THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Jan. 2, 



culture can be more successfully conducted as a branch or 

 part of mixed agriculture than in any other way, by so doiug. 

 Perhaps it can be; but the trouble is it won't be, as long as 

 human nature remains what it is. General farming neces- 

 sarily includes a certain amount of hard, rough labor, both in 

 and out of the house, which is enough to stultify the minds of 

 40 families out of 50 to such a degree that energy enough 

 cannot be summoned to regard the care of bees in any other 

 light than that which one regards milking, cleaning stables or 

 baking bread. I have been there, and know something 

 about it. I will add further, that I believe it the next thing 

 to a sin for most people to get up before six o'clock ; but that 

 you can't succeed in general farming unless you do. Under 

 these conditions, the bees and honey-trade are better off in 

 the hands of specialists ; and the farmers themselves are bet- 

 ter off, if, excepting three or four colonies " to make things 

 homelike," they are not given the additional burden of 20 or 

 30 ; and they would be better off still if they each made some 

 one branch of agriculture their main work — dairying, fruits, 

 bee-keeping, grain — so as to give their minds a chance to grow 

 by becoming so familiar with the contingencies of that one 

 branch as to keep ahead of their work, and have time for the 

 relaxing, recreating influence of some small hobby, which 

 they may practice for the " love of the thing." 



It would be well enough if some member of the family 

 not only had the exclusive care of the bees, but did nothing 

 else to speak of than to take care of them. But in how many 

 families can that be done ? 



As it is, farmers are the intellectual class. Mr. Abbott 

 himself realizes this on page 590 of the Bee Journal for 

 1895, and Mr. Taylor realizes it in the quotation above; but 

 they do not seem to see that there is nothing else to make 

 farmers so than their mode of life — their constant round of 

 work which is drudgery jusi because it is not specialty ; and 

 these gentlemen propose, as a remedy, to increase their 

 drudgery ! 



Specialty means broad-mindedness. It is not possible for 

 a man to get under the surface of one branch without new 

 and fresh ideas of the relations of things, which assist him to 

 a better comprehension of the deeper relations of other 

 branches, than if he was jack-of-all-trades and master of none. 



Specialty means happiness. It is the non-specialists who 

 say, "What's life worth living for, if you can't have a little 

 fun now and then?" The specialists have their fun all the 

 time. 



I have not before responded to Mr. Abbott's call for spe- 

 cialists, because I had some idea of making chickens add to 

 my income. But I hesitate no longer. I will keep bees for 

 profit and chickens for pleasure — and eggs for my own use ; 

 and arise to remark, that for the last two years, with very 

 trifling exceptions, I have been supporting myself on bees ex- 

 clusively, and expect to continue to do so. Arvada, Colo. 



^W A natural ability and a rational enthusiasm are 

 necessary to make a successful bee-keeper ; and therefore, 

 unless a man makes himself thoroughly acquainted with the 

 peculiarities of bees, he is doomed to disappointment should 

 he attempt to give his time and capital to this occupation. 



— SiMMINS. 



% 



California as a Bee-Keeping State. 



BY PBOF. A. J. COOK. 



I know of no better introduction to this series of articles, 

 than some candid statements about California in relation to 

 the bee-keeping industry. If I am a little enthusiastic, I am 

 sure that the facts that I shall pen in this article will warrant 

 my fervor. 



First, the bee-keeper, like men of any other pursuit, 

 wishes a pleasant home and surroundings. If his lot tails in 

 Southern California, he has the grandeur of mountain scenery, 

 constant summer, with very few days that know any frost, 

 and about as many weeks that are unpleasantly hot. From 

 October to March a liltle fire is needed much of the time in 

 early morning and late evening, with an occasional day when 

 a fire all day is pleasant. And, if we may judge from the two 

 seasons of my sojourn, only the month of September is oppres- 

 sive for its heat ; and then less than half the time, so that no 

 one can complain who loves warmth and sunshine. 



Warmth and sunshine bring fruit, and so every month in 

 the year, one can have, at very slight expense, the most 

 luscious fresh fruit. Oranges from February to June, straw- 

 berries every month, and plenty and cheap from May to No- 



vember ; blackberries from May to September in profusion, 

 with cherries or plums much of the time ; lemons the entire 

 season, and luscious apples and pears all the winter months, 

 or from September to March, and the most delicious apricots, 

 nectarines or peaches from Mayor June to September. Thus, 

 to the lover of fruit. Southern California comes with wide- 

 open arms to offer the best of all climes and zones. Nor are 

 the social attractions less inviting. Culture, refinement and 

 genuine heart sympathy and regard are most luxurious pro- 

 ducts of this sunny southland. I never met such Christian 

 courtesy ; such a warmth of interest, such hearty fellowship, 

 as I have met since coming to this genial clime. Thus the 

 bee-keeper of Southern California may surround himself with 

 all that makes life rich and full, of the best of comfort and 

 blessing. 



Again, no winter problem confronts the Californian bee- 

 keeper. There is not a month in the year that the bees do not 

 gather and even store some honey. The eucalyptus, which is 

 rapidly coming to the very front, as a shade-tree, has scores 

 of species, many very beautiful, and all very rapid growers. 

 Most are good honey-trees, and by proper selection we may 

 secure beautiful species that will give a succession of bloom 

 throughout the year. The only danger comes from starvation, 

 and that never threatens any but the improvident bee-keeper. 

 There are occasional years — about one in five, if we can judge 

 from the past 20 years — when the bees will gather no honey- 

 not even enough to keep them from starvation. Thus every 

 wise bee-keeper will never extract so closely as to run any 

 risk. He will always leave at the close of the season ample 

 food for a year. And then if the 15 to 25 inches of rain 

 which insures a honey crop comes with winter, he will in the 

 spring extract the surplus from the hive, which will surely be 

 cured to the satisfaction of the most fastidious. 



Again, as abundant rains insure a crop, the bee-keeper 

 knows in winter what the harvest will be; so there are no 

 long months of fruitless expectation. This fact has further 

 advantage — it prevents buying supplies, unless they are to be 

 needed, and gives one certain warning months in advance 

 that he is to look about for some occupation other than that 

 of bee-keepiug. 



As I have said, seasons of failure do not come of tener than 

 one year in five ; and it looks as if, with suitable forethought, 

 removing bees to regions of alfalfa bloom, or orange orchards, 

 or bean-fields, we may at least secure sufficient stores for the 

 bees even in the "off" years. This is likely to be even more 

 probable with the maturity of the numberless eucalyptus 

 trees now being planted. Last year (LS94)wasa very dry 

 one — only 11 inches of rainfall here at Clareinont, and much 

 less fell in considerable of the bee-keeping range. Fifteen 

 inches is the reported minimum for a honey crop from the 

 usual forage of sage and wild buckwheat. Thus, last year, 

 there was a total dearth of nectar-secretion in many regions. 

 Yet several apiarists in the regions of alfalfa fields secured a 

 fine crop. Others, doubtlessly, could have reaped a similar 

 good fortune had they known the value of alfalfa as a honey- 

 plant, and moved their bees to regions of its bloom. 



There are two other features of California apiculture 

 which are unique and very encouraging. I refer to the great 

 production in favorable seasons, and the astonishing number 

 of colonies which can be kept in one locality at such times 

 with profit. The past season, shough not one of the very 

 best, illustrates both of these points. In large apiaries of 

 from 200 to 300 or more.colonies, the product was from 100 

 to 150 pounds per colony. Thus several apiarists that I have 

 known of, secured upwards of 30 tons of honey, with less 

 than 500 colonies of bees. With a knowledge of the flora of 

 this section, this is not so hard to understand as the enormous 

 yield of wheat and hay tothe acre that is sometimes reported 

 in sections of this State— oO bushels of wheat and 18 tons of 

 hay ; for in no sections of my acquaintance are the flowers so 

 long in bloom. White and ball sage are in bloom for two 

 months or more, and the famous wild buckwheat even longer. 

 Thus the nectar is not only very abundant in the flowers, but 

 the latter continue to yield for a very long period of time. 



The pioneer bee-keeper of California, and once the largest 

 producer of honey in the world — the celebrated J. S. Harbi- 

 son, now of San Diego — has demonstrated that ball sage, an 

 excellent honey-plant, can be easily transplanted and made to 

 grow in all the hilly regions of Southern Calfornia. As these 

 wide ranges are useless for other purposes, we may hope that 

 the importance of the bee-keeping industry of Southern Cali- 

 fornia may in the future wax rather than wane. The great 

 increase of the eucalyptus plantation will also tend in the 

 same direction. 



If the growers of alfalfa were, also, at the same time bee- 

 keepers, or would become partners with bee-keepers, so as to 

 delay cutting the crop a little, till the bloom had offered a 



