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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Sept. 24, 



4 miles north of home. We then had already large hives, but 

 used the division-board more freely than we do now, usually 

 not allowing our bees more than 8 frames of space. Finding 

 several colonies in preparation for swarming, I divided them 

 each into three swarms, leaving only two full combs on the 

 old stand. Well, each of these swarms sent forth a swarm or 

 two, and we had the most worthless lot of weak swarms that 

 year that I ever saw. 



Ye bee-keepers who are tired of hiving swarms, try the 

 large hives once, and you will get relief. Hamilton, III. 



Some Southern California Bee-Notes. 



BY PKOF. A. ,J. COOK. 



The Eucalyptus Blooming. — Various of our eucalyptus 

 trees are already in bloom. The blossoms are exceedingly 

 beautiful, and it is very pleasant in walking under the trees 

 to hear the merry hum of the bees which is forming among 

 the blossoms. It is possible that they do not get very much of 

 honey, but they are certainly kept out of mischief. 



Silver Wattle Trees. — The writer has just received 

 from George S. Hay, of Cootamundra, Now South Wales, 

 Australia, some seeds of the silver wattle trees, which, Mr. 

 Hay says, is a great friend of the bees in early spring. He 

 says it blooms about the end of July, lasts for three or four 

 weeks, and is one mass of golden bloom with a sweet honey- 

 perfume to which the bees flock in great numbers, gathering 

 from it pollen for their early brood-rearing. 



Beb-Keeping in San Diego County. — At the recent 

 Farmers' Institute at Fallbrook, Southern California, Mr. 

 McDougall, of Esoondido, one of the most successful and en- 

 terprising bee-keepers of Southern California, gave a most 

 valuable paper upon bee-keeping. Mr. McDougall is no less 

 distinguished as a fruit-grower than as a bee-keeper. In his 

 paper he showed conclusively that San Diego county was one 

 of the most favored localities for bee-culture in the world, and 

 also showed that the wise, energetic bee-keeper was doing as 

 well. If not better, than those in any other kindred pursuit. 

 Mr. McDougall thinks that not only the dry weather, but the 

 peculiar state of the atmosphere, has much to do with the 

 failure in the honey crop. He spoke regretfully of the fact 

 that many bee-keepers in California are exceedingly careless 

 in their management, and use hives that are almost a dis- 

 grace to the business. 



The "Exchange" Idea. — There is a great interest in 

 all of Southern California on the matter of Exchanges. The 

 Citrus Fruit Exchange is gaining the respect, not only of the 

 growers, but of the business men as well. This industry had 

 become almost paralyzed before the Exchange was organized. 

 It is now quite on its feet, and is steadily gaining in its in- 

 fluence. In some cases the Citrus Fruit Exchange has been 

 made to include the deciduous fruits. This is true in the 

 region of Claremont. It is said that the raisin industry in 

 the San Joaquin valley was marketed last year at a loss of 

 one-half million dollars to the growers. This season a raisin 

 exchange has been organized. It is creditably reported that 

 already the raisin-growers are offered double for the raisins 

 what they secured last year. It is to be hoped that this co- 

 operative system will spread till it takes in all Southern Cali- 

 fornia and includes all fruits and all the other products of our 

 State, certainly including honey. Nothing seems better set- 

 tled than that no producer can hope to live under the commis- 

 sion system. The f. o. b. system, while an improvement on 

 the old commission system, is yet faulty. It lacks the power 

 of wise and even distribution at the market end of the trans- 

 action. It is believed that the present Exchange system, as 

 soon as it can secure reliable agents in all parts of the East, 



will be able to do a grand work. It is said that last year 

 the losses in the Citrus Fruit Exchange, on a business that 

 went a good deal over one million of dollars, was less than one- 

 half of one per cent. This Is certainly a good showing for a 

 mere infant. 



Claremont, Calif., Sept. 10. 



^ 



A Parable for Those Who Need It. 



BY LEANDER 8. KEYSEB. 



" Has The Week's Delight come, Hannah ?" 



" Yes ; there it lies on the center-table." 



Mr. Oswell picked up his favorite weekly paper, glanced 

 admiringly at the handsome cover, then placed his easy chair 

 near the window, and proceeded to read the editorials on the 

 first page ; or, rather, he tried to read them. But something 

 seemed to distract his attention ; he could not rivet his mind 

 on those glowing paragraphs, do what he would. 



The trouble was, a tiny but extremely acute arrow had 

 penetrated his bosom, and was sticking in his heart. The dis- 

 turbance it caused in the action of that member gave him an 

 odd experience. Not only did it prick him, and thus divert 

 his attention from the reading, but it brought a series of 

 panoramas before his fancy like dissolving views. 



He seemed to hear the rumble of machinery, and lo ! be- 

 fore his mind's eye there passed a printer's " pit " or press- 

 room, containing a half-dozen or more cylinder printing- 

 presses, from which was issuing copy after copy of The Week's 

 Delight, and he noted that all the pressmen were as busy as 

 they could be with their grimy toil. 



Then he heard the click of type, and seemed to be trans- 

 ported to a large composing-room, where over a score of type- 

 setters were standing before their cases, their hands flying 

 deftly from the " boxes " to the "sticks." The next minute 

 the editorial-rooms swept before him, where men with large 

 but deeply-creased brows were bending over illegible manu- 

 scripts, or laboriously scrawling off copy for the next number 

 of the paper. 



Then it seemed that pay-day had come, and this whole 

 company of toilers had gathered before a window waiting for 

 the reward of their labors. When they had received their 

 money and were gone, Mr. Oswell caught sight of a large pile 

 of paper-bills, postage-bills, and bills of many kinds, all of 

 which had to be paid, and paid at once. But Mr. Oswell 

 observed that the business manager's brow was lowering, and 

 his face bore a worried expression. 



" If only our subscribers would pay — " the business man- 

 ager was saying. 



But Mr. Oswell heard no more. The arrow piercing hU 

 heart gave a sudden twitch, causing him such acute pain that 

 he looked at it searchingly for the tirst time, and, behold 1 the 

 slender shaft reached down to his bosom from the little 

 printed " tab " on his paper. He hastily, examined the label. 



"Goodness, gracious !" he exclaimed ; " my subscription to 

 this is overdue, and of course the publishers need the money 

 to carry on the business. I'll send them a check this minute." 



He did that very thing, and, odd as it may seem, the little 

 pricking shaft was at once removed. Mr. Oswell felt happy, 

 and found that he could now read his paper with infinite 

 satisfaction. 



" Queer how one's conscience will puncture one when one 

 becomes delinquent," he smilingly mused. — Epworth Herald. 



Dayton, Ohio. 



[While the above has little bearing on bee-keeping, the 

 hint which it contains. If heeded, would have a big bearing on 

 the success of any bee-paper. Happy is the publisher who hath 

 no subscribers that are uumbered among " the delinquents," 

 for he shall be able to pay his bills as each becometh due. — 

 Editor.] 



