484 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Beekeeping in California 



p. C. Chadwick, Redlands, Gal. 



I am quoting the following from a letter 

 just received fom Mr. Geo. L. Emerson: 

 " We certainly are having our share of 

 hard knocks this year. The Governor did 

 not sign our bill — so little rain, the frost, 

 raise of freights on all bee commodities, to 

 say notliing of tariff revision and conse- 

 quent unsettled conditions. It takes a good 

 deal to starve a beeman out, though, and 

 I believe most of us will bob up after the 

 flood settles down to a steady stream." Mr. 

 Emerson is right. Let a good season come, 

 .•and every beekeeper in the State would bob 

 up, proud of his business, and would be 

 telling every one he met how much he had 

 made (with the possible exception of his 



-creditors). 



* * * 



The best colony in my yard this season 

 Avas a golden Italian. The second best, that 

 of an impui-ely mated daughter of this 

 golden. I have had goldens that were not 

 worth introducing, that were apparently 

 bred for color alone. But this one I pur- 

 •chased from an eastern dealer who adver- 

 4:ised Ms queens for business as well as 

 color. I purchased three for a tryout. One 

 was a complete failure; one fair, and the 

 other was the one just spoken of above. I 

 am partial to the goldens, and see no reason 

 why there could not be a strain bred from 

 select stock that would be the equal of any 

 strain, race, or color. Possibly one reason 

 why they are liked so well by some beekeep- 

 ers is because they look so much like gold 

 that they look well during poor seasons 

 when gold is scarce. 



In a letter just received from Mr. M. J. 

 Meeker he says : " I am surprised to see 

 your quotation from Mr. Bixby's letter, p. 

 404, June 15. I think in fairness you 

 should have made two other quotations." 

 As Mr. Meeker has not given the quotations 

 in full in his letter, and as he has the copy 

 of Mr. Bixby's letter, I will give the quota- 

 lions from memory as nearly as I can: 



" This is no job for a tyro. I have been 

 fooled myself. Also, I lost three-fourths 

 of one yard from black brood when it 

 struck this locality in an epidemic form in 

 April." 



I had intended no offense to Mr. Meeker, 

 and I think those who care to read the mat- 

 ter in question will feel that I have not 

 been unfair. I felt somewhat elated to 

 know that there was a possibility that we 

 were not so close to the disease as had been 

 reported; and while I think Mr. Meeker is 



doing excellent work as an inspector for 

 the experience he had had up to the time 

 he assumed the office of inspector, I feel 

 that Mr. Bixby is one of the very best au- 

 thorities in the State on black brood, so far 

 as my knowledge goes. 



* » » 



In a late issue I mentioned having cured 

 a case of paralysis by transferring the colo- 

 ny to a clean hive on clean combs (empty) 

 and foundation. I also mentioned the fact 

 of having another badly affected colony 

 with which I was experimenting. I let it 

 alone until there were scarcely bees enough 

 to cover four frames, and then treated them- 

 the same as the fii*st ones, but to no avail. 

 They continued to dwindle until I was 

 obliged to supply them with hatching brood 

 to keep them going, meantime giving them 

 another queen. The disease ceased after the 

 original bees were apparently all dead; but 

 my cure for the first colony proved of much 

 less value than I was led to believe by their 

 rapid recovery. Many beekeepers claim 

 that this disease is worse where pure stock 

 from breeders is introduced; but of these 

 two, one was a pure-bred queen from a 

 California breeder, and the other a native 

 queen decidedly hybrid. 



* * * 



In the June 1st issue I spoke of our foul- 

 brood bill having passed the legislature, 

 which was correct ; but it did not pass with 

 our Governor, so we have been defeated 

 after victory was in sight, and must now 

 make the best of the law we have until we 

 can do better. Many of our beekeepers will 

 be sorely disappointed in having this bill 

 defeated, and will blame the Governor for 

 its failure. The blame doubtless would be 

 coi'rectly placed; but there are some rea- 

 sons for its failure which can be traced to 

 the legislature. 



Early in the session just closed, the Gov- 

 ernor gave the legislature warning that the 

 formation of new commissions would not 

 be looked upon with favor by him ; further, 

 that appropriations must not exceed the 

 revenues available wthout extra taxation. 

 The legislature passed several bills of the 

 kind, among which was our bill, which, un- 

 fortunately for us, created a new commis- 

 sion in direct opposition to the warning. 

 We, of course, did not know what the atti- 

 tude of the Governor would be when the 

 bill was drafted and presented to the State 

 convention, and I suppose those who had 

 the matter in charge at Sacramento did not 



Oontinned on page 485. 



