Nov. 5. 1903. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



711 



bered what I had read of Mr. Quinby's writings about the 

 disease, and recognized what was the matter. That disease 

 was imparted to my apiary, and altogether I think I de- 

 stroyed somewhere from ()0 to 90 colonies, because I applied 

 heroic treatment — burned them up, hives, honey and all. 

 But even that failed to eradicate it, but I kept at it for two 

 or three years, until I got it killed. 



But, fortunately for me, I had established another api- 

 ary two or three miles from my home apiary, out of reach 

 of. these infected bees. I had sold 250 colonies, perhaps, to 

 various parts of the country, and as soon as I discovered 

 the presence of this disease in the State. I published an 

 article in a San Francisco agricultural paper, warning ray 

 customers of what had transpired, and warning them to be- 

 ware of these diseased bees, for it would prove disastrous to 

 their interests. I did so to protect my customers, for I took 

 pride in having men say, "You treated me fairly, and my 

 purchases have been a success ;" and I have met commen- 

 dations. 



The result was a paper controversy between Mr. 

 Wheatou and myself, and some others joined in. They 

 claimed I had no right to make public the fact of the pres- 

 ence of the disease. They did not deny that it was present, 

 but claimed I had no right to injure their enterprise. I 

 claimed I had a right. Mr. Wheaton finally brought his 

 bees down to Los Angeles, and to him you are indebted for 

 the trouble you have, and always will have with you. For 

 you will never succeed in obliterating it, from the fact that 

 the bees are in the rocks, in cavities, and every place else 

 where the disease can be rooted. So you can only succeed 

 in keeping it down as well as you can, only palliate what 

 you can not cure. 



I do not know that I can say anything more that will 

 interest you. I do not know that what I have said gives 

 you any interest, but I hope it is instructive, if nothing else. 



Ouestion — Mr. Harbison, did you have any friction with 

 fruit-growers ? 



Mr. Harbison — They have made some complaints. I 

 never got into any lawsuits on the question. 



Ouestion — An apiary belonging to one Steele Cannon, 

 coming from Upper Sweet Water, with about 100 hives, I 

 think, was burned. Can you tell us anything about that ? 



Mr. Harbison — I know of a number of apiaries burned. 

 There were none of mine burned, however. There were 

 some, probably, due to fruit-men starting the fire. I know 

 there were threats made that apiaries would be burned, in 

 case they were not moved. There were some people who 

 moved their apiaries away, and gave them up. They never 

 molested me. In one case where they complained, I went 

 to the trouble of fixing the hives so they could be shut up 

 during the day. but on visiting the vineyards about the 

 same number of bees were found there as when they were 

 not shut up, because bees are in the rocks and trees, and 

 wherever they can get a cavity to locate in. That can not 

 be cured, and hence they will have to endure it. Whatever 

 damage they may do to the raisins it is not so great as is 

 generally imputed to them. Squirrels, and all that kind of 

 thing, destroy more grapes and raisins than ever the bees 

 do, or can do ; but the fruit-men do not pay so much atten- 

 tion, and do not seem to care for them, because they are not 

 supposed to be owned by anybody. 



There is one more practice to which I should like to call 

 your attention along the lines I have been experimenting 

 on, and that is the matter of bee-pasture. I have demon- 

 strated for myself, and those who care to investigate will 

 discover, that very much can be done to improve the bee- 

 ranges. The black sage that is found abundantly on the 

 coast, in many places, does not grow in the mountains, or, 

 if so, in very few locations. I gather the seed of it, and 

 have planted a good deal of it on my ranch. I have, per- 

 haps, 100 acres or so that is well kept, and it is adding to 

 the value of my apiary, because it affords bloom when we 

 have somewhat of a scarcity of other flowers, and we have 

 a great deal of land there that I see no use that it could be 

 put to that -would be profitable for many years to come, at 

 least, and I do not think there is anything that will pay 

 better than producing bee-pasture. 



There is a shrub that is found very extensively there on 

 the mountain regions of California, that is worthless as 

 beefood. The bees gather some pollen from it, but no 

 honey. The soil is good, and if you uproot the grass and 

 weeds, the black sage and white sage take very freely. It 

 is good land, suitable for these plants. You will have to 

 confine yourself in improving your bee-ranges to the plant- 

 ing of our native shrubs. I know of no foreign honey-pro- 

 ducing shrubs that will stand our dry season equal to our 

 native plants. The eucalyptus family will be of great value. 



It is a fine tree to grow, and resists drouth well, and will 

 bloom at the time when our main dependence is gone. 

 While eucalypti do not yield so much honey as our native 

 plants, still the bees will increase, and it will subsist your 

 bees so that you can take olT all the fine quality of honey, 

 and you can depend upon the eucalyptus to carry your bees 

 over the year. 



Question — May I ask if you plow or cultivate the land 

 where you sow the seed ? 



Mr. Harbison — It would be better to do so, but black 

 sage does best where you have a plant over six feet square, 

 better than if sown too close. When sown broadcast, it 

 usually comes up too thick, and, while it produces well, it 

 does not produce as well as those clusters where they cover 

 a piece of ground two yards in diameter or more — a great, 

 big mass of black sage — as you who are familiar with it 

 know. 



Question — Does black sage produce a water-white 

 honey ? 



Mr. Harbison — Yes, there are three varieties of it here 

 in these southern California counties. There is black and 

 white sage. Up in Rldorado and Placer counties, where I 

 kept bees and experimented, there is what might be termed 

 "creeping sage." It grows on the ground, and runs, and I 

 have seen a single plant cover more than a rod in every 

 way, and shoots up bloom-stalks a foot or 18 inches. The 

 bloom is almost identical with the garden sage, and I have 

 seen as many as 25 bees working on an equivalent of a 

 square foot. The honey is as white as your whitest, and 

 has an aroma a little superior to these southern California 

 plants. 



Dr. Miller — Is that sometimes called the purple sage? 



Mr. Harbison — I never heard it called that. I think the 

 purple sage has a blue flower. What we term " black " is 

 of a dark-green color in its foliage ; the white is of a white 

 color in its foliage. I discovered a plant on my place a per- 

 fect cross between the white and the black, that gives 

 great promise of being an improvement on both of them. 

 I saved some of the seed, intending to experiment and see 

 whether I can produce all the varieties. 



Question — Do you think the creeping sage would suc- 

 ceed in the Southern Counties ? 



Mr. Harbison — I have no doubt it would in some of the 

 higher mountains. I have some growing, and while it is a 

 partial success, I have not experimented in growing it in a 

 number of places, but I think I could locate it in places 

 more adapted to it than places where I have it, so I don't 

 think it would be as profitable as our white and black sages 

 would be for propagation. 



To go back to the eucalyptus. What we call the red- 

 gum is in bloom, and has been, for a couple of weeks. The 

 bees work on it very largely to produce honey wholly. I 

 think I have never seen the bees work on it gathering pol- 

 len. It comes along in sections, and will be in bloom for 

 probably six or eight weeks, commencing early in August 

 and running on into September. Then comes the blue-gum 

 eucalvptus, which is the most rapid grower of the eucalyp- 

 tus familv, and that grows very rapidly. Some will be in 

 bloom in October, and then others again along in Septem- 

 ber ; another variety of trees will be in bloom along in 

 March and April; then there is the Robustia that com- 

 mences to bloom in January, February and March, and the 

 red-flower gum that blooms at the same time. That is a 

 very picturesque, fine tree. There are but few of them, I 

 am sorry to say, growing in that country. 



The planting of the eucalyptus would be a valuable in- 

 vestment as a fuel-producer, to say nothing of its value to 

 beekeepers. Groves of eucalypti would grow into money 

 very rapidly. I had a few trees planted on my Sweet Water 

 place 20 to 22 years ago, and some are now at least 100 feet 

 high, and would make a cord or more of stovewood to the 

 tree. I have not triangled them, but they are said to be 100 

 to 120 feet high. 



(Continued next week. ) 



Why Not Help a Little — both your neighbor bee-keep- 

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