164 



itmm mwmmmiGMn mm^ j©iPier*MiL. 



GLESMS OF EEWS. 



Xlio Calitornia Crop of honey and 

 beeswax, for the past year, is set forth as 

 follows in a circular just issued by Schacht, 

 Lemcke & Steiner, of San Francisco, Calif. : 



The crop of honey in 1889 was not as 

 large as in the previous year, but neverthe- 

 less, sufficient quantities have been pro- 

 duced so that no scarcity has been felt dur- 

 ing the season, and, even now, we have 

 sufficient honey on hand for our demand; 

 as the same has not been a very active one 

 for the export trade that generally has ab- 

 sorbed large quantities in previous years. 



We estimate the crop in California for 

 the year 1889, at 2,000,000 pounds of ex- 

 tracted honey, and 200,000 pounds of 

 comb honey, or a total of 3,200,000 pounds 

 for the year 1889. Comparing this year's 

 production with former seasons, the i-esult 

 is not a very favorable one, as California 

 produced in 1888, 3,500,000 pounds; in 

 1887, 1,200,000 pounds; in 1886, 5,000,- 

 000 pounds; in 1885, 1,250,000 pounds; 

 and in 1884:, 9,000,000 pounds, or an aver- 

 age of nearly 4,000,000 pounds. It is diffi- 

 cult to approach again the amount pro- 

 duced in 1884, for the reason that a great 

 deal of land is now cultivated, so that the 

 bees had to be removed further and further 

 back into the mountains. 



The prospect for the coming season is so 

 far a verj^ good one. We have had an 

 abundance of rain, and if we should get 

 some rains again in March or April, to 

 keep the different kinds of trees and flowers 

 in blossoms, we will probably have a larger 

 yield of honey than we have had since 

 1884. However, nothing certain can be 

 said now, as a great deal depends upon the 

 weather we will have during the honey- 

 producing mouths, which are iu particular 

 May, June and July. 



Statistics show that iu Europe the sup- 

 plies are very short, and that also very 

 little honey is on the way from here to 

 Europe. In the East, the stocks of honey 

 are also limited, and in California, we have 

 no more honey on hand than will be need- 

 ed for the local consumption during the re- 

 maining season, [as we will have no new 

 honey before June or July, with February, 

 March and April before us, in which 

 months generally a great deal is consumed. 



The quality of the honey has been choice, 

 but only little white honey has been pro- 

 duced, and in consequence, a good many 

 orders tor white honey could not be filled. 



For comb honey the. demand has not been 

 a very active one, but comb honey in one- 

 pound sections sells much better than honey. 

 in two-pound sections, and very little comb 

 honey in two-pound sections should be pro- 

 duced in the future. Eastern buyers do not 

 wish to buy it at all, and also the local de- 

 mand calls now particularly for honey in 

 one-pound sections. 



The average price for extracted honey 

 during the last year has been 6 cents, and 

 for comb honey 13 cents in one-pound 

 sections, which prices we leave unchanged 

 at the present time. Although some ex- 

 tracted honey has been sold as low as S'.; 

 to 5% cents, these prices are too high for 

 export, and apiarists must be prepared to 

 see lower prices in the coming season, par- 

 ticularly if we have a good crop. If prices 

 rule higher than 4 to 5 cents, business of 

 importance cannot be done with Europe, 

 for the reason that other kinds of honey 

 will be taken if prices for California are 

 higher. 



The production of beeswax has been 

 small in the past year, we Testimate it at 

 30,000 pounds against 40,000 pounds in 

 the former year. 



iVlarioii Harland, the friend and 

 helper of women everywhere, has taken up 

 the work of restoring the ruined monument 

 marking the burial-place of Mary, the 

 Mother of Washington. 



One hundred years ago this venerable 

 woman was interred in private grounds 

 near Fredericksburg, Va. In 1833, the 

 corner-stone of an imposing memorial was 

 laid by President Andrew Jackson. A pa- 

 triotic citizen of New York assumed the 

 pious task single-handed, but meeting with 

 financial disaster, was compelled to aban- 

 don it. 



Marion Harland says truly— in her appeal 

 to the mothers and daughters of America, 

 to erect a fitting monument to her who 

 gave Our Country a Father — that " the sun 

 shines upon no sadder ruin in the length 

 and breadth of our land, than this un- 

 finished structure." See page 67. 



The publishers of "The Home-Maker," 

 issued at 19 West 33d St., New York, of 

 which Marion Harland is the editor, offer, 

 as their contribution to the good cause, 

 seventy-five cents out of every annual sub- 

 scription of two dollars to the Magazine 

 sent in during the next six months. Every 

 such subscription must be accompanied by 

 the words, "For Mary Washington Monu- 

 ment ■'' 



The offer is generous, and should meet 

 with an enthusiastic response. 



Yello'vv Jessamine. — Mr. W. M. 



Crutcher, of Zellwood, Fla., asks the fol- 

 lowing question : 



De.4r Editor:— Will you kindly inform 

 me whether honey gathered by bees from 

 blossoms of the yellow jessamine vines is 

 poisonous, or in any way injurious for eat- 

 ing? I am a beginner in bee-keeping, and a 

 large jessamine bush, in close proximity to 

 my hives, is now in full bloom, and the 

 bees are gathering honey and pollen from it. 



This bush is found on sandy soil at the 

 South (Qelsemium sempervlrens) ; its 

 common name being "yellow jessamine;" it 

 is not very desirable to have within range 

 of the bees, especially if they are Italians ; 

 while the native bees very seldom are seen 

 on it, Italians get both honey and pollen 

 from it, but mostly the latter. The young 

 bees, after taking their first meal on these 

 flowers, will have distended abdomens, and 

 will act as though they were intoxicated. 

 They usually crawl out of the hives, and 

 very soon expire, unless prevented from 

 going out by being overcome by the 

 strength of the poison. Many of our South- 

 eiu bee keepers have had sad experience 

 on account of their proximity to this plant. 

 While the honey is not very detrimental to 

 the human stomach, it is not very agreeable 

 to the palate. 



A correspondent in the National 

 Stockfnan lately wrote a very foolish arti- 

 cle on queen-bees, showing that he knew 

 nothing of the subject on which he wrote. 

 Dr. C. C. Miller gave a criticism of that 

 article In last week's Stockman. Among 

 other things he says ; 



The idea that " the old queens die ofl" in 



May or June and as soon as the queen 



dies, the workers commence rearing 

 queens; that when they come forth, swarms 

 begin to come off," is certainly not borne 

 out by the facts. On the other hand, 

 queen-cells are started in the majority of 

 cases while the queen is present and laying 

 in the hive, and the queen which has done 

 so much laying instead of dying in May or 

 June, leaves the hive with the swarm, per- 

 haps to repeat the same thing the follow- 

 ing year. 



The silly nonsense which obtains a place 

 in some agricultural papers, is astonishing. 

 We are glad that Dr. Miller has paid his 

 respects to at least one of that class of 

 writers. 



Remetly lor Coii^Iis, <^oIds, etc. 



— Among the many recipes in which honey 

 is used for curing diseases of the throat, 

 lungs, etc., is the following, which is recom- 

 mended as an excellent remedy for coughs, 

 colds, sore throats and hoarseness ; 



Boil two ounces of flax-seed in a quart of 

 water; strain this, and add to it one-half 

 pint of honey, two ounces of rock-candy, or 

 lump-sugar, and the juice of two or three 

 lemons. Boil all well together, and bottle 

 or can it. The dose is one little tea-cupful, 

 hot, before going to bed; and a wine-glass- 

 ful before meals. Drink it as hot as you 

 can. 



A t^mart I>ittle Hoy in Georgia, 

 who was kicked by a mule, instead of say- 

 ing naughty words, or going home crying 

 to his mother, tied the mule within five 

 feet of a bee-hive, backed him round to it 

 and let him kick. 



Every Person who has a life-insur- 

 ance policy, or who expects to take one, 

 will be profoundly interested in a seriej of 

 articles now being printed over the signa- 

 ture of "The Hermit," in " Frank Leslie's 

 Illustrated Newspaper." The pictures in 

 Leslie's last week are all excellent. They 

 include pictures of wonderful ruins of Pre- 

 historic Colorado, and several illustrations 

 of important foreign events. 



Xrifet's Monthly CJalaxy of 

 Music, published at 408 Washington 

 Street, Boston, Mass., presents an excellent 

 monthly installment of songs and instru- 

 mental music. The February number con- 

 tains the piece "Winsome Grace," a most 

 beautiful schottische by Boston's best 

 known teacher. Prof. T. H. Howe. We will 

 club it with this Journal, and send both 

 for SI. 75. 



Xlie Figure 9 has been in our dates 

 for over a year, and will stay with us for 

 over a century, replacing the 8. No one 

 now living will ever date a document with- 

 out using the figure 9. Last year it stood 

 on the extreme right — 1889. This year it 

 is in the third place, where it will re- 

 main ten years. It will then move up to 

 the second place— 1900 — and there it will 

 rest for one hundred years. 



