676 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 15 



miles of the most difficult part of my journey 

 to perform. 



To ford a river several times, follow various 

 windings in a canyon, and do several other 

 things not comfortable to do in the dark, led 

 me to consider the matter seriously, with the 

 result that I drew up to the many buildings 

 upon a big California ranch. 



■^ " I was assigned a portion of a bunk with a light- 

 hearted Frenchman." 



f. It was nearly 9 o'clock ; but the men came 

 rousting out with their lanterns, and the dogs 

 set up a chorus of welcoming howls. I am 

 not sure but the roosters began to crow. It is 

 what they are likely to do in this land. 



In answer to my inquiry about the road, the 

 men said it would be utterly impractical to 

 get through in such a black night as this. 

 "Why," said one of the young men (the 

 rancher's son, as I afterward learned), "I 

 tried to foid the river a day or two ago at the 

 old crossing, and came near drowning a horse. 

 You are welcome to stay here, stranger ; we 

 have room in the bunk-house for you." 



So these men did a " good Samaritan " act 

 — took care of the stranger and his tired beast. 



This was mj' first experience in a bunk- 

 house with a crowd of ranchmen and cow- 

 punchers, for this was a cattle-ranch with not 

 less than a thousand head. 



The buildings on a 5000 or 10,000 acre ranch 

 approximate quite a village in appearance — 

 the residence, several barns, tool - houses, 

 shops, big corrals, and (the most interesting 

 to me just now) the bunk-house. This is not 

 a very elaborate or ornamental affair. This 

 one was about 12x8 feet. The floor was some- 

 what littered with dogs, a saddle, now and 

 then a strap or a lariat ; but the distinctive 

 feature was a series of bunks along one side, 

 arranged one above the other like berths in a 

 ship ; but these, instead of holding one man, 

 were designed for two in a berth or bunk. 

 There were no spring mattresses in these 

 bunks. In place of springs there was the 

 soft side of a board made a little softer with a 

 few blankets. 



When bedtime arrived I was assigned a por- 

 tion of a bunk with a light-hearted French- 

 man. He turned in on the back portion of 

 the bunk, hung a lighted lantern over his 

 head and an alarm-clock over mine ; lighted 

 his pipe, and, as a preliminary to going to 

 sleep, proceeded to smoke, and read the Ex- 

 aminer. 



Well, between the novelty of the situation 

 — dogs, fleas, and the alarm-clock, my sleep 

 was in the nature of cat-naps, and I was, per- 

 force, up early in the morning. 



The men who gathered around the break- 

 fast-table were a motley crowd — American, 

 Spanish, Irish, and French. Each gnawed 

 his bone in comparative silence ; a large som- 

 ber room, a large somber table, no table linen, 

 no flowers, no ladies. The only redeeming 

 feature was a young girl to bring in the hash. 



The men were soon off on their horses for 

 the distant cattle range, and that is the way 

 things run on a big ranch, day after day. 

 When I offered to pay for my entertainment, 

 the young man refused acceptance — every 

 thing was free. 



I was soon crossing and recrossing the Simi, 

 and it was almost as much as I could do to 

 keep the trail in the daytime ; but what would 

 I have done in the night? Simply camped ; 

 and when we have the tools with us it is in- 

 finitely better than bunk-houses. 



I surprised Bro. Richardson at an early hour 

 in his40-acre olive-orchard, and was forthwith 

 given carte-blanche rights to take empty combs 

 from the home apiary. 



The 500 combs just fitted my wagon, the 

 power of my horse, and the climb over the 

 San Susanna Pass. 



CROSSING SAN SUSANNA PASS. 



In almost a week after my return those 

 combs were all in use, and, from their accept- 

 ance by the bees, they were away ahead of 

 foundation. 



Whatever, whoever says to the contrary, 

 when I can fit two pieces of good worker 

 comb into a frame it will be done at any sea- 

 son of the year. 



I will give your readers a glimpse of a por- 

 tion of the Simi {sc-nie) Valley and Mr. Rich- 

 ardson's home apiary. Note the largeness of 

 the apiary. When the photo was taken there 

 were 400 colonies. It is intended, I believe, 

 to accommodate over 500. Note the vegeta- 



