Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1902-10-03
Bee Keeping as a Woman,s Hobby.

As a matter of mere entertainment
there is no hobby equal to the bee
keeping There are people who APP
preciate that fact and tend their bee
hives from sheer love of the occupa-
ton, and with no thought of sordid
profit. One wealthy New York woman
who spends her summers in Connecti-
cut has 10 hives of bees on her country
place, and says that she is more eager
to get back to them than to anything
else the country has to offer her. AS
a matter of fact. it was she whose
enthusiasm inspired this story. She
has reached the point where bees be-
come mania. Say bee" to her. and
she huns and buzzes.
81 used to hate our country place"
she said. at is real country, you
bnow. and dull beyond words.
like trees and field and all that. I'm
not like-South, was it? or Hunt
who said that If he had to live in the
country he'd pave the road in front
of his house and hire a man to drive
hanson cab up and down on it.
But / do like little human interest
with my bucolics. My husband wasn't
with us much of the time. ! had the
children, but they were off playing
all udN lOnB. anu lHtu l uOu diWdN6
find my own children absorbingly in
teresting, as some good mothers do.
81 was unutterably bored a good
deal Of the time during the summer
until | got my bees. Now / don't
know what it is to put in a stupid
day up there.
MY gardener proposed the scheme.
puttered round the garden a good
deal but the flowers weren't alive.
wanted live things to work with.
"ln a burst of confidence | told Sam
so. He suggested chickens. ] hate
the silly, cackling things. Then he
advised bees. He had kept bees him
self, and said they were a good deal
like folks, only a heap more knowing
and hard-working.
| 81 liked the idea. Sam got the bees
and installed them in the hive Then
went around shrieking and saying
Shoe and sucking my fingers for
week or two, but | stuck it out until
| stopped being afraid. and after that
woulden't have parted with those
bees for diamond tiara.
"Of all fascinating things in the
world studying bees is the most fasci-
mating. There is always something
new to learn and something worth
while. My little girl helps me now,
and she's as crazy about the bees as
| am We've learned so much about
the flowers and plants, too, and we've
had the most wildly exciting scenes
and casualties.
THE words. foul brood strike more
terror to my heart than an announce
ment of bubonic plague, in the family
world. AS for swarming time-don't
talk to me about Monte Carlo and
the races and hunting big game; as
thrill producers give me bee swarm
ing.
do you know that we produce over
100 600 900 pounds of honey in the
United States every year? 1t is
worth over $4,000, 600. and the wax
| product is worth about s7,0OO,OOO more.
Sounds big. doesn't it?
1--WE been out over the bee ranches
in southern California. That's where
they do the big business. The bees
feed on sage there and store an in
credible amount of honey. They say
one colony of Italian bees will some
times store 1000 pounds of sage honey
in one year.
I'D rather run a California bee
ranch than do anything else know OF.
No. that's not true I'd hate the
hard work of so big an undertaking.
I'd rather live out there In the beautl-
full mountains and keep just enough
bees to entertain me without entail
ing a great amount of labor and both
er about the business end of the thing.
Since | can't do that. | just go on
keeping a few bees in Connecticut.
The small profits go to Sam, the gar
dener.
II don't see why every farmers wife
or villagers wife doesn't set up a few
bee.hives. don't know anything that
yields so large profit for as little CAPT
tai and work.
And I'd advise women to whom the
pin money isn't any inducement TO
try bees for nerves and depression and
ennui. believe one beehive would
do more to ward OF or cure nervous
prostration than all the medicine doc
tors could give.
1.-THE open-air work and the intense
interest are good for mind and body
I'd like to take away all my friends
lap dogs and Angora cats, and sub
stitute bees. 1t would reform so
ciety."-[New York Sun.