July, 1908. 



American Hee Journal 



though there may be more gold-dust in 

 the pockets of the latter — and that's 

 something not to treat lightly these dull 

 times. 



I was in San Mateo and Santa Clara 

 counties last week, and from the way the 

 cities and towns along the railroad have 

 been growing I should imagine that any 

 of them would afford an opening for 

 bees and a barber. Then, the climate is 

 splendid. Palo Alto, on account of its 

 being a university town, is a good place, 

 but I suppose it is well provided with 

 "tonsorial artists and professors." Ber- 

 keley, in this county, is a 'varsity city 

 with a population of 40,000, but 'tis op- 

 posite the Golden Gate and is a trifle 

 too windy for bees. Otherwise it is an 

 ideal place. 



I think any of the fast-growing towns 

 in this county east of Oakland would 

 offer a good opening for bees, beards, 

 and such things. There's Elmhurst, San 

 Leandro, Layward, Dacoto, Centerville, 

 Newark and Niles. The four last-men- 

 tioned expect a rapid rise in population 

 owing to important railroad lines, in ad- 

 dition to those already in existence, com- 

 ing their way. 



Women Bee-Keepers. 



I know I am going to step on some- 

 body's corns, Eut as I'm independent and 

 outspoken, I'm going to out with it. So 

 here goes : 



Woman's sphere is a big subject, and 

 one often dealt with by writers. Lately 

 some writers have been stating what a 

 grand thing it is for woman to keep 

 bees ; what a glory it is for a woman 

 to get out among the bees and do things ! 

 This observation has been called to mind 

 by a rather indifferent article on bees 

 in Sunset Magazine a few months ago. 



Great opportunities for women who 

 keep bees ! Great Scott ! Who ever 

 heard of a woman bee-keeper, all by her 

 "lonely," getting out and making a for- 

 tune, or anything near such, by running 

 an apiary ! I have heard of some women 

 who were admirable assistants to bee- 

 keepers. The first woman bee-keeper 

 who attracted any attention was Mrs. 

 Ellen S. Tupper in the early seventies. 

 She was heralded everywhere as some- 

 thing wonderful ; she reared bees and 

 queens, and produced honey, and even 

 sold supplies and edited a bee-paper. 

 She wound up by becoming insane, and 

 dying — I believe, in an asylum. 



Then, there was Katie Grimm. She 

 assisted her father to make a fortune 

 off bees — how much of it I know not. 

 She married and quit bees. 



I\Irs. L. Harrison held the boards 

 longer than any other bee-woman I re- 

 member of. I think her main stunt, 

 however, was with the pen, which was 

 used to narrate how she did things with 

 bees. She was a good woman, and no 

 doubt did some earnest apiarian work. 



The Linswick sisters, of Michigan, 

 were pioneers in the line I write of, and, 

 perhaps, produced more honey than any 

 other single lot of women bee-keepers 

 in the country. I believe they are still 

 living, but bees no longer claim their 

 attention, except, perhaps, in a small 

 way. 



But the wonder of 'em all was Lizzie 



Cotton ! Her " hive " was advertised 

 everywhere 30 years ago, and she made 

 money off it. But no one ever heard 

 of her as a bee-keeper. But she was a 

 fraud pure and simple, and hunibug-c.x- 

 posers devoted nuich time and space to 

 .showing up her and her fraudulent ways. 

 I believe it was proved that there was 

 no Lizzie Cotton — that -some one used 

 the name to vend a worthless patent-hive 

 right. LTndcr our present postal regula- 

 tions she could not carry on her busi- 

 ness many months before being driven 

 from the Maine towri "she" called her 

 home. But, perhaps, on this showing 

 I should not have cited the doubtful 

 Lizzie as a fair bee-keeper — a bee-keeper 

 of the fair sex. 



.Another woman who achieved some 

 distinction in caring for bees and pro- 

 ducing large crops of honey in connec- 

 tion with her husband, was Mrs. Sarah 

 J. Axtell. She, too, was a bee-writer, 

 and interestingly told how she did things. 



I might tell of a few more, some of 

 whom write entertainingly on bee-cul- 

 ture, one having written a bee-book 

 which has been well-printed but not al- 

 together so well written ; and another 

 who gets up a splendid woman's depart- 

 ment for the "bee-keeping sisters," (God 

 bless 'em, although I haven't been shying 

 bokays at 'em, as Josh Billings might 

 have written). But I think I have 

 proved by contention. 



Now, don't get after me; not that I 

 am afraid of my ground, but for fear 

 that I might forget to say bees, and just 

 whisper loud enough to be heard, 

 "R-A-T-S!" 



Alfalfa a Great Honey Plant. 



I believe if more alfalfa could be 

 planted along roadsides and through the 

 waste places throughout the length and 



what, I know not. And alfalfa started 

 in this manner will be more sure of se- 

 creting nectar than will the plants in 

 irrigated fields, as the latter is cut so 

 frequently that there is seldom a stand 

 of blooming plants. Besides, the alfalfa 

 on neglected land will be richer in nectar 

 than the cultivated. 



I understand that alfalfa was first 

 introduced to the northern hemisphere 

 via California. It was grown here for 

 some years before it was taken to some 

 of the adjoining States. It came here 

 from Chile. The first I remember of 

 it attracting attention as a honey-secret- 

 ing plant was through a couple of arti- 

 cles w^ritten for the Bee-Keepers' Mag- 

 azine, February and April, 1874, by J. E. 

 Johnson, who found it an excellent bee- 

 forage plant in Utah. Since then it has 

 become widely and favorably known and 

 planted throughout Utah, California, 

 Colorado and a number of other States, 

 .'^s a fodder plant it has no equal, and 

 is therefore a favorite with the stock- 

 man. Try it. 



Alfalf.\ in Bloom. 



breadth of this country, we would be 

 more sure of a crop of honey every year 

 than we now are. It is a plant that is 

 easily started and when once it gets a 

 root-hold nothing can drive it out, unless 

 it be gophers, dodder, or some discease — 



Death of 3Ir. King's Daughter. 



After a lapse of something like 20 

 years, the correspondence between Mr. 

 A. J. King, formerly editor of the Bee- 

 Keepers' Magazine, and myself, was re- 

 sumed a few weeks ago. Mr. King had 

 gone to Cuba after disposing of the 

 Magazine to superintend some large 

 apiaries, belonging, I believe, to the 

 Cassanovas. Later he was in Arizona.. 

 But during all those years I had not 

 heard from him. 



Years ago, just after the Civil war, 

 he was the teacher in the Peralta school, 

 a district that includes all of what is 

 now that portion of the city of Oakland 

 north of the Temescal creek, and the 

 major portion qf Berkeley proper, a 

 territory now with a population of some- 

 thing like 50,00q souls— then a meager 

 few hundred ; the land being all devoted 

 to farming. 



But, as I was going to state, I heard 

 from Mr. King, and he wrote me that 

 he would pay me a visit on June 27th. 

 He was then superintending a large 

 apiary in Monterey county, but his home 

 • was in San Diego county. I was antici- 

 pating a very pleasant visit from my 

 old teacher — some 40 years passed since 

 I last saw him. On June 23 inst. I re- 

 ceived a note from him saying that he 

 was called home by a telegram announc- 

 ing the death of his daughter, and that 

 he arrived in time to attend her funeral. 

 He further stated that his unexpected 

 and sad recall home would compel his 

 relinquishing his trip to Oakland and 

 vicinity. 



The loss of Mr. and Mrs. King's only 

 daughter comes as a sad blow to them. 

 They are both in the winter of life, 

 for their three-score and ten mile-stones 

 have been fairly and honorably passed. 

 It is when a parent's sands of life are 

 running low that a child's loving min- 

 istrations come as a heavenly blessing 

 to their declining years. It is then that 

 the affliction pierces the parent's heart 

 deeper, and leaves a wound that can 

 never heal. I am sure the sympathies 

 of the bee-keeping fraternity of the 

 land will be with the afflicted parents. 



