1901 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



977 



RAMBLE I9S. 



Peculiar Conditions in Central California ; the Rapid 



Growth of Alfalfa ; too Much Irrigation the 



Cause of Blight in the Blossoms. 



BV RAMBLER. 



It does not take a great amount of obser- 

 vation in Central California to learn soon 

 that the conditions for honey-production are 

 entirely different from what they are in the 

 older and more familiar fields in the United 

 States; and, furthermore, the conditions are 

 very perplexing. In New York, where I 

 first learned to sling- honey, and, in fact, 

 in all portions of the East, if honej^ comes 

 at all we know within a few days when the 

 flow will be at its best, and we can prepare 

 our colonies according"ly; or, in other words, 

 the wide-awake bee-keeper will have his 

 dish rigfht side up and will catch the liquid. 

 It is the same in the sag-e districts of South- 

 ern California. But in the gfreat San Joa- 



upon the queen, and a g-reat majority of 

 the bees have been bred to no purpose. If 

 the starving period continues until into July, 

 strong- colonies become mere handfuls; or, 

 as Mr. Aiken termed it some time ago, the 

 colony "evaporates," even with honey in 

 the hive. 



I am told that the bees do commence work 

 sometimes in June upon alfalfji; but during 

 the two 3'ears of my experience, this com- 

 mencing to work has been between July 1 

 and not until late in the season. If the 

 yield commences early in June, some of that 

 big force bred in March and April holds 

 out to gather some honey and to hold up the 

 breeding of bees, and a good honey crop is 

 secured. The same may be said with some 

 modifications if the j'ield does not commence 

 until Jul}'. During- the past season the 

 honey-3'ield was deferred until well up to 

 September, and the alfalfa cut but a small 

 figure in the j-ield; and upon this point I 

 should like to compare notes with bee-keep- 

 ers in other alfalfa districts, where irriga- 



A CALIFORNIA BEE-KEEPER WITH DOG AND GUN. 



quin Valley the bee-man does not know 

 where he is at, half of the time. The bees 

 start in very nicely in February upon the 

 almond bloom, and then through March and 

 into April there is a succession of fruit 

 bloom; and just as the colonies begin to get 

 ready to swarm, and do swarm sometimes, 

 there comes a dearth of hone}'; and all 

 through May, and often through June, the 

 bees use up what little surplus honey they 

 have gathered, and, unless fed, they starve. 



It is during this starvation period that 

 the bees are brought up with a round turn 

 in their swarming plans; and, no i-natter 

 how much honey they may get afterward, 

 the fever does not return; and I am wonder- 

 ing, Mr. Editor, if it is the same condi- 

 tions that check swarming in Texas and 

 other points. 



My experience in this location covers two 

 years ; and during this time all of the breed- 

 ing from fruit bloom has been a useless tax 



tion is practiced, and learn if the same con- 

 ditions exist. 



In Central California we have an abun- 

 dance of water for irrigation. It is used 

 lavishly upon the alfalfa-fields, and the 

 growth of the foliage is rapid and rank. 

 In the height of the season I planted a stake 

 in the field, and every 24 hours measured a 

 particular stalk, and for several days the 

 average growth was 1^4 inches per day. 

 All through April and May the alfalfa 

 comes to maturity, and is mown; but the 

 blossoms are of no use to the bees, for they 

 are blasted. 



The editor of Gleanings will remember 

 the rank growth of alfalfa all around my 

 cabin, and the fuzzy white tips of blasted 

 blossoms. This condition continued all 

 through the period of irrigation; and, as 

 a consequence, alfalfa yielded but little 

 honey. When I observe such effects I nat- 

 urally try to find the cause; and I had a 



