978 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 15 



suspicion that it was from too much flooding 

 with water. In comparing notes with my 

 neighbor, Mr. Fray, he entertained the 

 same idea. He has kept bees in this valley 

 for several years, and his explanation of 

 the cause of blasted blossoms is very rea- 

 sonable. He says that, when there is a 

 light rainfall through the winter, little 

 snow on the mountains, there is less water 

 for irrigation, and it is taken from the 

 ditches in June. Then the non-irrigated 

 fields of alfalfa will bloom, and yield hon- 

 ey. But if there is a heavy rainfall, and 

 all of the mountain reservoirs are filled, 

 and the water is not taken off until August, 

 there wnll be but little alfalfa bloom and 

 hone}', and that has been the condition dur- 

 ing the past season. 



To verify Mr. Fray's opinion, there was 

 a patch around my cabin that did not get 

 its drenching with water, and that particu- 

 lar spot was well covered with blossoms. 

 It seems, then, that the conditions in Cen- 

 tral California are directly the opposite of 

 the conditions in the South. There they 

 must have the rain; but here only a small 

 amount is necessary ; but with either a 

 light or a heavj' rainfall there is an uncer- 

 tainty when the flow will commence. 



The past season has been one of extreme 

 uncertainty. Up to Sept. 1 but little honey 

 had been extracted; but late fall flowers 

 came on in abundance; our hopes were re- 

 vived; the extractor was operated clear up 

 to Oct. 30; and in my case, where I expect- 

 ed barely three tons, nearly a carload was 

 secured. 



The great problem in this valley is to 

 learn how to hold the bees in when they 

 want to increase, and make them increase 

 when they don't want to. I think the prob- 

 lem is not very hard to solve; but as my 

 plan is as yet theoretical I will not now 

 present it. 



Before I leave Central California I wi^ 

 to say a word about my good neighbors, 

 and somehow I always have splendid neigh- 

 bors. Mr. W. W. Westcott and his good 

 wife are bee-keepers, and always working 

 together in the apiary. Mr. W. could 

 hardly open a hive unless the "Mrs." was 

 on the other side of it operating the smok- 

 er. Perhaps her knowledge of bee-keeping 

 was not very bookish, but upon one point 

 she excelled; and that was in the baking 

 of graham bread, an article of food for 

 which the Rambler is partial. 



Mr. Fray was another good neighbor. 

 His portable honey-house was described 

 some months ago. When not engaged with 

 the bees he has a habit of taking long trips 

 to the mountains, with dog and gun; and 

 many a deer and bear and mountain lion 

 have scented powder fi-om his trusty rifle. 



I herewith present his photo, with said 

 gun and dog. He thought the pile of hon- 

 ey cans and cases around my cabin would 

 show up well as a background. Said cans 

 and cases were nearly all filled afterward, 

 which is not a very discouraging feature. 



Another good neighbor is a fine old Swiss 



gentleman, and his combination is bees and 

 a vineyard, and the product is honey and 

 wine. That is not according to my idea 

 for the use of grapes; but upon my first 

 visit my neighbor did not know my senti- 

 ments, and he brought out a bottle of his 

 choice wine. I told him I never drank 

 wine. 



There was a perplexed expression on his 

 face, and in his broken English he said, 

 "You vas him Ramplear; tid not I zee he 

 peekture in him bee-baper you vas had 

 him a pottle?" 



" Ha I you vas him Ramplear ; tid I not zee he peek- 

 ture in him bee-baper you vas had him a pottle? " 



"Oh! no, sir;" said I, laughing; "that 

 was not a bottle, it was my camera. See, I 

 have it with me now." He put up his hands 

 as though to ward off any intention of pic- 

 ture-taking on my part, and I let that part 

 pass; but in his apiary I found a great cu- 

 riosity^a hive of bees and growing grass, 



Bermuda grass is a genuine pest in this 

 country; and when it gets into a vinej^ard, 

 or an alfalfa-field, if neglected at all it will 



