Febriarv. 1919 GLEANINGS IN BKK CULTURE 



FROM NORTH, EAST, WEST AND SOUTH 



93 



In Northern California. 



_N o \' e m b e r 

 and Decem- 

 ber •were excellent wintering months. The 

 weather was cold and afforded little oppor- 

 tunity for flight, which resulted in but a 

 small consumption of stores. The rainfall 

 to date for the valleys is normal, but the 

 foothill slopes of the mountain ranges will 

 require two or more inches of rain during 

 January in order to secure a good spring 

 flow from such localities. There is a very 

 active demand for bees and in some in- 

 stances single-story colonies have sold as 

 high as $10 per colony. Scattered colonies 

 including box hives and the like are being 

 purchased rapidly by extensive beekeepers. 

 This fact will minimize the danger of con- 

 tamination thru disease in commercial api- 

 aries, such small lots of mixed bees hav- 

 ing often been a source of trouble. 



Mr. Andrews, correspondent of southern 

 California, in January Gleanings, mentioned 

 the fact that many of us in California are 

 unable to satisfy ourselves that American 

 and European foul brood are two distinct 

 diseases. In our part of the State this 

 question is likewise debated among our 

 leading beekeepers. Some of us contend that 

 the two diseases are not distinct, reasoning 

 that their symptoms in some instances are 

 so similar that differentiation is made im- 

 possible- Nor has this been our only diffi- 

 culty; for there have been cases where 

 symptoms pointed toward American, and, 

 strangely enough, the treatment for Euro- 

 pean in such cases proved efficacious during 

 the latter part of last season. In such cases 

 foul brood may reappear the coming spring. 

 The writer will confess that he has marked 

 colonies for American treatment, and, to his 

 surprise, before such treatment could be 

 carried out, the bees had cleaned out all 

 infected material, not having left a single 

 cell with a diseased larva. 



Several reports have come to hand recent- 

 ly that colonies have been stolen from 

 out-yards, and it would be well for beekeep- 

 ers to visit their bees at intervals during 

 the winter. Not only is this wise on ac- 

 count of theft, but also because cattle may 

 knock over hives, and the wind may blow 

 off covers or even supers (a super contain- 

 ing no honey may easily be blown off). The 

 California Honey Producers' Co-operative 

 Exchange will soon issue to the members 

 of the local exchanges warning signs, which 

 will call for a reward for the arrest and 

 conviction of anyone damaging or stealing 

 any apiary property of a member. 



It will not be out of place at the present 

 time to give a short review of our industry 

 during the past year. The honey crop was 

 from 20 to 50 per cent below normal and 

 from 10 to 40 per cent below the average 

 for the year 1917. The cost of production 

 has increased by about 40 per cent over last 



year. However, the increased value of 

 honey has more than made up for both the 

 smaller crop and the greater cost of pro- 

 ducing it. Twenty-five years ago and at 

 frequent intervals thereafter, California 

 beekeepers have striven to market their 

 crops by means of a marketing organiza- 

 tion. Last year thru the united efforts of 

 the California State Beekeepers' Associa- 

 tion and prominent beekeepers not within 

 the Association, a permanent co-operative 

 marketing organization finally was estab- 

 lished. The California Honey Producers' 

 Co-operative Exchange not only has under- 

 taken to market the products of its mem- 

 bers, but likewise to purchase their supplies, 

 aid them in matters pertaining to legisla- 

 tion, and help them thru educational chan- 

 nels. With us, honey production is now an 

 established industry. The very fact that 

 the beekeepers of the State have organized 

 so quickly and successfully, has boosted the 

 price of honey on the California markets 

 several cents. Henceforth the Exchange 

 never will permit the price of California 

 honey to drop anywhere near the low levels 

 to which it has fallen in the past. Whether 

 or not there will be an export demand for 

 honey, it will be but a short time before the 

 Exchange will bottle the greater part of its 

 sweets, and by means of judicious advertis- 

 ing will maintain a price equitable for both 

 the producer and consumer- 



Modesto, Calif. M. C. Eichter. 



* * * 



In Southern California.—'^ "" l\^' ^ '' 



condltionri 

 at the present writing are much different 

 from what they were last year at this time. 

 We have had more rain than at this date 

 one year ago, but we have also had consider- 

 able dry north wind. If January proves to 

 be as wet a month as the average for the 

 past 20 years, we shall start the season with 

 good prospects. We have just had several 

 nights of frost, the most severe for six years. 

 Just what effect this will have upon the 

 eucalyptus and other winter-blooming flora, 

 I am unable to say as yet. Last winter being 

 a very mild one, this bloom was of much 

 value to many beekeepers. It is too early 

 for the frost to do any damage to the citrus 

 bloom, or to most of our surplus honey- 

 producing plants. 



The writer recently visited the "Eegion- 

 below-sea-level, ' ' around the north end of 

 the Salton Sea in Riverside County. This 

 great basin is supposed to have been at 

 one time a part of the Gulf of California. 

 The Imperial Valley lies to the south of the 

 Salton Sea and the Indio-Coachella Valley 

 to the north. In these two valleys are found 

 the great early-vegetable sections of Cali- 

 fornia- The Indio-Coachella Valley is the 

 only section in this country where dates are 

 grown successfully for commercial use. Ar- 



