The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-08-15
A Wonderful Woman.

The ST. Louis Globe has been publishing an
account of Mrs. Ellen S. Upper, the bee cul-
turist of the West. Mrs. Topper is daughter
of the late Hon. Noah Smith, of Calais, once
Secretary of State and well known in political
circles in Maine. The husband of Mrs. Tup-
per was for years merchant in Houlton, and
her sister is the wife of Collector Whidden, of
Calais.
The following is an account of her bee en-
terprises:
She purchased two colonies, and began TO
work with them, meanwhile reading every
thing which she could find relating to bee
culture; but she soon learned that theory and
practice were two quite opposite matters.
Her two colonies increased rapidly. She
bought improved hives as fast as she could af-
ford them. She soon after became interested
in italian bees, and procure a few. She
then began to write about bees, giving the
result OF her practical knowledge. Her repu
tation soon began to be established; she was
sought out by various journals, and she now
writes regularly for several papers. She also
has the position of lecturer on Bookkeeping,
natural history Of bees, ETC., in the State Ag-
ricultural College, at Ames, whittier she goes
regularly. With the officers of that institu-
holding Farmers Institutes, and wherever she
goes never fails to elicit mnch interest in her
subject.
In the Spring of 1872, she, with her family,
removed to Des Moines, in order to gain
more central location. She formed partner
ship with Irs. Annie Slavery, thereby adding
abundant capital to her practical knowledge,
and the firm was known as the Italian Bee
Company. An agent was despatched to Lake
Como, Italy, to procure queen bees, and the
business was rapidly increased. In the Fall
of that year she purchased the interest of
Mrs. Slavery in the business, and placed her
bees tor the Winter in The cellar of her house,
at Cottage Grove, about one mile from the
City.
Early this Spring, while she was in the city,
with her family, her house took fire and her
two hundred hives of bees were destroyed.
Writing to friend she said 81 came home
at dark to find my house wreck, and tue
two hundred stocks of bees ruined. Is it not
hard sometimes to believe that all things
work together for our good? l have worked
so hard, and ana so tired that / can form no
gplan for the FUTURE 1t was an hour of trial
which would have discouraged many brave
man. After years of toll and labor, with
large Indebtedness to her late partner. large
family, an invalid husband, thus to find her.
self almost where she began, was soul-trying,
DuL, WIFI Tile lDuOulltdUic VIII WHICH quo pOo-
sesses. she marshaled her energies for new
battle of life, and amid all her misfortunes,
there was not a shadow on her face. Money
ed men came forward and rendered her means
but she refused it, choosing to paddle her
own canoe. With two hundred dollars, she
purchased four italian queens, and with a
few sticks of bees which she secured else
where, she started again. Soon after, farm
er from distance offered her fifty colonies Of
haas 90 o f,rx ,Hax. ~
pleased and at what p ice she plea ed. Mr..
James Smith, the well-knOwn horticulturist,
who resides a mile south of the city. and two
miles from her residence, offered her the use
of his fruit farm, on which to set up her new
colonies, and she accepted the kind offer aud
removed her bees there, and Immediately set
about removing them to movable comb-hives
ard Italianizing them.
The colony will this season increase from
fifty to one hundred and two, and win pro-
duce over 1000 pounds of honey; so that be-
fore the year is gone she viii have recovered
very much from her loss. At her home she
has twenty colonies of royal blood from which
she supplies her trade, together with iuferta-
tions by each ocean steamer. She will soon
be able to fill all orders again. In reply to
question the other day, as to what hives she
used, she replied, The cheapest can get;
they do not cost over S1.50 each but want
and the inside filled with movable frames.
The worst enemies l have are patent hive
agents. They cannot buy me nor will | buy
their hives. own the right for several States
for hives, and have a hundred patent hives
pied up on my lot, but do not use them nor
sell them.
ssWell," said 1, show about the moths and
worms?"
81 don't have any about my hives, as 1
will show YOU" said she, and she removed
the side of hive, and laid outside frame after
frame of comb filled with honey and covered
with bees, standing the frames around outside
the hive inspecting them carefully. This she
does nearly every day, to find the queen and
any bug or worm that may get in. These
| frames She has filled with the comb which she
has saved from the ruins of the fire, and the
| bees are filling it nicely.
Mrs. Upper in person is OF small stature,
| dark blue eyes, thin features, well developed
brain, somewhat bent with toll ana the
| weight of years, nervous, sanguine Ter Pe.a-
ment, speaks rapidly, and uses no supernu-
Gus words, modest and unassuullIg IN man
ner and what would be called in plain terms,
homely. =, =,
most active and resoute in the city. She fits
info tbe business of the capital city and fills
| her place just as nicely and as fittingly as
| anybody. Business men accept it courteous
| " and admire her modest demeanor and per-
| severance. She attends personally to all ship
ments of bees, honey-extractors, hives, &C.,
to all correspondence, and her bees. There
was not DAY during the last severe wiz ter,
\ and the cold, wet spring, that she was not In
| the city attending to business.