802 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 1. 



bees a chance to make continual visits, and 

 many more chances to secrete wax; to repair 

 the wear and tear caused by uncapping and 

 many other operations. 



As a rule, bees will not build foundation in 

 summer during a very light honey-flow, provid- 

 ed a good number of old combs are given to the 

 hive. I have tried it time and again, putting 

 in a sheet of foundation to every three or four 

 old combs, to find, a fortnight later, the old 

 combs tilled with honey — often, also, with 

 brood, and the foundation left untouched in the 

 middle, even though on some occasions it would 

 be introduced right into the brood-nest, and left 

 untouched, or a few cells be drawn out in the 

 center, '"par acquit de conscience." eggs laid, 

 and sealed, and that was all. Honey is gener- 

 ally stored right above the patches of brood. 

 The bigger the combs, the more concentrated 

 you may find the brood and honey; while with 

 smaller combs, honey is discarded in cases of a 

 fast-laying prolificqueen; but, again, in spring, 

 as the season advances, honey is brought near- 

 er; the patches of brood are rounded to take 

 the winter- clustering form, and honey is put 

 around, and old comb is utilized in preference, 

 as being more firm. Perhaps, also, the dark 

 color is preferred by bees. They do not want 

 any light inside the hive, and so, perhaps, dis- 

 card the light-colored comb at the approach of 

 winter. As a rule, of course, there may be ex- 

 ceptions. 



Nice, France. 



[You will find an article bearing on this same 

 subject, on page f)99 Sept. 1,5th issue. Thanks 

 for the additional light you have given us. — 



Ed.] 



RAMBLE 142. 



CROSSING THE TEH.^CHAPAI MOUNTAINS. 



By Rambler. 



In the Tejon Pass we crossed a portion of the 

 great Beal Ranch, containing 350.000 acres. 

 Gen. Beal, of the U. S. Army, and at one time 

 Surveyor-General of the State, accrued to him- 

 self the above territory. The method of ac- 

 cruing it, it is said, was intensely crooked; but 

 as the general has exchanged the title to the 

 350.000 acres for a little parcel of ground 2x6 

 feet, and gone to the country where the crooked 

 shall be made straight. I do not feel like accus- 

 ing him of misdeeds now. Upon the ranch are 

 15,000 head of cattle, hundreds of horses, and 

 hogs: in the mountainous portions grizzly and 

 black bears, deer, antelopes, and much smaller 

 game. It was a game country, and Bro. Wilder 

 would have explored its ragged recesses at any 

 other season. 



The Tejon Pass, for the greater part of the 

 way. is a rough and ragged canyon. Reina 

 had regained the control of her foot again. 

 She seemed to reserve her lameness for Sunday 



travel only; and before night we arrived at the 

 adobe home of our poetical Irishman, and we 

 camped in the park of noble oaks that surround 

 his house. In the evening we gathered around 

 a roaring fire that sent the sparks up the chim- 

 ney from a capacious fireplace; and how true 

 it is with us lonely bachelors that "A fellow 

 feeling makes one wondrous kind" ! Our 

 friend the poet was a good conversationalist, 

 and the pleasures of the evening tripped lightly 

 along uiiiil there came an ominous knock at 

 the door. "Come in!" cheerily said our host. 

 The door opened, and a short, thick-set, power- 

 fully built, black-faced, black-eyed, black- 

 bearded Mexican appeared. " Come in. Jose" 

 (Ho-say). They both laughed, and clasped 

 hands like the dearest of friends. Jose unbut- 

 toned his coat, and from an inner pocket he 

 pulled a long black boitle and placed it on the 

 table. The men again laughed, -and clasped 

 hands. 



._^j:3 



THK POET S HOME IN TE.JON PASS. 



Our host, who had been somewhat sedate in 

 conversation, was now visibly enlivened. The 

 bottle rested not long upon the table; the cork 

 was drawn and glasses filled. As guests we 

 were ofi'ered a generous allowance; but Bro. 

 Wilder and I could not afford even here, in the 

 cabin of our convivial poet, to break over our 

 rules of temperance, sp we politely declined. 

 Jose and our ho'^t, however, attacked the bottle 

 and clinked their glasses together for health. 

 The clinks became quite frequent. Jose quite 

 musical, and our host poetical. We observed 

 that the performance would last until a late 

 hour, and we bade the performers good night 

 and sought our tent and our slumbers. 



We were aroused some hours later by voices 

 near our tent singing a farewell song— softly, 

 then swelling in harmony, Jose's deep bass 

 voice and the poet's tenor. For a full half- 



