1895 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



397 



as nearly as we can make out, were all from the 

 two loads that were hauled last. In the Wil- 

 son apiary the colonies were much heavier and 

 stronger than either of the others, it being the 

 one apiary that required little feeding for win- 

 ter. Now, what caused the mortality ? It 

 seems a very plain case that it was the failure 

 to have a good fly after being hauled, for that 

 was the only difference between those two loads 

 of bees and the rest, as they were wintered in 

 the same cellar under exactly the same condi- 

 tions. I guess we won't be caught napping 

 again. No bees of ours will be likely to be 

 hauled as late as November hereafter. 



April 4th we carried the bees out of the shop 

 cellar. They belong to the home apiary. They 

 were in fine condition when taken out, and to 

 all appearances could have remained some time 

 longer in the cellar, without injury. Of the 89 

 colonies put into the cellar, two died. 



Marengo, 111. 



[I take it that your bees wintered perfectly, 

 with the exception noted. I should not have 

 supposed that the lack of a good flight just 

 after being hauled home, and before putting 

 them into the cellar, would have made all this 

 difference.— Ed.] 



CALIFORNIA ECHOES. 



By Rambler. 



Many standard appliances used in the East 

 are in but little use here. The bee-tent is a 

 valuable adjunct to the apiary, but we seldom 

 find one in California. 



Messrs. Gemmel and Alpaugh, of Canada, 

 made a host of friends while here. We should 

 like to annex them to California. It would 

 lengthen their days of usefulness, and give us 

 two more live bee-keepers. 



In the last A. B. J., Mr. Dadant thinks the 

 new forage-plant, sacaline, is a honey-produc- 

 ing plant. If it proves true, it means much for 

 California, for just now there is much talk 

 about introducing it into Southern California; 

 and if New Mexico can grow sainfoin, Califor- 

 nia surely can. Every bee-keeper who has a 

 spot of ground upon which to test these plants 

 should sow the seeds this year. 



The Hon. J. M. Hambaugh. of Illinois, so- 

 journed for several weeks in California; and in 

 summing up his observations in a recent issue 

 of the American Bee Journal he said, " The 

 half has never been told." When you consider 

 that several persons have attempted to throw 

 doubt upon the statements of such writers as 

 Prof. Cook, Dr. Gallup, and the Rambler, the 

 above from Bro. Hambaugh is truly helpful. 

 We have said much about California; but, re- 

 member " the half has never been told." 



There is much said recently in the American 

 Bee Journal about the practice of spreading 

 brood in the spring, the majority taking 

 gronud against it. It is very safe advice when 



applied to the bee-keeper in the cold corners of 

 the East; but here in California the spreading 

 of brood can be indulged in with but little 

 danger to the colony, and it is largely practiced 

 here in the spring. It is safe to say that all of 

 the leading bee-keepers do thus enlarge the 

 brood-nest, and equalize until the honey-har- 

 vest commences. It pays in dollars. 



Please allow me to return thanks to the 

 " Ladye Faire " who sent me that " confusion " 

 of poetry. I am looking with much favor upon 

 the fair sex just now, and am poetically dispos- 

 ed; and. being a lonely bachelor, I have been in 

 a deep study over the following for some time: 



" Fact is," said the one bee-man, " I married 

 because I was lonely as much as for any other 

 reason. To put it tersely, I married for sympa- 

 thy." 



"Well," said the other bee-man, "you have 

 mine." 



Eastern people come to California for various 

 reasons— some for their health, some to engage 

 in fruit culture, some to produce honey, and 

 some to fill in the various other industries. 

 Nearly all of these classes do well. They very 

 sensibly consider that this is a new country, 

 and it requires time for development, and they 

 will endure a little hardship at first, in order 

 to reap the advantages later; and, speaking of 

 bee-keepers, there are hundreds of them who 

 have made money out of the business, and 

 thousands more will do the same. 



There is a class of people, however, who ar- 

 rive here from the East, expecting that every 

 breeze is balmy, every sunbeam evenly balanc- 

 ed between heat and cold, and that golden 

 nuggets are found in every sandhill. Owing to 

 the fact that we do have disagreeable climatic 

 features, and sometimes a failure in crops, 

 precious little loose gold, and now and then a 

 real bad real-estate man, this class of enlarged 

 expectancy soon shake the dust of California 

 from their feet, and seek the East, howling 

 their grievances to high Heaven. We look 

 around us and expect to see the whole of the 

 State sink; but, no; she still waves; and the 

 evidences of prosperity — growing towns, thriv- 

 ing communities— lead us to look with pity and 

 a derisive smile upon the rantings of the mistak- 

 en emigrants. 



Moral.— If you are doing well where you are, 

 are respected, healthy, and passably contented, 

 by all means stay there. If you have poor 

 health, and .?]00() or more to invest you will do 

 well to come to California. If you are along in 

 years, remember what Dr. Gallup says: "Cali- 

 fornia is the old man's paradise." My advice 

 at all times is, to look well before you leap. 



Mr. Gee and myself find the prog-eny of the queens 

 we g-Qt first from you to Ije far better honey-grather 

 ers than the other bees we have had. Mr. Gee has 

 four strains (New South Wales bred), but he gives 

 the palm to yours, both last year and this. 



Minto, N. S. W., Aus., Dec. 24, 1894. P. D. Page. 



