1893 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



387 



in such small quantity, and know of no place 

 where we could recommend them to buy 5 lbs. 

 of guaranteed pure extracted honey. Consum- 

 ers are in the habit of buying extracted honey, 

 and get such a poor article that we are troubled 

 with the statement that we sell manufactured 

 or adulterated comb honey, and in each instance 

 we quote that A. I. Root, of Medina. Ohio, will 



Eay into the thousands for proof that any comb 

 oney sold has not been manufactured by the 

 bee. Let this be a warning to any bee-man, 

 that we do not want any honey but strictly pure 

 and unadulterated. At times we have received 

 consignments of honey-dew; but this we have 

 sold on its merits, not for eatables, but for the 

 manufacture of cockroach paste— in our minds 

 the only purpose it is fit for. 



We hope this article will vindicate the firm 

 of J. A. Buchanan & Son. in the minds of all 

 bee-men; and a-! long as we handle our honey 

 department as extensively as we have the past 

 few year^. we will interest ourselves in fighting 

 any cause to better present conditions. 

 Chicago, Apr. 29. S. T. Fish & Co. 



[We are very glad to receive the above com- 

 munication, as it helps to vindicate J. A. Bu- 

 chanan, and because we know S. T. Fish & Co. 

 are al)Ove reproach in the product they sell. 

 They, as much as or more than any other com- 

 mission house we know of, seem to have a kin- 

 dred feeling with the bee-keeper, and such as 

 every honey-seller should have. It is hard for 

 us to believe, however, that honey is so fearful- 

 ly adulterated as to make it difficult to get five 

 pounds of guaranteed extracted honey in their 

 city. Perhaps they do not mean to convey that 

 impression. If the small dealers in Chicago 

 adulterate for themselves, let the Bee-keepers" 

 Union get after them " right quick."] 



RAMBLE NO. 84. 



A DESCEIPTION OF INYO COUNTY, CAL 



N the early portion 

 of thewintera well- 

 built gentleman 

 with a straw hat 

 lud with a benign and 

 leased expression 

 beaming from his 

 ' face, and a general as- 

 pect that indicated a 

 camper, entered the 

 Rambler's den and in- 

 troduced himself as 

 Mr. H. Trickey, from 

 Inyo Co. We had a 

 very pleasant chat 

 upon the bee and hon- 

 ey interests of the 

 .Sierras; and when he 

 departed I made up 

 my mind that his 

 name was no indica- 

 tion of his character, 

 for he did not seem that way inclined. During 

 the few hours' sojourn I proceeded to focus Mr. 

 Trickey's eyes and thoughts upon Inyo Co., and 

 will give you the result. 



Mr. T. resides in the town of Bishop, and had 

 journeyed to our southern counties, a distance 

 of over 350 miles, his traveling companions a 

 horse and b\iggy, and a small tent that could 

 be tucked away under the seat of the wagon. 

 After spending a few months looking over the 

 southern counties, and attending the Bee-keep- 

 ers' State convention, he journeyed back in the 



same order in which he came, having, no doubt, 

 a free and glorious time. 



Inyo County is probably one of the most pe- 

 culiar regions upon the American continent. 

 Extremes meet in startling contrasts— arctic cold 

 and torrid heat. Mount Whitney, said to be 

 the highest mountain in the U. S., rises above 

 all of the Sierras on the west, and south of it 

 the surface of the land sinks to hundreds of 

 feet below the sea-level, and forms the desolate 

 and once mysterious Death Valley. The county, 

 though very large, has but few fertile valleys, 

 and the principal one is Owen's River Valley, 

 about 73 miles long and from a half to 5 miles 

 in width. Owen's Lake, into which the river 

 empties, is an inland sea, and is brilliantly clear 

 and limpid, but so strongly impregnated with 

 soda that the manufacture of soda is a growing 

 and profitable industry. It is also something of 

 a summer resort, for the waters are noted for 

 curative qualities. It is no trick at all, Mr. 

 Trickey says, to cure catarrhal troubles. 

 Stock-raising and dairying is one of the chief 

 agricultural pursuits; but the stock, according 

 to Mr. T."s progressive views, are a scrubby 

 race, and he thinks there is a chance for some 

 one to make a profitable venture oy introducing 

 a better grade of cattle. 



In all of the southern counties there is an in- 

 quiry for good beef, and it could be easily sup- 

 plied from this mountainous county. The 

 many mountain streams of ice-cold water, flow- 

 ing down from the regions of perpetual snow, 

 give ample opportunity for irrigation; and 

 while in our orange-grove irrigation the water 

 is carefully used and the gates kept under lock 

 and key, in Owen's Valley the water is so plenti- 

 ful that every one is at liberty to open the gates 

 and help himself for the feeding of cattle. Al- 

 falfa is raised .extensively; and under irrigation 

 it makes a rank growth. It is allowed to be- 

 come blue with bloom, and the thousands of 

 acres of it make the region a sort of bee-keep- 

 er's paradise. So many farmers raise it that it 

 gives a continuous bloom for several months, 

 and two crops of hay are secured each season. 



Mr. Trickey owns 400 colonies; and instead 

 of having them located out in some mountain 

 canyon the apiary is on the home place, which 

 makes it very convenient for a man who is tied 

 down with a family. Mr. Trickey, however, 

 baches it. and is not so tied, as he might be. 

 The mountains would also be a bad honey-pas- 

 ture, for there are but few wild honey -produc- 

 ing flowers in this region, while there is but lit- 

 tle sage of any kind. The honey-flow from al- 

 falfa commences in June and continues for three 

 and manv times four months. Comb honey is 

 the exclusive production in this valley, and Mr. 

 T. thinks the honey superior to the Nevada or 

 the Arizona honey. During the honey-flow, 

 honey can be left around anywhere, and the bees 

 will not notice it. He had frequently had a 

 thousand pounds of beautiful section honey ex- 

 posed on hives for several hours, with no bad 

 results. 



As to overstocking the alfalfa fields, Mr. T. 

 thought it might be done; but in a radius of 

 five miles from his apiary there were 3500 colo- 

 nies, and he didn't see that it made much differ- 

 ence in the yield. All apiaries were affected 

 alike when the honey-yield commenced. All 

 were very busy at once, or stopped in a like sud- 

 den manner. The yield of honey will average 

 about 70 lbs. per colony; and, though the yields 

 ar'^ not so astonishing as in other portions of 

 California, the yield is more uniform every year. 

 Since he had been in the business there had not 

 been a season of failure. 



Mr. T. uses a hive with a very small brood- 

 chamber; uses but little foundation— only an 

 inch starter in the sections, and none in the 



