1890 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



101 



Creator, to furnish pure unadulterated med- 

 icine, right from nature's laboratory, al- 

 ready furnished with an instrument, fash- 

 ioned beyond any thing that human hands 

 can make, to place the remedy right where 

 the disease is located? 



SAN DIEGO CO., CAL. 



We copy the following from the San 

 Diego Union, Jan. 5 : 



Although San Diego has by far the largest number 

 of hives, the amount of honey produced is not pro- 

 portionately as large as the output in a number of 

 other counties. This is doubtless owing to the fact 

 that the industry in this county is young as com- 

 pared with that in other sections; but more satis- 

 factory results maybe hoped for as keepers become 

 more acquainted with the requirements and proper 

 management of bees in this climate. The pastur- 

 age for bees in the southern portion of the State 

 is white, black, and button sage, alfalfa, alfllaree, 

 button-bush, etc., while the honey crop in the 

 northern sections is gathered principally from wild 

 clover, yellow sage, holly, California lilac, incense 

 cedar, and alfalfa. About two-flfths of the hives in 

 California are of the Langstroth style, the remain- 

 ing three-fifths being Harbison, Merriam, and 

 American hives. It is (computed that two-flfths of 

 the honey crop of the State was gathered from the 

 various kinds of saee, one-flfth from alfalfa, and 

 the remaining two-flfths from the various other 

 kinds of wild bloom. 



A statistical table gives the number of 

 bee-keepers in San Diego as 100; hives, 

 17,000 ; pounds of honey. 260,000. Total bee- 

 keepers for the whole State of ( 'alifornia, 

 517; total hives, 64,630. Total honey, 1,092- 

 900. I am inclined to think the above is 

 hardly complete ; for, judging from my 

 visit, I think I could certainly have found 

 more than 517 bee-keepers, without any 

 trouble; for the State of Michigan, as re- 

 ported in another column, has 4487 bee- 

 keepers. A^ery likelv , however, there may 

 not be more that .")17 in ( 'alifornia who num- 

 ber their colonies by the hundred. 



THK STANLEY EXTRACTOR. 



I see you want reports from those using the Stan- 

 ley extractor. I have used one for two seasons, 

 and I like it very well. Last summer I extracted 

 between 11,000 and 1~.000 pounds of honey with it. 

 I think it would improve it if it had a gear on it. It 

 takes a man to work it. It will not do for a woman. 

 My bees did well. They paid better than the farm. 

 I am a farmer as well as a bee-keeper. 



NOT IN FAVOR OF SKUNKS. 



I see in the last Gleanings that Mr. France is in 

 favor of skunks around the house. I am not in 

 favor of them. A year ago last summer I got up 

 just at daylight, and found 37 nice chickens dead 

 that a skunk had killed. Skunks will suck eggs, all 

 they can find. Chas. Blackburn. 



Lamont, Iowa. Jan. 6. 



county killed their meat, and to-day there are thou- 

 sands of pounds spoiled. My strawberry-bed is full 

 of bloom, as in spring. Berries are as large as 

 buckshot. Apple-leaves are as large as a quarter. 

 I saw some green corn today in my garden, 10 inch- 

 es high. Thermometer is 75° this evening; wind 

 has blown from the south and southwest for three 

 weeks. R. B. Williams. 



Winchester, Tenn., Jan. 7. 



EARLY SEASON IN NORTH CAROLINA. 



1 write you an item of news from the old North 

 State. Dec. ;'S my bees were coming in with loads 

 of pollen; again on .January 4th until to-day, when 

 they are coming in with their baskets full of pollen 

 from the maple timber, which is in full bloom at 

 this date. This is at least one month earlier than 

 usual. I took a peep into my hives to-day, and 

 found the (lueeos laying, and some brood started. 

 So far this winter we have had but a few days of 

 cold weather. Irish potatoes are up in the open 

 ground, four inches; everything is putting on the 

 appearance of spring. The honey crop of last year 

 was light in this section, owing to continuous 

 rains. We hope for a better honey season this 

 year. The queen of my hive appreciates Glean- 

 ings very highly. B. C. Griffith. 



Griffith, N. C, Jan. 7, 18<)0. 



STRAWBERRIES IN BLOOM; POLLEN FROM CEDAR; 

 CORN UP, AND APPLE-TREES LEAVED OUT. 



The honey-flow was almost a failure until very 

 late in the fall. All Italians secured enough from 

 red clover to winter on. Blacks are dying out, or, 

 rather, starving out, all over the county. I went 

 into winter qual-ters with 140 two-story hives filled 

 with bees and honey. All are in fine condition; 

 and to-day they are bringing in pollen with a rush 

 from the cedar. Last year the first pollen was gath- 

 ered from the cedar Feb. 14th. We are having a re" 

 markable winter— only one little freeze the middle 

 of November. At least half of the farmers in this 



A SHRUB WHICH BLOOMED AND YIELDED POLLEN 



TO THE BEES IN MASSACHUSETTS DURING 



CHRISTMAS. 



I send a small branch of a hardy shrub now in 

 bloom out of doors; and, strange to relate, 1 saw 

 several of my Italian bees gathering pollen from 

 the bloom to-day. Only think of it! a hardy shrub 

 in full bloom in January, here in Massachusetts, 

 within 25 miles of cultured Boston! It was in 

 bloom Christmas day, and the bees worked over 

 two hours on it that day. It will remain in bloom 

 until April, as it did the same last winter; but 1 did 

 not see any bees on it then. It is very fragrant, 

 and can be noticed several feet away from the 

 bush. It is a Japanese shrub, and is called Chap- 

 man's honeysuckle. It is a symmetrical shrub, 

 now about 5 feet high. I procured it a few years 

 ago of an importer of novelties and rare plants. 



West Mansfield, Mass., Jan. B. W. O. Sweet. 



We believe, friend S., that the Japanese 

 honysuckle has been discussed in our back 

 volumes.— We, too, have been having a 

 wonderful winter ; but at this date, Jan. 22, 

 the weather has changed, and the thermom- 

 eter is now only 5 degrees above zero. 



TO level the GUOUND OF AN APIARY. 



Next April I wish to plow, harrow, and roll the 

 ground that m.\ 50 colonies of bees now stand on. 

 Of course. I shall have to move the bees first. Now, 

 when the bees are placed back on said ground can 

 I place them to suit myself, or will the hives have 

 to be placed on the same stand they occupied before 

 plowingV Bee-keeper. 



Friend Hee-keeper, I scolded a little be- 

 cause you did not send your name ; but 

 your question may be worth something to 

 others as well. You can put your hives in a 

 different position if you choose, but th*^re 

 will be much greater risk of loss. They 

 mav settle down so as to divide the lost bees 

 pretty fairly ; and. again, they may overrun 

 certain cokmies, kill the queens, and have 

 no end of fighting. I would fasten them all 



