Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1906-03-01
Bee Culture
in Nebraska.
An Interesting Paper Read
at the Farmers Institute by
Mrs. A. L. Amos.

no one to give me any encourage
ment or lend a helping hand. l
bad been told the 'Bees would
not do we'll in Nebraska" that
"There was not enough for them
to work on" etc.
However, | am quite hand to
want to try for myself-bull-
headed | have been told by the
individual most free to give home
thrusts!
l can say that the prospects
for the bee keeper in Nebraska
have steadily improved since l
made my first attempt, and l have
also learned much in the costly
school of experience.
l am an advocate of farm bee
keeping. Not that l think the
farmer should vie with the spec
ialist in the field of agriculture
and burden himself with more
than he can manage.
Two or three colonies make but
little work and should afford hon.
ey for his table the year round.
Ordinarily this goes to waste in
his fields for lack of bees to ga
Their it.
Why should this be so? A re-
cent writer in the Farmers Voice
says that the farmer used to be
a bee keeper. If that be so, it
seems strange falling away
from a commendable practice, for
certainly bee keeping was never
easier than it is today.
l have noticed the prevalent
idea that Bees would not do
we'll in Nebraska" Then there
is the natural dread of stings.
1t is said, with what truth /
know not, that the poison of the
bees stings is specific for rheu
matism. That ought to be some
comfort under affection.
Besides that, the Italian bee is
very gentle and not at all like
the irrasciblc little black rascals
Of the time Of our grandfathers.
Then too, there are many who
do not realize the great value of
honey as food and as a medi-
cine. They don't have the honey
habit.
We are told on all hands,
"Uneedl biscuit" and invited TO
"Try.a-bite" food and cautioned
what to smoke but there have
not been many to urge the value
of honey. If people in general
rate it at its true worth the pres
emf supply would not be enough
to go around.
1t would replace some of the
patent medicines of more than
doubtful virtue for the treatment
of coughs, colds, la grippe etc.
The medical profession are gen.
orally agreed that honey is the
most wholesome, sweet, as it is
also, the most ancient, and car
be freely eaten in certain dis.
eased conditions of the body
when sugar is forbidden as ar
article of diet. 1t is usually
much relished by children and is
suitable also as food in extreme
old age.
To the honey lover it is no.
generally consideration of the a
bove facts but simply its delic
iousness and its comparative rar.
ity that leads him to indulge.
1t is much cheaper than it uset
to be, and while bee keepers may
lament that the day of high
prices is passing, if they tLinl
at all of "the other fellow" they
will not regret the fact that they
can not got IS cents pound fol
their product.
"How to Manage Bees" ma,
be partly learned from the man,
= excellent instruction books ant
papers published in regard to be-
= keeping; but, after all, there i
q so much difference in locality,
x have had to learn many thing
g for myself.
u have decided that at least on
n cause for failure in Nebraska
q this:
\ Our best natural honey flow
3 in the fall, bringing with it lat
4 swarming, which, if unchecked
4 IS also excessive. Then there
e often failure in such cases
g gather sufficient stores for wiz
d ter, as was the case last fal
& there is a cessation of hone
IA gathering earlier than usua