312 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



establishes prices monthly and maintains 

 them. Never before, in the history of 

 California bee-keeping, have prices ruled 

 so high at the end of the honev season as 

 they ruled at the end of the one just 

 passed. White extracted honey sold at 

 wholesale for 5^ cts. This Association 

 advances money on honey — more than 

 half its value. In short, it is doing all of 

 those things of which we have talked and 

 hoped. 



A TRUE PICTURE MUST HAVE BOTH 

 WGHTS AND SHADOWS. 



In the above I have tried to give a fair 

 and impartial account of California bee- 

 keeping, as I saw it during a stay of one 

 week. I have tried not to exaggerate, not 

 to paint in too bright colors, nor to neg- 

 lect the shadows necessary for a true pic- 

 ture. There are many details that a longer 

 stay would probably have allowed me to 

 have added, such, for example, as the 

 fact that, near the ocean, the fog has an 

 influence upon vegetation, but is not de- 

 sirable from the bee-keepers' standpoint. 

 It retards the coming of the honey season 

 and delays the work of the bees in the 

 early part of the day. An apiary near the 

 coast has sometimes furnished only a 

 small crop, while one a few miles further 

 inland has furnished a bountiful crop. As 

 in other parts of the country, a man ought 

 to spend several months in investigating 

 before investing any money and settling 

 down permanently. There is no doubt 

 that California is a great honey countr}', 

 at least, when the conditions are right. 

 In a good year I suppose that California 

 produces more honey than any other 

 State. I have seen it reported that Cali- 

 fornia has shipped as many as 500 car 

 loads of honey in a year. This year it is 

 estimated that she will ship about 125 car 

 loads. It is very certain that, if the busi- 

 ness is managed rightly, money can be 

 made there keeping bees, but Mr. W. h. 

 Coggshall once told me that he had equal- 

 ized the yields for several years in both 

 California and New York, and there was 

 not very much difference. But California 

 has one distinct factor in her favor; those 



everlasting mountains will stand there a 

 good many years, and so long as they 

 stand the black sage will flourish on their 

 almost inaccessible slopes. When there 

 is rain a bee-keeper can be almost certain 

 of a crop. When there is no rain he 

 knows what he must do to keep his bees 

 alive. He must have enough bees so that 

 he can make money, even if there are 

 occasionally poor years. The last needed 

 factor, organization, has now been added. 

 The pathway to success is pretty clearly 

 marked out. 



EXTRACTED 



SHIPPING COMB HONEY. 



How It Should Be Pticked To Avoid Loss 

 From Breakage. 



One of the most" vexatious losses that 

 can come to a bee-keeper is to have a 

 fine shipment of comb honey broken up 

 in shipment. I have had quite a little 

 experience as a shipper, with no losses in 

 this direction, and my advice would 

 agree exactly with that given by Bro. 

 York in a recent issue of the American 

 Bee Journal, and he has had abundant 

 opportunity for observing the oilier end 

 of the proposition — the condition in which 

 the honey reaches its destination. Bro. 

 York says: 



Only the very best and second best 

 would we place on the distant market. 

 We would put it into the ordinary 12, 20 

 or 24 pound no-drip shipping cases, plac- 

 ing next to the glass a row of sections 

 containing what would be a fair sample 

 of the rest of the case. There should be 

 no "facing" for deception. 



Then, six or eight of these cases of 

 honey should be put into a crate or box, 

 l)ut first putting in the bottom of the 

 crate or box a layer of straw or hay sever- 

 al inches deep. This will serve as a cushion 

 and help to prevent the breaking down 

 of the combs in handling when shipping. 



After putting in the cases of honey, 

 nail stri])s of boards across the top of the 

 l)ox or crate and mark thereon very plain- 

 ly, "This vSide Up. Comb Honey. Handle 

 With Care. ' ' 



