filO 



GLEANINGS IN IJEE CULTURE. 



May 



without being troubled. Gleanings has 

 never lacked patronage since the Home Pa- 

 pers were started. In fact, the calls from 

 almost all (luarters of tlie earth on my 

 strength and time have often seemed as if 

 they would overwhelm me; and, may God 

 l)e "praised that I hacc been enabled to be of 

 use to the brethren : and I thank him a 

 thousand times more for the great privilege 

 he has vouchsafed to me, of being enabled 

 to lead at least a few souls toward the path 

 of eternal life, than that he has prospered 

 me in furthering the cause of bee culture. 

 There are plenty of bee-journals tiiat do not 

 feel called upon to '-mix things up," as 

 some of tlie brethren are pleased to term it. 

 Why not give tliem a lift, in place of tinding 

 fault with the way Glkanings is managed? 

 T am sure I am glad to see them prosper ; 

 and sometimes, when I feel spicially over- 

 burdened with a multitude ot cares, I have 

 felt as if I woidd gladly and willingly divide 

 with them a i)ortion of this great amount 

 of business that needs doing bv some one. 



STORING EXTRACTED HONEY. 



HOW SHAM> AVE MAKE A TANK OK SUKFICIKNT CA- 

 PACITY TO HOLD A COUPI.K Of TONSV 



1^ OULD you tell me, throiig-h >(Mir .ioiirnal, liow 

 1'^ ^ to build a lioney-tiink.:' A short article will do 

 |i)| —one to hold two ton.s of honey. Don't put 

 ^^ this in the waste-basket, as it is important. 

 Decatur, Texas. .Ioseph Uoss. 



A tank to hold two tons of honey would 

 have to hold about HG4 gallons, or as nuich 

 as eight of the largest-sized barrels. Inas- 

 much as such a receptacle could not well be 

 moved, I should advise putting the honey 

 into cans or barrels ; but if the circum- 

 stances are such that you really must have a 

 two-ton tank, perhaps your cheapest way to 

 make it woidd be like our wooden cisterns. 

 In Xew Orleans all tlie water that is used is 

 kept in these big tubs, or tanks, and they all 

 stand on top of the ground. Ihit, another 

 thing comes in here : I think it is somewhat 

 doubtful if honey can be stored any length 

 of time in a wooden receptacle, witiiout be- 

 coming tainted. Galvanized iron is also ob- 

 jectionable, because the acid of the honey 

 dissolves the zinc. It may not be percepti- 

 ble unless a little honey should be left stand- 

 ing some time over quite a surface of the 

 galvanized iron. In that case it becomes 

 poisonous, and I would not use galvanized 

 iron for containing honey at all, not even 

 for a honey - extractor. Now, then, what 

 shall we use? I do not know of any thing 

 better than a tank of wood lined with tin. 

 Fasten tii(^ tin on to the wood witli nails 

 coated with tin, and then solder the heads 

 fast to the tin, using notliing but rosin for 

 doing the soldering. The rosin must then 

 be cleaned oft carefully, or that would taint 

 the honey. I believe.' my friend, before you 

 get through you will conclude tiiat a waxed 

 barrel will be clieai)er. and it is also ready 

 for shipment when you want to ship. I 

 might mention, l)y the way, that the nicest 

 honey we have ever received from Cal- 

 ifornia, or anywhere else, comes in the 



square tin cases, cased two in a box, each 

 can holding about 60 lbs. Hadn't you bet- 

 ter put your honey into these tin cases? If 

 you want a tank to ripen it, however. I 

 would make it of plank, and cover it with 

 thi in the way I have suggested. Yery 

 likely some of i the readers of (iLKANiNGs 

 can give us some liints in this matter. I 

 sliould like to hear from friends Wilkin. 

 V. V. Muth, Poppleton, and others, who 

 handle extracted honey in large quantities. 



THE OTHER SIDE OF CALIFORNIA. 



ADVISAIU, 



pri.r, 



LHEKE; 



fHlEND KODT:-! wish to make a lew remarks 

 on Iricud Gallup's article, p. 236. 1 agree 

 with him in all that he says, with the excep- 

 tion of the last paragi-aph of his letter. One 

 might be led to think, from what he writes, 

 that a person could make a living here, with a 

 small capital and little or no work. I think that 

 friend (i. has done wrong in stating the matter as 

 lie did; and for fear that some may come here and 

 he disappointed, 1 will give a few facts and figures. 

 California has been painted too much on the 

 l)right side, and the result has been that people 

 have tlocked here, only to find things different from 

 what they e.\pccted. Being among strangers, in a 

 strange land, thej" become homesick and disgusted, 

 return east, and give California a hard name; 

 whereas, had both sides of the view been presented 

 for their consideration, and plain truths told them, 

 they would have known what to expect, and have 

 been better satisfied and contented upon their ar- 

 rival here. ]f one wishes to come here for his 

 health, I say come, as I think that this is the finest 

 climate on earth; but if one comes here to make a 

 living,"! would advise him to come with more than 

 !?5C0— yes, or twice that amount. And right here I 

 will say that there is no place on the face of the 

 earth where there are more days of hard work done 

 in a year, than right here in California. Good fruit- 

 land is worth fi'om $7.5 to $2G0 dollars an aci-e, with 

 no improvements; lumber, from ijoo to $47 per M.; 

 trees, each, apricot, 25 cts.; prune, 20 cts.; apple, 

 30 to 43 cts.; cherries, 40 cts.; oranges (budded), 50 

 cts. to S^l.OJ. Provisions are about the same as in 

 the East; some few things are a little higher. Now- 

 let me ask. How much land, what kind of a house, 

 how many ti-ees, would $.")00 pay for, to say nothing 

 about the necessary tools, stock, and household 

 goods, and a person's living until the orchard comes 

 to bearing? 



As to our big crops of honey, whether you broth- 

 er bee-keepers across the Rockies believe them or 

 not, they are facts; the following are from my re- 

 port of JS85: 

 Mr. F., luimbor of staiuN ro-avoragc iht liivc. 117.'! His. 



•:w- 



4(10 lbs 



" S., M- 320 lbs. 



But for all this, it is not all plain sailing hero in 

 keeping bees; it has its drawbacks as well as in the 

 East. One trouble is, the "oft" years," when bees 

 make no honey at all, and have to be fed or starve; 

 and in the last few years these " oil years " have be- 

 come (luite common; and then, foul brood is be- 

 coming the curse of this range of mountains (Sierra 

 Madre). There are few ajtiaries that are not affect- 



