Feb. 1, li)12 



as this one will have. To understand the 

 situation, some historical evidence should 

 be introduced. 



Over twenty years ago the Southern Cali- 

 fornia liee-keepers' .Association was formed, 

 the projectors trying to interest those fur- 

 ther north in the work. The name was soon 

 changed to California State Bee-keepers' As- 

 sociation, and the effort continued to get all 

 honey-producers in the State to combine. 

 The writer knows this is fact. 



Xot much later the Central California 

 Bee-keepers' Association was formed at Han- 

 ford, and possibly still exists. The Tulare 

 County Bee-keepers' Association is about 17 

 years old; is well organized, and had two 

 delegates present — Mr. Walker, of Tulare, 

 its president, and Mr. Epperson, of Fresno. 

 The Imperial country, in the southeastern 

 part of the State, has an association, which, 

 like the State association, is incorporated. 



The writer was honored with the chair- 

 manship of a committee dealing with or- 

 ganization and inspection. The former was 

 reported substantially as follows: 



All honey-producers in the State are re- 

 quested to join the State association, which 

 shall consist of northern, central, Imperial, 

 southern, and any other divisions that may 

 be formed. County clubs are to be formed 

 in each division. For administrative pur- 

 poses delegates are to be elected to each di- 

 vision from the county clubs, and to the 

 State association from each division. 



Xo law can be passed on inspection till 

 next winter, and the committee's plan con- 

 templated the above organization by that 

 time. The main features of the plan are 

 somewhat similar to the above in formation. 

 The Governor of the State shall appoint a 

 State board of apiarian examiners whose 

 members shall not exceed the division of 

 the State association in number, from a list 

 of names to be submitted by the State asso- 

 ciation, and the (lovernor shall remove the 

 same for cause. The board shall appoint a 

 State inspector and county inspectors, and 

 shall be paid actual expenses and per-diem 

 salary by the State. The State inspector 

 shall have laboratory facilities with the Uni- 

 versity of California or elsewhere; shall give 

 necessary assistance to county inspectors, 

 and shall cause necessary inspection to be 

 done by competent persons in counties 

 where there are no inspectors, at exj^ense of 

 counties where ins])ection is done. County 

 inspectors shall appoint deputies when nec- 

 essary: may remove them, and shall be re- 

 sponsible for their acts. All the above shall 

 be under bonds, excepting the deputies. 

 County inspectors and deputies are to be 

 paid by the county. 



While the above is from memory, it is 

 close to the rei)ort submitted, which was 

 turned over to the executive committee. 

 After due amendment we hope it will be en- 

 dorsed by all the associations in California. 

 The delegates from the State association, 

 Sec. A. B. Shafner, Los Angeles, and In- 

 spector .1. W. Ferree, of Surrey, as well as 

 the Tulare association delegates, were of 



85 



much assistance, and worked untiringly for 

 the general good. 



The first day, State Entomologist Prof. C. 

 W. Woodworth was up from lierkeley, and 

 was fre(^uenlly called on for advice. He 

 said we should confer with the various socie- 

 ties of our industry for a law, take plenty of 

 time to get it right, and then he would work 

 for its i^assage. He has conducted a class 

 in apiculture at the University for 17 years. 



The last day, Dr. A. .1. Cook, State Horti- 

 cultural Commissioner, was with us for a 

 while. To bee-keepers he will ever be " Prof. 

 A. J. Cook." He spoke with much feeling 

 of the older bee-keepers who have largely 

 passed away, and assured us of the friend- 

 ship of the bee-keepers at the south end of 

 the State. He told us how Governor .lohn- 

 son had lately called a special session of the 

 legislature to manage an insect not as large 

 as a house-fly. Twenty minutes after the 

 legislature convened the desired measure 

 became a law, and the legislature adjourn- 

 ed! He told us to prepare a go .,d law and 

 he would help us get it through. We enjoy- 

 ed his talk immensely, even if he did 

 "jnsh " us freely. 



Our friends from the south told us that 

 the State association reports its meetings to 

 the papers, as it wants it done by a censor, 

 and not as a reporter who knows nothing of 

 our pursuit would do it. During the meet- 

 ing the need of such a plan was glaringly ap- 

 parent, and all bee-keepers' associations 

 could well consider this point. 



Mr. W. Gear, of Vorden, was elected sec- 

 retary for the following year. 



Ceres, Cal. 



MOVING OVER 1000 MILES, AND SECURING 

 160 POUNDS PER COLONY. 



BY B. F. SMITH, JR. 



April 26 I received notice I was to be 

 transferred from the Omaha to the Sheridan 

 division of the C. B. & Q. R. R. The year 

 1910 was nearly a failure in our locality in 

 Nebraska; but having fed my 23 colonies un- 

 til each had 25 or more pounds of stores for 

 outdoor wintering, I expected to find them 

 in good shape for the trip. I found two dead 

 and one with just a little bunch of bees with 

 a drone-layer. This left just 20 with two 

 doubtful ones, which I did not have time to 

 examine. 



About 2 P.M., with thermometer at 55, the 

 covers were removed and wire cloth nailed 

 on instead, thus leaving just a ^-inch space 

 over frames. About 5 p.m. it was a little 

 colder, and screens were tacked over the en- 

 trances, and the work of loading commenc- 

 ed. All household goods were loaded in 

 one end of a 40-foot box car, and a rack or 

 gallery built in the opposite end, upon 

 which the covers, supers, and chaff-trays 

 were loaded. 



I had just enough one-inch boards to cov- 

 er the bottom of the car in the end I intend- 

 ed for the bees, and on top of these I put 



