GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Beekeeping in California 



p. C. Chadwick, Redlands, Cal. 



Letters of inquiry regarding the State 

 Association should not be sent to me. Write 

 direct to Sec'y A. B. Shaffner, 4232 West 

 First St., Los Angeles, Cal. ; and while 

 you are writing you should send in $1.50 

 dues for a year, and get the crop reports 

 next season. They will be worth many 



times more than the price of your dues. 



* * * 



October started in with good general 

 rains, the value of which will depend on 

 how soon others follow to sustain the. vege- 

 tation that has started. Fillaree is coming 

 up nicely, and if occasional rains continue, 

 our early aid to spring breeding would be 

 assured. Personally I have no misgiving 

 in this matter, and am willing to go on 

 record as believing we are to have plenty 



of rain, a warm winter, and a honey crop. 

 * « * 



I have been harping about extracted honey 

 since I began the editing of this depart- 

 ment, and have run the department with 

 my own ideas and policies. My views have 

 been the opposite of the editor's in this re- 

 spect, because of an honest difference of 

 opinion. But the price of the best grade 

 of comb honey this season in Los Angeles 

 has averaged ten cents a pound higher than 

 the best gi'ade of extracted. Here we have 

 a difference in price that surely must look 

 good to beekeeiDcrs who are figuring on how 

 they can get the most from their bees. A 

 beekeeper told me a few years ago that he 

 put just as little into his bees and got 

 just as much out as possible. That kind 

 of beekeeper has, to be sure, no business 

 working for comb honey; but the majority 

 are of this class, and find it easier to turn 

 an extractor than to scrape and pack sec- 

 tions. It begins to look to me very much 

 as though there were going to be some 

 good money in comb honey for those who 

 are willing, and fitted in knowledge and 

 patience to give it the proper attention. 

 The past season, one of the most success- 

 ful beekeepers, to my knowledge, produced 

 largely comb honey, using extracting combs 

 for the lighter flows. His best grade sold 

 for 18 cts. per lb., while the best extracted 

 brought only 7 or 8 cts. Such a difference 



will make comb-honey worth while. 



» * * 



I mentioned, Oct. 15, something about 

 California beekeepers being a demoralized 

 set so far as being organized or alive to 

 their interests is concerned. I am going 

 to continue on this subject for two reasons. 



First, I want to say there are A'ery few 

 industries in the State, of as much im- 



portance as the bee industry, that are not 

 better organized. The orange, raisin, and 

 celery growers and other producers have 

 their organizations through which they 

 work in unison, and trust those in charge 

 of the organization. I believe the success 

 of many of these organizations is due to 

 the fact that they have many men in them 

 who are not strictly of the granger class. 

 We beekeepers, to a very great extent, are 

 purely of gi'anger tendencies, and inherit 

 a suspicious, distrustful, independent nature 

 that is hard to overcome. We are not to 

 be blamed in the least for this attitude, for 

 we have long been the prey of buyers and 

 commission men, and our misgivings are 

 well founded ; but this is more reason why 

 we should be in a mutual organization com- 

 posed only of producers, for then we should 

 be able to help protect ourselves. A great 

 many look upon organization as did the 

 Jew who was going to Europe with his 

 son. When in mid-ocean their ship sprang 

 a leak and was slowly sinking. The son, 

 learning of the danger, rushed to his 

 father, exclaiming, "Father, the ship is 

 sinking." The father answered, coolly, 

 "Vel, vot of it? It don't belong to us." 



This illustrates my point — that it is hard 

 to get beekeepers to realize that their in- 

 dustiy is sinking. It may not belong to 

 them, yet they may go down with the rest. 

 I am becoming more of an enthusiast over 

 organization every day; but I believe it 

 will be necessary to educate to some ex- 

 tent before we can succeed in getting a 

 great many to take hold. But this. is being 

 done, especially the last few months, dur- 

 ing which time the State has aided our 

 association in holding meetings at various 

 points which I have previously mentioned. 



Second, the average beekeeper is 'not 

 posted on markets or prices, and many in 

 the more remote districts sell their honey 

 to the first buyer who comes along, at 

 whatever price is offered. Naturally he 

 feels that it is his business, and it undoubt- 

 edly is; but in many cases honey prices 

 are from one-half to two cents more per 

 pound than the grower gets, and, in con- 

 sequence, he takes from 60 cts. to $2.40 

 per case less than he should. As soon as 

 we are able to get our membership up to 

 a point where we can furnish cans and 

 eases at a reduction to our members, then 

 they will begin to come in out of the hills 

 to join our association. 



Five cents saved per case looks larger 

 to many beekeepers than one-half cent 

 more i^er pound in the price of their honey. 



