OCTOBKE, 1918 GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUKE 



FROM NORTH, EAST, WEST AND SOUTH 



In Northern California — ^^ '* ' " [' '' ' ! >' 



August 1 s 

 one of our best, if not tlie beat, month for 

 honey j^roduction in our entire section. It 

 is unfortunate, especially under existing 

 war conditions, that so little honey has been 

 produced during the last month. The wea- 

 ther was cool and not conducive to nectar 

 secretion until the latter part of the montli. 

 September gives promise of a light fall flow. 

 The last extracting of alfalfa is practically 

 all off the hives, and the crop this year 

 is one of the lightest in the history of the 

 valley, despite the fact that beekeepers 

 everywhere made every effort in point of 

 numbers and condition of colonies to secure 

 a large yield. During September we expect 

 to produce several cars of light-amber and 

 amber honey from fall bloom on the plains 

 but nowhere the number of cars that we 

 harvest from this source during a normal 

 season. There is now a fair flow from the 

 star thistle in the northern part of the val- 

 ley, but the bees there are in such a deplor- 

 able condition on account of disease that 

 the production from this source will not be 

 large. The honeydew flow^ along the rivers 

 is likewise very disappointing. Usually 

 this honey makes its appearance in either 

 June, July, or August, but this season the 

 flow did not commence till the beginning of 

 September, and we do not anticipate more 

 than three or four cars of this dark honey. 

 There is at present a very heavy demand 

 for this grade among buyers. At any time 

 from now on beekeeping weather may take 

 a turn for the worse. A cold snap or early 

 rains may set in and shut off the flow for 

 the balance of the season. In view of this 

 fact we can not emphasize too strongly that 

 the practice of extracting honey close is a 

 most unwise policy to follow. Furthermore 

 it must be remembered that at the present 

 time it is practically impossible to secure 

 sugar for feeding bees. In the event of a 

 poor spring next year no beekeeper has a 

 legitimate reason to ask for sugar for feed- 

 ing purposes, if he made it a practice to ex- 

 tract clean before the fall flow. 



It was pointed out in August Gleanings 

 that on June 26 steps were taken to formu- 

 late the California Honey Producers' Co- 

 operative Exchange. This Exchange was 

 incorporated on July 15, and the temporary 

 officers named on June 26 have been per- 

 manently elected. On the day of incorpora- 

 tion the State Exchange drew^ up an agree- 

 ment between themselves and the various 

 local exchanges eniljodying the following 

 principal objects and purposes: 



To promote, foster, and encourage the pro- 

 duction, distribution, and consumption of 

 honey and other bee x*rof^ucts, thru stan- 

 dardization, uniform grading, proper ad- 

 vertising, the extension of markets, and all 

 other legitimate means. 



To prepare honey and other bee products 



for market, and to manufacture all articles 

 in whicli honey or bee products may be 

 used. 



To lessen the cost of marketing and pro- 

 duction by creating central agencies to rep- 

 resent the State and the local exchanges in 

 the co-operative marketing of their prod- 

 ucts and the purchase of supplies, and by 

 disseminating information concerning all 

 pertinent matters, the maintenance of our 

 advisory legal department, the handling 

 and adjustment of damage and other claims, 

 the collection of the proceeds of sales and 

 otherwise. 



. To secure for all producers, and all local 

 exchanges, fair and just representation in 

 marketing and all other matters in which 

 there may be a joint interest, under fair and 

 equitable rules, to be determined by the 

 parties in interest, with due regard to the 

 volume and value of the product of each and 

 of the number of producing colonies of bees 

 owned or controlled by each producer; and, 

 while uniting so to do, at the same time to 

 preserve the independence of each. 



To provide all facilities to its members, 

 and the local jioney producers' exchanges 

 represented by them, at cost, prorated ac- 

 cording to volume and value of business, 

 under equitable and uniform rules. 



At the present time eight of the ten locals 

 are parties to this agreement. The member- 

 ship of the State Exchange consists of two 

 beekeepers duly chosen by each local ex- 

 change. These members constitute the State 

 Exchange and it will be seen that each local 

 exchange has equal representation and voice 

 in the conduct of the parent organization. 

 The four local exchanges in the northern 

 part of the State are all members of the 

 State Exchange. The names of these or- 

 ganizations and the respective members of 

 each are as follows; Central Valley Honey 

 Producers' Co-operative Exchange, M. C. 

 Eichter and W. W. Thompson; Superior 

 California Honey Producers' Co-operative 

 Exchange, Oliver Parks and B. B. Hoga- 

 boom; Inyo Honey Exchange, W. A. Trickey 

 and A. Shelly; Southern Valley Honey Pro- 

 ducers' Co-operative Exchange, C. W. 

 Tompkins and Robert H. Ellithorpe. 



Modesto, Calif. M. C. Richter. 



« * * 



In Southern California — ^^«"^^^o"t^^- 



ern Califor- 

 nia correspondent is now writing from a 

 point at the headwaters of the Bishop Creek 

 branch of the Owen's River, Inyo County. 

 I am 21 miles from a post-office and it may 

 be several days before I can get to mail this. 

 I was at an elevation of 12,000 feet yester- 

 day and found small black bees working on 

 the scant flora to be found on the poor 

 granite soil. If these bees can manage to 

 live, then would the strain not be valuable 

 for hardiness? No bees are kept within at 

 least 15 miles, so these must have been the 



