938 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. l.'i. 



The tall horse looked patronizingly over the 

 neck of the small horse, and the latter looked 

 up meekly to his big companion. The tall 

 horse was to be taken to the luscious pastures 

 of San Jacinto that the lame leg might heal 

 and the horse be in trim for the fall plowing. 

 Being a merciful man, the owner had to drive 

 slow. With my Waterbury watch and a new 

 lead-pencil 1 figured that we moved along at 

 the velocity of two miles an hour. The roads 

 were dusty, of course, and we took some of it 

 into our respiratory and gastronomic organs; 

 but it was very fine dust, and we realized no 

 harm. Our gate enabled us to see the country 

 under^the most favorable circumstances. We 

 could' count the fence-posts with ease; and, 

 whlle"going past a watermelon-patch, I counted 

 the whole crop, 310 melons, less two which we 

 put into our wagon. 



SABOBAN HOUSEKEEPERS. 



At the young town of Moreno we struck the 

 center of the valley, and could see the whole 

 length of it. which must be over 30 miles; and 

 this whole 30 miles, by an average of 5 miles in 

 width, is more or less in grain - fields. The 

 grain had been cut, and the immense combined 

 header, thrasher, and sacker, had left the sacks 

 in piles which could be seen as far as the eye 

 could discern. After we had got well by Moreno 

 we turned our horses' heads against a barley- 

 stack, and proceeded to take our lunch. 



A recent and untimely rain had spoiled the 

 interior of this stack, and our horses were 

 welcome to pick what good they could from it. 

 We found the grain-producers in bad straits, 

 and complaining bitterly of hard times and low 

 prices. Good barley was selling for .50 cents 

 and even less, per sack, and barley hay for $5.00 

 per ton. A few who had taken land to sow on 

 shares had not enough to pay their expenses, 



and the products of whole grain-fields were put 

 under attachment and the sheriff's hammer. 



An hour'^ rest enabled us to push forward 

 again with the same rapidity as before; and 

 late in the evening we arrived at our journey's 

 end— the residence of Mr. H. T. Hallock. Mr. 

 Hallock is an enthusiastic bee-keeper, and has 

 a fine fruit-ranch to occupy his attention while 

 not at work with his apiary of over 100 colonies. 

 Mrs. Hallock is also an enthusiastic worker at 

 whatever she finds for her hands to do. The 

 previous night she had driven alone nearly all 

 night to Riverside, .30 miles, with a load of 

 prunes, and reached home again after we had 

 retired for the night. 



When we consider that this frail woman 

 came here a few years ago so bad with the 

 asthma that her friends despaired of her ever 

 recovering, we realize the benefits of this par- 

 ticular climate. The next 

 day being Sunday, and our 

 new friends being (!od- 

 fearing Congregationalists, 

 we all attended church, and 

 were duly edified from the 

 Scriptui-es. Our rapid drive 

 the previous day left my 

 traveling companion with 

 a severe headache, and he 

 thought nothing but a good 

 bath at one of the sulphur 

 springs would help him; 

 and, sure enough, after the 

 bath and attendant sweat, 

 the cobwebs were all cL'ar- 

 ed out of his head. The 

 hot springs boil out here in 

 three difterent places. The 

 springs nearest town have 

 a swimming-pool; the next, 

 three miles below, have 

 mud baths, and are named 

 Relief Springs. Several 

 miles below are the Eden 

 Springs, a sort of free-for- 

 all resort and camping- 

 place. 



Mr. Dustin lives just 

 above Relief Springs, where 

 his apiary presents much 

 the same appearance as 

 upon page .512, Gleanings 

 for 1892. We were disap- 

 pointed to find him absent. 

 I was pleased to meet Mr. 

 II. I. Morse, also mentioned 

 by the senior editor in 1892. 

 Mr. M. is another success- 

 ful bee-keeper, a man of a 

 family, and having several 

 irons besides bee-keeping 

 in the furnace of business. 

 Limited time prevented me from accepting Mr. 

 Morse's offer to take me around amongst the 

 bee-keepers, who are'plentiful in the valley. Mr. 

 M. thought he could find a good location, and 

 that the Rambler would fit well into the San 

 Jacinto Valley (remember what I said in the 

 last ramble about old Californians giving you 

 a desire to settle near them). To Vale Vista, 

 Mr. Simmons and I journeyed. Here Mr. S. 

 owns a pretty fruit- I'anch, and formerly owned 

 a bee-ranch. The latter is, however, now in 

 the hands of another man, and his yield of 

 honey was only about a ton from 100 colonies. 

 This was a light yield as compared with his 

 neighbors, who had obtained from .5 to 8 tons 

 from an equal number of colonies. The yield 

 throughout the valley, however, was not what 

 we can call bountiful. The honey flora seems 

 to be quite extensive, with a gn-at preponder- 

 ance of white sage; but it seems that, during 



