, and laid out a village, calling it Theilmanton ; it 

 is now a village of about 100 inhabitants, with nearly al> 

 conveniences farmers generally need, and is quite a big ship- 

 ping point for grain and stock. Mr. T. also built a ware- 

 house and grain-elevator, which is the handiest and most sub- 

 stantial building on that line of the road. It works wholly 

 automatically, without machinery of any kind, from the farm- 

 er's load to the cars. The grain can be weighed going in, alsc> 

 going out, without shoveling or other hand work except mov- 

 ing a light lever. Mr. Theilmann planned it himself and pre- 

 pared the drawings for it. The warehouse and the station 

 agency were run by him for five years, when he sold it and 

 went West on a trip to California and Oregon, and got inter- 

 ested in medical lakes and healing mineral waters in Wash- 

 ington, 16 miles west of Spokane Falls ; also in general mer- 

 cantile at the Lake. He was the first bee-keeper that took 

 two colonies of bees from Walla Walla across the Snake river 

 as far north as Medical Lake. The bees were left in care of 

 his oldest son, George; they did fairly well for five years, or 

 until Mr. T. sold out there. 



In the meantime the farm and bee-culture were carried on 

 at the old homestead, and Mr. Theilmann is satisfied and con- 

 tented that he cannot find a better place in the Union for his- 

 taste than what he has, especially after seeing Texas and 

 some other Southern States three years ago. 



Mr. Theilmann's farm now consists of over 700 acres of 

 land, some of It rather rough, but good pasture for his bees, 

 cattle, swine and fine-bred French Percheron horses ; with 

 substantial buildings for all of them, also a good house for 

 himself, wife, and two children, a boy and a girl. Two sons- 

 and one daughter are married and have homes of their own. 



Mr. Theilmann learned enough in the drawing school to- 

 make his own plans and drawings for the many structures he 

 has built on his own land, and otherwise, to almost perfection 

 in handiness, work-saving, durability and comfort. He has 

 also caused a nice little church to be built at Theilmanton, In 

 which to worship and give thanks to the Giver of all good 

 things for what we receive from his Fatherly hand. 



A Friend. 



Uees and Poultry in n'inter — An Expei-iinent. 



No. 1 — Farmer Greeny — " I believe I'll just put these bees in with 

 the chickens over night. I don't think they'll disturb each. 



other.' 



[See No. Son page 103.; 



See " Bee-Keeper's Guide" offer on page 110. 



