882 



GLEAKIKGS IN 13EE CULTUilE. 



AtTG. 



first went up Saint lago Canjon, and passed Mr. 

 Hall, 150 stands; Brainard & Smith, 150; McKelvy, 

 75; Julian, 50; Alfor^l, 50; Alward Bros., 190. Those 

 1 did not see: Small & Phelps, 140 at the mouth of 

 the canyon, Small & Phelps, postollice Orange; Wil- 

 liams, 175; Carpenter, 125; Shrewsbery, 150; Hard- 

 ing, 70. The postolHce address of all the above, ex- 

 cept StBall & Phelps, isCarbondale. J. E. Pleasants, 

 70; postollice, Annaheim. Mr. J. Hickey, lOJ; Mr. 

 Sprouse, 50; A. Stai)les, 200; Crane, 15; Lyons, 100; 

 Strane, 80; It. R. Staples, 75. The above are in Live 

 Oak Canyon. Now comes Trabuco Canyon: Wm. 

 Itobinson, 00; Martin, 30; Wilson, 75; Wood, 30; 

 Frazier, 60; Kowell, 180; Clark, 35; postollice, Santa 

 Ana. Fifteen to twenty-flve miles away. Brown, 

 100; J. Joplin, 125; Miller, 225; postollice, Tustin. 

 McNight, 110; Menson Camp, 225; Morse, 125; Rob- 

 ertson, 180; Fox, 125, Hot Springs Canyon; post- 

 ollice, San Juan. Capistrano Thurstin, CO; Alisa 

 Canyon, postollice, Santa Ana. Thompson, 00; 

 French, 250; Laguna Canyon, postollioc, Tustin. 

 Now we have left out Mr. Welch, 70. Trabuco Can- 

 yon; postollice, Santa Ana —all together, represent- 

 ing 4020 stands. Now, there are probably 500 stands 

 In the valley. Tiike Annaheim, Westminster, Gos- 

 pel Swamp, Orange, Tustin, and Santa Ana. But 

 very few of those take any bee journal, consequent- 

 ly we find but very few comparatively posted; and 

 wh(!n asked why they do not, the almost universal 

 reply is, "We are not able — can not afford it," etc. 

 Whenever we find one reading up, they think it 

 pays. We found one live bee-keeper; he has never 

 moved his bees to the valley. He has never failed 

 to get from a fair to a good crop of honey, oven in 

 the worst season. He has already taken out tons, 

 and will get 2000 lbs. oi- two tons more this season, 

 while Tnany of his immediate neighbors have not 

 taken any. Certainly the bee-keeper has something 

 to do with this result. He has never lost any bees 

 by wholesale; of course, you understand that the 

 best of us lose a few by queenlcssuess, or one mis- 

 hap and another, in si)ite of all we can do; but the 

 percentage is very small. Hundrcfls of stands died 

 in this locality the past winter. The increase has 

 been small, and all on account of feebleness in the 

 spring, from bad management. We can not get 

 those men out to our conventions to post them, and 

 the consequence is, tons of honey are g'ling to 

 waste. Those men occupy the teriitory, and keep 

 out, to a certain extent, a better posted class that 

 would occupy the territory; but they have either to 

 post up or starve out; which will it be? They are 

 waiting for one of the old-fashioned California honey 

 seasons. 



Those canyons are usually small, narrow valleys, 

 containing a small stream of beautiful clear water, 

 in many places only wide enough for a road, occa- 

 sionally widening out, so the bee-ranch eonlaias 2 or 

 3 acres, which the enterprising ones cultivate to 

 fruit and M'gctables. The streams are l)ordered 

 with live oak and sycamore, and walled in on each 

 side with mountains, and frequently the rocks arc 

 perpendicular. Ot)od pasturage for cattle, horses, 

 mules, and goats, the entire year. For any one 

 who likes a retired life, many of the bee-ranches are 

 perfect little paradises. Some keep stock and hens. 

 They are l)0und to live; eggs are now 30 cents per 

 dozen; cows, $75.00 each; butter from 30 to 40 cents. 

 Now, d m't rny of you eastern bee-keepers came un- 

 less you wish to. E. Gallup. 



Santa Ana, Cal., July, 1882. 



GIVEN WIRED FKAITIES. 



SHIPPIXQ FRAMES FILLED WITH FDN. 



¥0U ask, "Has Heddon ever tried two thin 

 sheets, one on each side of the wire?" Yes, 



— ■ time and again. Two sheets thus pressed to- 

 gether do nicely, but don't forget that, whether you 

 press on two thin sheets (one each side of the wires), 

 or one thick one, the press brings the septum 

 down as thin as the wire will allow, showing the 

 wire on either side of the sheet of fdn. in either 

 case. Most of the shipments I have made this year, 

 of wired fdn. frames, have gone in good order. Tvvo 

 or three have been seriously damaged; but I sent 

 one hand-pressed order, that was taken great pains 

 with, and that one brought forth complaint also. 

 Another hand-pres.^ed order went perfectly satisfac- 

 tory. Both hand-pressed orders had every sheet 

 tacked to the top-bar with a strip of wood, and every 

 cell the wire ran over had b^en pricked with a nail; 

 that is, the wire h;id been set down lirmly into the 

 base by pricking it down in every coll it ran over. 



My own opinion is, that there is no safety in the 

 transportation of this class of goods; but that pat 

 on the wires by the press is the safest to ship. I 

 find no fault with the wires breaking; but with 

 those lots that fall into careless hand*, enrjute, arj 

 thrown about till the sheets are jarred loose from 

 the wires. I think the best way is for each buyer to 

 buy in the tlat, and hand-press on his own. 



SMOKE-WOOD. 



Bj' this mail I send you samples ranging from the 

 softest to the hardest that we use. The softest, we 

 use to kindle; the middle grade and hardest are 

 mixed in to make a good fire of duration, according 

 to circumstances. 1 spoke to the woodman, and 

 showed him your note about prices, and he says that, 

 had he no family to support, and plenty of money 

 at interest, he thinks he might furnish the " peck 

 basket full of wood at 10 cents," and possibly throw 

 in achromo as well as the basket. No, friend Root, 

 I was mistaken; this is not a good place to get the 

 wood. A man could not clear 50 cents per day at 

 that price. I do not wonder that you failed to sup- 

 ply the demand. I will buy allot mine at that price. 

 I doui)t if 25 cents for such a basket filled would pay 

 the 5(1.50 per day, nc(. It would do no more, to say 

 the least. We gl.idly yield to s. 1013 on j better pre- 

 pared to supply this blessing to the apiarist. 



James Heddon. 



Dowagiac, Mich., July C, ]8«. 



The specimens of rotten wooil are about 

 such as we have been using, only they are 

 what we term " dry rot,'' a kind of rot that 

 takes ]>hice inside "of the tree or iog. It is 

 not caused by wet or dampness, and the 

 wood does not, tlierefore, give out any tarry 

 sap when burning. A nice article may com- 

 mand LT} cents a i)eck, but I can hardly think 

 it will. What is wanted now is for some 

 one to start it at a fixed regular price, and 

 keep up the standard and quality, so custo- 

 mers will not be disappointed. Samples 

 have been sent us from other parties, nearly 

 if not quite as good ; but no one seems to be 

 able to furnish a (piantity of it. It seems to 

 me the right man for the business must turn 

 up soon, and I hardly think he will want '2'> 

 cents a peck for it either. Peck baskets by 

 the quantity are worth about 4 cents each. — 

 As we succeed most of the time in shipping 



