758 



GLEANIKGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Beekeeping in California 



p. C. Chadwick, Redlands, Cal. 



The meeting of the California State Bee- 

 keepers' Association will be held in Los 

 Angeles, Dec. 12, 13, 14, probably in the 

 Y. M. C. A. auditorium, as that was the con- 

 vention place last season. It is hoped that 

 there will be a large attendance from all 

 over the State. There is much work i^lan- 

 ned that is of vital importance to our in- 

 dustry, and no doubt it will be a busy three 

 days' session. Every one who can possibly 

 do so should be in attendance. If any of 

 your neighbors can go, take them with you. 

 Go; get acquainted, and enjoy a brief res- 

 pite from your daily toil. 

 « » « 



The morning of Aug. 27 found me mak- 

 ing hasty preparations for my anticipated 

 motorcycle trip, which was to be the chief 

 feature of my summer's vacation. Possibly 

 I displayed a bit of nervousness, in part 

 due to my enthusiasm as the time for start- 

 ing drew near, and perhaps because of the 

 fact that I was not very well acquainted 

 with my mode of conveyance. I had trav- 

 eled only a few miles at a time on my ma- 

 chine, for it had been in my possession 

 but a short time, and was the only one of 

 its make I had ever mounted; so I felt 

 much the same as would a green hand on 

 a strange horse in not knowing just what 

 it might be expected to do. Bidding my 

 family good-by I mounted, turned my face 

 to the west, and rode down the valley. 

 After passing through several miles of 

 orange-groves I came to a point too low 

 for citrus culture, alfalfa and grain taking 

 their jilace for several miles, when I found 

 myself nearing the city of Colton, which is 

 the junction point of the A., T. & S. F. 

 Southern Pacific and Salt Lake Railways, 

 and a thriving city of four thousand inhabi- 

 tants. "A short horse is soon curried," 

 for it took only a few minutes to pass 

 through, during which I turned south to- 

 ward Riverside, i^assing through almost a 

 continual succession of orange-groves for 

 six or seven miles. At Eighth Street, in 

 Riverside, I turned east, continuing through 

 the orange-gToves for a short distance. 



When I reached the foot of Box Spring 

 Grade I confronted an experience such as 

 I had not previously had^that of taking 

 a heavy grade with my machine. I had 

 traveled only a short distance when my 

 heart began to fail me, for it was with 

 difficulty tliat I could get sufficient power 

 to keep on the move, eventually being forc- 

 ed to pedal vigorously, and even then I 

 seemed to be doomed for a walk up that 

 long grade. I tried about every thing I 



knew to increase the power. Finally, be- 

 coming desperate, I shoved the idler lever 

 up a few notches. Instantly the machine 

 shot up the grade, but did not continue, for 

 before long I shut off the power and dis- 

 mounted in order to regain my composure 

 and wonder if it was really true that there 

 was a "fool born every minute." 



Mounting again I continued up the grade 

 without difficulty. At the top I looked far 

 away to the north of east into the Moreno 

 Valley, while to the south and east lay the 

 Peri'is Valley, wonderfully rich, but lack- 

 ing an abundance of water to make it bloom 

 to its full capacity. I turned toward Perris 

 through a vast grain-growing section. After 

 several miles of travel I was able to see that 

 city in the distance — a small country town 

 of a few hundred inhabitants. From Ales- 

 andro to Perris the roads were so perfect 

 that I found myself almost in Perris before 

 inquiring for the home of Mr. Warr, for 

 whose i^lace I was headed. I was informed 

 that I had traveled more than a mile too 

 far. I retraced the distance, and was soon 

 greeted by Harry J., who is i^artner with 

 his father, owners of 1000 colonies of bees 

 in Riverside Count J^ We were almost im- 

 mediately called to dinner, after which the 

 bee business was discussed pro and con, 

 with the elder Mr. Warr participating. 

 Father W^arr had some very interesting 

 experiences to relate about those golden 

 days of old in the early 80's; but as I have 

 no desire to have my friend subject to crit- 

 icism, such as has been "handed" me, I 

 will not relate his big-yield stories of 1884 

 and '86. Suffice it to say, these old-timers 

 have seen yields that are almost incredible 

 these days. The elder Mi-. Warr says that, 

 when Harry gets discouraged, he relates 

 those big yields "of old" to him to give new 

 courage. 



From their home can be seen a great al- 

 falfa-growing valley, which is of little value 

 to the beekeeper because of being cut al- 

 most entirely for hay, and not allowed to 

 bloom sufficiently to jDroduce honey. 



After a few hours' visit, Harry and I 

 mounted our machines, and rode several 

 miles over the hills to apiary No. 1. Tyjii- 

 cal of other ranges in this section, I found 

 very litttle button sage, the main source of 

 honey being white sage and wild buckwheat. 

 Button sage was much more plentiful a few 

 years ago, but has been largely destroyed 

 by brush fires. Here I will mention the 

 fact that button sage is destroyed root and 

 branch by fire, but the white variety is in- 

 juried for only one or perhaps two Beasous. 



