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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



EEKEEPING IN THE SOUTHWEST 



Louis M. ScIiolL New Braianfels, 



A TRIP TO CALIFORNIA. 



Tf lime permits I will take a 

 trip to California this fall. The 

 primary object of the trip will be 

 to visit some of the leading Cali- 

 fornia beekeepers and to study 

 beekeeping conditions as they ex- 

 ist in that state. It is to be a mission sim- 

 ilar to that on which the Texas A. and M. 

 College sent me to Colorado a number of 

 years ago. At that time I was connected 

 with that institution as apiarist and foul- 

 brood inspector. During the last few years 

 my connection with the state department of 

 agriculture has been that of apicultural 

 expert. I have always made it a point to 

 gather all the information possible on bee- 

 keeping subjects. My main object on the 

 Colorado visit was to look into the foul- 

 brood situation there and the inspection 

 work. My thirty days' sojourn in that 

 state, and the visits to the numerous bee- 

 keepers, proved extremely profitable. I am 

 anticipating the same experience in ray 

 California trip. 



Some of the first information that would 

 bo appreciated by me would be suggestions 

 as to the best routing of a trip in order to 

 reach the most of the interesting places tliat 

 I ought to try to arrange to see. Of course, 

 it will be impossible to make all the im- 

 portant points nor to visit all the beekeep- 

 ers whom I ought to see; but with such in- 

 formation as T may be able to get from 

 those who will be kind enough to write me, 

 I shall be better enabled to outline an itin- 

 erary that will be the most profitable to me. 

 The editor can start the ball rolling, from 

 the fact that he has recently been there. 

 Who else will write me? I shall also be 

 glad to hear from some of my California 



friends. 



« « • 



THK SEASON AT PRESENT IN TEXAS. 



Rain, rain, rain ! There has been hardly 

 a day for the last month or more when we 

 did not have one or more showers of rain. 

 Wliile these wore exti-emely welcome at the 

 beginning, their continuance and the resul- 

 tnnt bad roads and delayed work of vainous 

 kinds have been deplored by many. I had 

 wished most anxiously for these fall rains 

 to set in, long before they came. It had 

 been very drouthy for a good many weeks, 

 and our bees were doing absolutely nothing 

 as a result of the cotton stopping growing 

 long before the usual time. A rain in July 

 would have moant a continuation of our 



1, Texas. . 



summer honey jneld from that source witli- 

 out a stop ; but the extremely diy weather 

 put an end absolutely to the honey-flow 

 from the cotton. From similar expenences 

 1 knew that only some light rains would 

 mean that the cotton would put out a fresh 

 growth, and our honey yield from that 

 source be increased. Although this has 

 come a little later than usual our bees will 

 still get a nice lot of honey. They are 

 already busy on the cotton, and also on 

 broomwced as well, and some of the wild 

 fall flowers. 



These rains seem to have been quite gen- 

 eral over the state. While the Southwest 

 Texas section will not reap any surplus 

 honey I feel that the rains have been bene- 

 ficial in stimulating some of the fall honey- 

 yielding plants to permit the bees there to 

 store up at least some winter stores. Tiie 

 bi'oomweed is the chief of these fall yielders 

 there. Although the honey is rather strong, 

 and yellow in color, it is excellent for 

 winter stores. The beekeepers in that yjart 

 of the state have had a short crop, except 

 in a few favored localities, and have had to 

 feed their bees in some instances. 



Throughout the central and northern part 

 of the state, especially throughout the cot- 

 ton-growing belt, there has been less com- 

 l)laint. In fact, many of the beekeepers 

 with whom I have had occasion to converse 

 during the last few weeks have admitted 

 that they were getting a better crop than 

 the}' anticipated after considering the un- 

 favorable spring conditions. 



As we use a great deal of extracted honey 

 for packing our bulk comb honey we buj' 

 large quantities from other beekeepers 

 every year. Thus far we have already 

 bought over 50,000 pounds this year. Al- 

 though indications at first were that theie 

 would be a shortage of extracted honey, 

 and we were beginning to arrange for pro- 

 curing our necessaiy supply from other 

 sources, we have been receiving more offers 

 of extracted honey than we anticipated. 

 Indeed, lately the offerings have been be- 

 yond our needs at times. At the present 

 time we have nearly a dozen letters offering 

 extracted honey. 



1 have mentioned this because it tends to 

 show that there was a good deal of honey 

 produced in Texas in spite of the reports 

 prevalent to the effect that there has been 

 an almost entire failure in the Lone Star 

 State. Our own crop will not be far behind 

 our last 3'ear's yield, if not just as good. 



