268 



August, 1914. 



American Vee Journal 



Horticultural Commissioner for Or- 

 ange Co., Calif., who is also a bee- 

 keeper of experience. He reports on 

 four species only — E. globulus, our com- 

 mon blue gum (very useful for fuel), 

 I'., fobusla, E. coiynocalyx, sugar gum, 

 and E. rastrata, red gum. He says: 

 " All four varieties are heavy nectar 

 producers. Probably blue gum arid 

 yolutsta are the best. These come in 

 the fall and winter, so that bees are 

 much benefited in stimulating early 

 breeding. The honey is poor for table 

 use, dark and of rank flavor. There 

 may be others that would produce a 

 good grade of honey, but all we have 

 here of any quantity are not the proper 

 varieties." 



Mr. Bishop does not think it profit- 

 able to plant eucalyptus for honey 

 alone, but that the trees are of much 

 value for many other purposes and the 

 honey yield would be a clear gain. My 

 idea also is that, as they are of great 

 value as shade trees, for fuel, wind- 



breaks, fence posts, etc., and many spe- 

 cies very ornamental, they would be a 

 distinct asset on our mountain bee 

 ranches, and would be both useful and 

 ornamental to cover much waste land 

 Also, we should try more of the differ- 

 ent species. 



Some years ago an Australian bee- 

 keeper visited our section. He said 

 the species called there "yellow box" 

 was their main source of honey supply, 

 and that the honey was good. There is 

 some confusion of names here among 

 the writers of eucalyptus, so it is very 

 hard to be sure of some species. Prof. 

 McClotchin, whose work is good, 

 speaks of a "yellow box" as /■',. mel/io- 

 eiora, or the honey-scented gum. I 

 have four species which are all heavy 

 nectar producers on dry land — blue 

 gum, sugar gum, a species of iron 

 bark and the leucoxylon rosea. The 

 last is a decidedly ornamental tree with 

 rose-colored blossoms. 



Sages and Other Honey Plants Abound in the Foothills. 



Notes From ^ Ab r oad 



By C. P Dadant. 



Zug, on the lake of the same name, a 

 few miles north of the famous Rigi, is 

 one of the prettiest cities in Switzer- 

 land. An unpleasant occurrence hap- 

 pened there in 1887. A part of its quay 

 or wharf sunk into the lake, with a 

 number of buildings. An inscri|)tion 

 on the lake shore commemorates the 

 unfortunate event. 



In the descriptions furnished by the 

 tourist guides, we find the following: 

 " At Rosenberg, I'i minutes from the 

 city, on the east slope, is a noted 

 museum of apiculture." 



An old beekeeper living at Mettmen- 



stetten, who is also a cutler, Mr. Huber 

 to whom we had been recommended 

 by our Langres friend, Mr. Beligne, 

 came to meet us at Zug, and with him 

 we called upon Dr. Theiler, who keeps 

 the museum above mentioned. He has 

 some 40 colonies of bees, all in Burki- 

 Jecker hives, arranged in his bee-house 

 like so many doors to a closet. Here I 

 found the first of the famous Rassen- 

 zucht or race selection of German 

 Switzerland. Three or four different 

 races were shown me. The selection 

 is simply a production segregation 

 made by4)reeding drones and queens 

 from select colonies of native bees in 



breeding apiaries or mating stations 

 located where bees are scarce. It is 

 said that the breeders of Rassenzucht 

 depend upon a 2 kilometer isolation. 

 This isaltogether too little. Mr.Theiler 

 acknowledged to me that drones can 

 and do easily travel 4 kilometers, aside 

 of the distance the queen may span 

 herself. Their largest breeding apiary 

 produced 224 queens in the season. 



I gained but littlefaith in the Rassen- 

 zucht, for not only they show a less 

 average of yield than in western Switz- 

 erland, but bees of this selection, car- 

 ried into the Canton of Neuchatel, side 

 by side wifh the Italian hybrids of that 

 region, showed no superiority in the 

 surplus yield, according to statements 

 made to me by reliable men. However, 

 the lower average crop of German 

 Swiss beekeepers may be ascribed to 

 the exiguity of their hives, which can- 

 not be enlarged, either in the brood- 

 chamber or in the super, beyond the 

 size of the original receptacles. To 

 secure a large crop of honey it becomes 

 necessary to remove sections or ex- 

 tracting frames as fast as filled. None 

 of our beekeepers would consider this 

 practical. A house apiary, to become 

 thoroughly serviceable, should permit 

 the storifying of hives, to at least their 

 normal capacity. This assertion may 

 not be appreciated by those of our 

 European friends who do not use ex- 

 pansible hives, but it is nevertheless 

 based upon long experience. 



I do not wish to be understood as 

 condemning the Rassenzucht, for it is 

 in the line of progress. But it will take 

 the selection of many successive gen- 

 erations of the best honey-producing 

 bees to reach a positive result. But 

 most beekeepers, even among the 

 critics of the German enthusiasts, rec- 

 ognize that, sooner or later, a wise 

 selection will bring visible improve- 

 ment. 



Mr. Theiler gave me a suggestion, 

 on the May disease, which may be 

 worth enquiring into. He attributes it 

 to the consumption by the adult bees 

 of an excess of pollen and perhaps 

 moldy or unhealthy pollen. Someday, 

 some one will ascertain the exact 

 cause. 



Mr. Theiler mentioned 2330 meters 

 (about 7700 feet) as the highest altitude 

 at which bees were known to gather 

 honey. This agreed with similar re- 

 marks made by Mr. Gubler and others. 

 I wonder how this would compare with 

 the honey-producing altitudes of the 

 United States ? Many of the best honey- 

 yielding plains of Colorado and moun- 

 tain States are above 5000 feet. But 

 how far up do bees produce honey in 

 amounts worthy of note? I was also 

 told that the honey of high altitudes 

 was finer, whiter, and of better flavor 

 than from the plains, even when from 

 the same kind of blossoms. Is this 

 correct? 



The bee-museura is very interesting. 

 I saw there a vast amount of bee-litera- 

 ture, though, of course, mainly in Ger- 

 man. The oldest was a book of Johan- 

 nes Coleri, dated Kill, comprising agri- 

 culture and horticulture with beecul- 

 ture. There was a translation of Virgil 

 into German, made in 1724. 



Numerous samples of wax scales as 

 produced by the bees were in the ex- 

 hibit. All were white, and Mr. Theiler 



