1(i 



GLEAKIHGS IK BEE CULTUltE. 



JaJ<. 



bees in half-pound lots by mail ; and while 

 we do not wish to discourage progressive 

 ideas, we should, at least for the present, be 

 very careful and not forfeit the privilege we 

 now have, of sending a queen and a dozen 

 or so attendants for one or two cents post- 

 age. There is not a bit of doubt but that 

 you can make a cage light enough for one- 

 half pound of bees, that will stand all kinds 

 of rough usage through the mail-bags ; but 

 the point is, will every one be as carefulV 

 While you may have ingenuity and mechan- 

 ical skill enough there are a hundred others 

 who do not. If further steps are taken, do 

 not try the experiment again without fiist 

 obtaining permission from the proper post- 

 al authorities. As the law stands now, 

 half a pound of bees is not admissible — at 



and help distribute tbe mail. Our advice is, " Don't 

 fool with edged tools," but discourage the practice 

 in others every possible chance. 



A California apiarian exhibit. 



FRIEND MERCEK GIVES US A GLIMPSE OF A CAL- 

 IFORNIA HONEY-SHOW. 



Friend Root:— I send you, by this mail, a photo 

 of the exhibit that we had at the District Fair at 

 Los Angeles, Sept. ;i3 to 30, 1889. You will probably 

 recognize all of the faces in the picture. Mr. W. W. 

 Bliss is the first one on the left. That next fellow, 

 whose head looks as round as a pumpkin— well, 

 that's your humble servant, and the next is the 

 other half. The fourth one is my son Edward. We 

 tried hard to get friend Wilson in the photo, but he 



mm».i'if"&^j-s 



I,. F,. MERCER'S EXHIBIT AT VENTURA, CALIFORNIA. 



least if the intention and spirit of the law is 

 considered. Just see what has happened 

 within the last two months, and think what 

 might have been the result with half a 

 pound of bees ! The following is an editori- 

 al on the subject, from the Canadian Bee 

 Journal, page 881 : 



SENDING BEES BY THE POUND BY MAIL. 



Not two months ago we were the recipients of 

 some most beautifully pathetic language at the 

 hands of the railway mail clerks on our local line of 

 railway. And their language was plentifully sea- 

 soned with " cuss-words " too. Do you all want to 

 hear why? Simply because half a dozen little bees 

 escaped out of a broken queen-cage, sent from this 

 office, and walked over the backs of the hands of 

 the mail clerks, with their hot little feet, just half a 

 dozen! But the edict went forth, that if such a 

 thing occurred again the heads of the postofflce de- 

 partment should hear of it, and we all know about 

 what we would have to look for then. Think, then, 

 for a moment of our chances if a whole pound 

 should get loose and roll out of a sack, and turn in 



was on the fly so all day that our artist could not 

 catch him. 



To begin again, on the left of the picture the first 

 is the column that supports the upper part of the 

 booth. These columns are all wrapped with found- 

 ation, which gives them the appearance of wax col- 

 umns Next to the columns is a cake of beeswax, 

 about 3 inches thick, 3 feet wide, and 4 feet 

 high. The spot on the edge is one of your $10(X) re- 

 ward cards. Everybody wanted the reward, but 

 failed to find ihe proof. Next behind the flag is a 

 one-frame glass case of bees that built five good 

 queen-cells while in the case at the fair, with peo- 

 ple handling the case continually from morning un- 

 til ten and eleven c)'clock at night. 



Next, and outside of the curtain, is a common L. 

 hive such as we all use in Ventura Co., except that 

 it has on it a T super. On top of the T super is a 

 34-lb. case of comb honey, and on top of the honey 



