GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Beekeeping in California 



p. C. Chadwick, Redlands, CaL 



A few days ago I was surprised to see a 

 bee down on the ground busily working on 

 the fallen bloom of the date palm. There 

 were dozens of them up on the bloom stems, 

 but this fellow was evidently finding some- 

 thing to pay him for his labor among the 



fallen thousands. 



* * * 



I have just enjoyed a visit from my 

 friend M. H. Mendleson, of Ventura. I 

 doubt if there are a dozen beekeepers in the 

 United States who are as well informed on 

 all lines of the industry as he is. With over 

 forty years of constant Avork he has had an 

 experience that the majority of beekeepers 

 will never enjoy. He has faced the uj^s and 

 downs with the seasons; is an experienc- 

 ed producer of both comb and extracted 

 honey, and has buyei*s standing with cash 

 in hand for his comb product. His honey 

 has won its reputation on merit. It takes 

 years of careful work and honest dealing to 

 gain such a reputation. 



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In the Aug. 1st issue I read of the cap- 

 ture of two swarms by J. W. Stine, one in 

 a nail-keg and the other in a sack. I have 

 frequently carried swarms in a sack, but 

 about the most novel scheme 1 ever knew 

 of being used was by a young lady return- 

 ing from town on horseback, without a 

 thing in the nature of a receptacle to put 

 a very large swarm in that chanced to be 

 on a ijush by the roadside. After some de- 

 liberation she decided to make a hiving-bag 

 of her petticoat ; so she loosened it. stepped 

 out, tied a string tightly around the top, 

 then slipped it over the bush and swarm, 

 tied another strin g tightly below the clus- 

 ter, broke otf the bush, and went home with 



her prize. 



* * » 



I was much interested in Wesley Foster's 

 account of how his Uncle Oliver soaked his 

 hive lumber in oil before nailing. There 

 are a few of those old timers who believed 

 in doing things thoroughly, with the idea 

 that it would pay, and they were correct. 

 Many beekeepers in this part of the State 

 will remember my uncle, J. K. Williamson, 

 who was a beekeeper for over twenty years ; 

 but who is now located on a small ranch in 

 Mendocino Co. He always soaked the ends 

 of his hive pieces in linseed oil, and care- 

 fully painted all joints befoi'e nailing. Many 

 thought it a waste of time and money, but 

 T am" now using some of his hives that have 

 been in use for twenty years. They are 

 still in excellent condition. 



THE ADVANCE IN THE PRICE OF HIVE LUMBER. 



There was a period in the history of our 

 country that mig"ht be called the virgin-soil 

 period. That period has about passed, and 

 is giving way to modern methods. This 

 period includes the period of the virgin-soil 

 farmer who could raise good crops with 

 very little equipment or expense, because 

 the soil would produce year after year if 

 the farmer Avould only keep the weeds down. 

 But now the soil is becoming worn out, re- 

 quiring crop rotation and scientific methods 

 of treatment. With modern methods of 

 handling a crop, much more machinery is 

 required than of old, enabling the crop to 

 be liandled quickly and cheaply. How about 

 beekeepers"? I wonder if there are not many 

 of us who are virgin-soil beekeepers. We 

 get along well while the seasons ai'e good 

 and every thing is prospering, there being 

 little to do but to extract and to melt up 

 the wax; but in a season like this, when the 

 supply of bees as well as the stores are 

 small, and the colonies must have indi\adual 

 care and careful watching, we begin to 

 wonder if it will be worth while to spend 

 money for feed for the bees. 



The virgin-soil farmer is feeling the same 

 way, for he too is being forced to give much 

 more care to the old farm than when the 

 crops came regularly with little effort. Do 

 not let the bees die. If you have neither the 

 time nor inclination to give them the proper 

 care, why not sell out and save yourself a 

 loss? Does the average beekeeper know that 

 the hives that he purchased a few years ago 

 are worth more now than when they were 

 new? I met a friend on the street yester- 

 day, who is the manager of one of oiir local 

 lumber-yards. After a short conversation 

 I asked him the price of various kinds of 

 lumber, and his answer took me greatly by 

 surprise. Sugar pine that a few years ago 

 sold for $30.00 a thousand is now worth 

 over twice that amount; clear sugar pine 

 that my uncle paid 6 cts. per foot for four 

 years ago for hive covers is now selling for 

 15 cts. a foot. Hives, if they have been well 

 taken care of, are worth twice what they 

 were a few years ago ; and those who think 

 of selling their bees and location with the 

 idea of starting in new. would do well to 

 figure closely on the cost, lest they be fooled 

 out of some money. A few years hence our 

 pi-esent methods will be considered anti- 

 quated. The time will come when apiculture 

 Avill be taught in all agricultural colleges, 

 and the science of the business will be one 

 of the features of instruction. 



