STINGS 
781 
to plunge and kick, with the result that he 
demolished completely all the hives within 
reach. Mr. Fowls said the horse, when he 
could get to him, was almost literally cov¬ 
ered with stings. He unhitched and led 
him away, and immediately called for a 
boiler of hot water. This was brought out 
as soon as it could be heated. Cloths and 
blankets were immersed in it, almost boil¬ 
ing hot, wrung nearly dry, and laid over 
the animal, now writhing in the severest 
agony. The moment Mr. Fowls applied the 
hot blankets he says the horse quieted 
down. During the escapade he himself was 
terribly stung in the face and on the hands; 
and he says that, as soon as the hot cloths 
were applied to his face he felt almost in¬ 
stant relief. The cloths were applied to the 
horse on every portion that was stung, and 
Mr. Fowls had the satisfaction of knowing 
that he could save his horse, which was 
soon as well as ever. 
In the summer of 1902 at one of the au¬ 
thor’s outyards we had an experience which 
we thought at the time would be fatal to 
both man and beast. It came about somewhat 
in this way: A neighbor, who had a field 
of timothy near the yard, had allowed his 
horse to eat grass within a few feet of 
the hives while he went to the further end 
of the field to look after some work. In 
the mean time the horse had managed to 
get over among the bees. The result was, 
she knocked over five hives, and was liter¬ 
ally covered with stings when our neighbor 
came up. Being a practical beeman as well 
as a horseman himself, he rushed into the 
fray, freed the horse, and started her for 
the barn. The animal was beginning to 
swell badly, and it was evident to him that 
she would die before relief could be given 
by a veterinary, even if called. He accord¬ 
ingly rolled up about a pound of common 
table salt in a paper, opened the animal’s 
mouth, and with the left hand grasped her 
tongue, pulling it out as far as he could. 
He then with his right hand shoved the salt 
clear down her throat, reaching to his 
elbow. This done, he quickly closed her 
mouth and elevated her head until he saw 
the wad of salt go down the gullet. In a 
short time the horse showed relief, for the 
salt probably neutralized, to some extent, 
the effect of the acid poison. It also acted 
as a physic; for when a horse is sick in the 
stomach he can not vomit, and it is neces¬ 
sary to give him something at once to keep 
the bowels open. In three or four hours 
the horse was greatly relieved. 
Our neighbor did not apply wet blankets 
wrung out of hot water; but the veterinary 
who was consulted afterward, said that the 
giving of the salt was one of the best things 
that could have been done, and added that 
he would have wrapped the animal up in a 
blanket wrung out of hot water. If to this 
water is added a small quantity of am¬ 
monia, all the better. 
The moral of this is to keep bee-yards 
fenced off so that no stock or horses can 
get in. It is also advisable to locate the 
apiary a few rods from any line fence or 
hitching-post. See Apiary. 
WHAT TO DO WHEN A PATIENT SUFFERS 
SEVERELY FROM ONE OR MORE STINGS. 
It is rare indeed that one sting causes 
any more than a local pain. Red blotches 
may break out all over the body. In other 
cases there may be a shortness of breath, a 
faintness, some nausea, and a weak heart 
action. When the heart is affected it is 
very important to keep the patient quiet 
and cool, and to get the services of a phy¬ 
sician at once to administer some heart 
stimulant. If the patient has been stung a 
great many times, cloths should be wrung 
out of hot water and applied to the body. 
Feet and hands should be kept warm, and 
the patient, if he has a weak pulse and 
difficulty in breathing, should be placed 
near an open wndow, or, better still, out 
on the porch where the cool breezes can 
strike him. If there is no air stirring, it 
would be well for some one to keep up a 
vigorous fanning of the face. The body 
should be warmly covered and protected 
until the doctor arrives. Where electricity 
is available an electric fan may be made to 
play across the face of the patient. 
When one suffers a shock and shows a 
weak pulse (and these cases are rare) he 
should, after he recovers, carefully refrain 
from attempting to do any hard manual 
labor for two or three weeks as he will 
probably suffer from the shock. He should 
avoid becoming overheated, and for a day 
or two after being stung he should be very 
quiet, keeping as cool as possible. Any 
exertion may bring back the old trouble of 
