166 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mak. 



dition of the weather. The past month, when the 

 decline was so rapid, the weather was cold and 

 foggy much of the time. Some swarms, which have 

 pulled through to the present, with a handful of 

 bees, are now raising some healthy brood, only a 

 little, of course. As I remarked at the time the 

 bees began to drop off, the crop of honey ceased to 

 come in, except in a few colonies which continued 

 to work later, and up to the time that other apia- 

 ries suspended. I note what you say about aphi- 

 des, and would remark that honey-dew is secreted 

 at the season of which I write. The swarms which 

 pulled through so far are those which worked the 

 longest, and evidently obtained their stores from 

 other sources. Now that the weather is warm, 

 these are robbing from deserted hives, and putting 

 it in the brood-nest; and that, added to the fact that 

 a few combs placed in another apiary to feed upon 

 do not seem to have any bad effect, is still more of a 

 puzzler. 



So far as I am able to learn, the trouble is local. 

 Others are not losing any more than the usual per 

 cent. Whether this is the opening of some pest on 

 the honey crop, or whether it is a special or local 

 cause, remains to be seen. 1 have feared that it 

 might be in connection with my water supply. 

 Ditch water failing, I resorted to tubs made from 

 barrels in which I tried to make vinegar; but owing 

 to inexperience I made it too strong of honey, con- 

 sequently obtained only a worthless alcoholic slop. 

 These were, of course, washed out and frequently 

 filled, and were in use about two months or more. 

 It was after the removal of running water and dew 

 that the greatest fatality commenced. You will 

 notice that it did not affect all simultaneously, but 

 skipped here and there. My hives are set directly 

 upon the ground, as do many in this community. 

 I shall make an effort to build up again, and should 

 like to use these combs. Do you think it safe? 



Bee-men here feel that you made a mistake in 

 passing by Kern Co. Although we are not so noted 

 as our southern neighbors, nor as good and virtu- 

 ous, yet we have taken the first premium for three 

 successive years at the State Fair, and have sever- 

 al thousand stands of bees. If you had called you 

 would have seen things equal to motor roads and 

 Sweet Water Dam, though of a little different na- 

 ture,and probably " sold the boys something to-day." 

 Our own personal trade will, under the circum- 

 stances, be small; but our neighbors exported some- 

 thing like 150,000 lbs. of comb honey last season. 

 One of them told me he had ordered $1000 worth 

 of supplies already. 



I should be glad of your opinion on the problem I 

 present, as my experience is limited, and this mis- 

 fortune comes at a time when it falls exceedingly 

 heavy. W. A. Webster. 



Bakersfleld, Cal.. Feb. 4, 1889. 



Friend W., taking all things into consid- 

 eration I am inclined to think your bees 

 were killed by drinking the water in those 

 tubs. You may remember that my carp 

 were killed by putting them over night in a 

 barrel that had been used for pickles. The 

 barrel was washed and rinsed, but there 

 was vinegar enough in the wood to contam- 

 inate the water. When I first commenced 

 reading I decided that your bees had got 

 hold of some poison— probably the effects of 

 Paris green or London purple, used for kill- 

 ing insects in your vicinity. I would put 



the water for bees in shallow stone crocks. 

 Throw in clean pebbles or gravel to keep 

 them from drowning. Perhaps you will 

 soon have irrigation in your neighborhood, 

 and that will tix the whole matter.— Yes, I 

 made a good many mistakes in not visiting 

 different locations and calling on all those 

 good friends of mine. See what is said 

 about it in another column. 



HYBRID HELLEBORE, OR CHRISTMAS 

 ROSE. 



SOMETHING T< I GLADDEN THE BKES AND TO GLADDEN 

 VIIUR DOORYARD. 



E extract from L'Apiculteur, of Paris, 

 the following article, which we 

 believe will be of interest to our 

 readers, for whose benefit it is trans- 

 lated from the French by our proof- 

 reader, Mr. W. P. Root. 



Here is a modest plant, the blossoms of which are 

 the first to make glad the bees when they make 

 their first excursion from the hive during sunshiny 

 spells. They get pollen from it in abundance. For 

 this reason the Christmas rose should have a place 

 in every bee-keeper's garden. It is very rustic in 

 other respects, and is quite indifferent as to the 

 nature of the soil. It is propagated either from the 



MVlmt 



VILMOKJN'S CHRISTMAS ROSE. 



root or from the seed. Whole basketfuls of helle- 

 bore may be found near clumps of trees. The reg- 

 ular leaf of this plant, of a dark green, issuing 

 from the peduncle, constitutes a summer orna- 

 ment. At the country residence of Ricquebourg, 

 near Resson, Oise, France, the cultivation of Christ- 

 mas roses in hot-houses requires a space of from 

 100 to 150 square meters. Every week during win- 

 ter, the flowers are cut off and sent to Paris for the 

 decoration of rooms. Hellebore, or Christmas rose, 

 begins to blossom near Christmas, from which fact 

 it derives its name, and continues through January 

 and February, and even into March, depending on 

 the rigor of the winter. 



A small packet of seed, weighing 10 

 grammes, is sent free by the house of Vil- 

 morin-Andrieux, 4 Quai de la Megisserie, 

 Paris, France, on receipt of 11 cts. to pay 

 for packing. As tha above firm solicits or- 

 ders from America, I presume they are pre- 

 pared to receive our postage-stamps ; also to 

 read communications in our language. 



