1050 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 1 



HONEY-CROP CONDITIONS; WHY PRICES ON HON- 

 EY SHOULD BE STABLE; A LIGHT CROP IN 

 COLORADO AND IN THE BUCK- 

 WHEAT REGIONS. 



Further reports confirm previous statements 

 that this has been one of the heaviest seasons for 

 clover honey that we have had in years; but, very 

 fortunately for the honey market, there seems to 

 have been a light crop in some important sections 

 of Colorado — namely, at Berthoud, Fort Collins, 

 and Loveland. The season has also been from 

 light to poor in the vicinity of Montrose. The 

 only good report that we have received from the 

 State was from Olney. The western slope of Col- 

 rado, as reported in our previous issue, has also 

 had a poor season. Another report, from a large 

 buyer of alfalfa, says that there would at least be 

 a shortage of 25 cars of Colorado comb honey. If 

 true, this would mean that not much of this Moun- 

 tain State's product will reach the East. 



On top of this, in one of the most important 

 districts of New York where buckwheat is pro- 

 duced by the carloads, it is reported that the out- 

 look for this dark honey is very slim. There 

 may not be more than a quarter of a crop. In 

 this same section, also, the clover flow has been 

 very light. 



It would appear, then, that the bumper crop of 

 white clover throughout the Northern States 

 west of the Mississippi will not have very serious 

 competition from buckwheat honey, from Colo- 

 rado alfalfa, nor from Southern California 

 sage. 



The season has been good in some parts of 

 Texas, and poor in others; but as the Lone Star 

 State usually consumes what it produces, it will 

 not this year, at least, have any effect on prices 

 Northern States. 



Taking every thing into consideration, it is our 

 opinion that the market for clover honey should 

 now be stable at least. There is no reason why 

 it should go lower; but, on the contrary, we 

 should expect it to be a trifle higher, although we 

 do not advise bee-keepers to hold their crops and 

 then rush them off to market at the close of the 

 holidays when prices of honey usually take a 

 slump. It would be too dangerous to hold for 

 better prices. 



Old Dame Nature seems to have a queer way 

 of distributing her honey-flows. For example, 

 if the crop has been heavy in Colorado it is like- 

 ly to be light in the clover regions, and -xnce n)er- 

 sa. It is well that this is so; for if the crop were 

 heavy in every portion of the United States, prices 

 would take an awful sag, and it is possible that 

 we might not be able to get them up again to 

 their former level. 



There is another factor that should tend to 

 stiffen the market. In a recent trip through 

 Michigan we found the fruit crop had been very 

 light, especially of peaches, and reports are not 

 very flattering for other fruit sections. 



There is still another factor. Times generally 

 are improving. We notice by one of the lum- 

 berman's journals — an authority on the subject — 

 that it is feared there will be a scarcity of cars, 

 especially when the wheat crop begins to move. 

 With the improvement of times, the scarcity of 

 buckwheat, and of honey generally in the State 

 of New York, the lightness of the Colorado crop. 



the failure of the season in Southern California, 

 we may expect but very little competition for the 

 big crop of Eastern clover. 



We advise producers to make careful inquiries 

 of the more distant markets, and be careful about 

 shipping honey to the centers already congested, 

 especially if prices are on the sag. Then, as 

 much as possible, they should market around 

 home. If these precautions are taken, the mar- 

 ket will begin to stiffen. 



We just received a report from the State of 

 Washington, in which it is stated that there has 

 been a good crop there; and one from the San 

 loaquin Valley, California, in which it is stated 

 that the crop is going to prove to be a " bumper. " 

 But remember that the San Joaquin Valley is a 

 comparatively small area, and hence its total out- 

 put will not be very large. That portion of Cali- 

 fornia seldom produces enough to shade prices 

 in the East. 



BEE-KEEPING IN THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS; A VISIT 

 FROM A RESIDENT BEE-KEEPER. 



A FEW days ago we had the pleasure of a visit 

 from Mr. James Ritter, or "Brother James," of 

 Honolulu, who is making a visit to this country. 

 He stopped off at Medina for a few hours. He 

 is connected with one of the great educational in- 

 stitutions of Honolulu, the St. Louis College; is 

 a bee-keeper, and one who seems to be well post- 

 ed as to the development of bee-keeping in the 

 Hawaiian group. 



He reports that the industry is carried on very 

 largely by syndicates who own colonies by the 

 thousands. One company of Japanese, for ex- 

 ample, owns 4000 colonies. The American Su- 

 gar Co. has about 12,000, and so on. 



The Hawaiian bee-keeper finds a ready demand 

 for his honey, both in thiscountry and in Europe, 

 especially for certain grades, which are quickly 

 taken up by the baking business of the Pacific 

 coast. On account of some of this honey being 

 a mixture of a product from aphides, cane sap, 

 and the nectar of flowers, the authorities at Wash- 

 ington have refused to allow it to come into this 

 country as honey, but it may be sold as " honey- 

 dew honey." 



We had quite a quantity of it, but the bakers 

 in our vicinity would have none of it; but we are 

 informed that it is accepted very readily by the 

 Pacific-coast bakers; in fact, they prefer it to any 

 thing else. 



But this is not the only honey that is produced 

 there. At least 50 per cent of all the honey 

 from the islands is mesquite, or, as it is called 

 there, the algarroba. It will be remembered that 

 this is a good honey in Texas; and, so far as we 

 know, it is first class in Hawaii. 



As the Hawaiian group consists of a number 

 of small islands, large syndicates are able to con- 

 trol practically all of the bee-ranges. Whether 

 this accounts for the fact that there are but few 

 small bee-keepers, we do not know. Certain it 

 is, these big concerns find the production of hon- 

 ey very profitable. 



But let no American bee-keeper rush to Hawaii, 

 as he will find a small chance to get a foothold 

 there, probably. The cost of living is compara- 

 tively high, and the tenderfoot had better keep 

 out. 



