1893 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



667 



These temporary honey-houses are usually 

 covered with burlaps, which are not very beau- 

 tiful to look upon. 



The honi-y-pasturage extends into the various 

 little canyons, and is extensive, with white 

 sage pri'doiniuating. The young oi'angc-groves 

 on thi' plains below will soon add another bloom 

 in abundance for the busy workers. The dried 

 stems of the yucca, or Spanish bayonet, are 

 seen in every direction on the mountain-sides. 

 The blossoms of this unique plant put fortli 

 early in the season; are borne in prolusion on 

 great spikes, and are of short duration. The 

 bees, however, work" upon them for both pollen 

 and honey; and, though it may not amount to 

 much as a honey -pi ant. it is interesting to bee- 

 keepers as the producer of the yucca brusli for 

 brushing bees from combs. The leaves at the 



intricate whys and wherefores are patiently 

 studied. Among his improvements, he has 

 constructed a new smoker, upon which he has 

 secured a patent. The main features embodied 

 in the smoker are an air-space all around the 

 fire-barrel, and a peculiar and elflcient arrange- 

 ment of the blast-tube. Other improvements 

 are to be made; and when the proper time 

 comes the smoker will be put upon the market 

 to compete with the other members of the 

 smoker family. 



Although Mr. B. is one of us so far as the 

 bee keeping pursuit is concerned, he is not one 

 of us in the bachelor line. A better half pre- 

 sides over his residence, his cook-stove, and his 

 wardrobe, and keeps things in order; and. 

 although Mrs. B. remarked that she felt as 

 though they were camping (for their household 



i!i;oi)iU':( Ks Ai-i.\i;v. 



base are long and lanceolate, and provided wiih 

 a point as sharp as a needle: hence the teiiii 

 "Spanish bayonet.'' The brush is obtained 

 from the base of the leaf and from the dead 

 leaves that are on the stalk. There an; several 

 species of this yucca. On the desert they grow 

 to quiti' sizable trees, I obtained a plioio of 

 a tine specimen of this plant in full bloom, and 

 present it herewith to your leaders. 



The other honey-produi'ing jjlants on this 

 range are too numerous to mention, and are of 

 the same class as those further down in the 

 valley. 



In his maiuigement rif an apiary. Mr. B. has 

 an eye coii>taiilly for improvements; and the 



utensils were mostly in Los Angeles), the 

 order in the house was many degrees su- 

 perior to the order found in a bachelor's 

 cabin: but after all. there is a freedom 

 and easy stvle about a bachelor's cabin 

 that compensates in a great measure for 

 the lack of order. 



Like all other busy men M'-. 1>. has his 

 hobby, and I think Mrs. B. is also pos- 

 ses.sed of it. The hobby is dogs. Three 

 English bull terriers, of undoubted ped- 

 igree and purity, race each other around 

 the ranch, and make things lively; and 

 as thre(> dogs n'quire too much whistling to call 

 them, and as Mrs. B. has the usual feminine 

 weakness in the whistle line. Mr. B. ha* an 

 instrument with a half-whistle and halfhusle 

 tone that makes the welkin ring when blown 

 upon: and every tinu^ its notes resound through 

 the canyon the dogs really climb over each 

 otlier to get to their master or mistress. 



The house occu))i(Kl by our friends was erect- 

 ed by a Dr. Smith; and, whei'i not acting in his 

 medical pi-ofession. he practiced spiritualism. 

 He had a son. "Dave" by name, and report 

 says that the son was ill treated to such an 

 extent that no, died of starvation: and even 

 after he had passed to the spirit-land. Dave 

 couldn't get over his feeling of resentment 

 toward his parent, and he came iiack and 



