TTHE? mm^BMJCKU KEB JOURNKIU. 



475 



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<-;irdiDal flowers, snowdrops, lilies, 

 lupines, larkspurs, verbenas, penny- 

 ri)y;vl, lireweed, virgin's bower, lioney- 

 suekle, coluinbiue, Califurniii poppy, 

 Indian cress, jewel weed, wild buck- 

 wheat, collinsia, wild mustard, Mexi- 

 can clover, snow-plants ami hundreds 

 of less conspicuous honey-plants. 



A small, silvery stream wended its 

 way tlirough the vallej- ; it was mar- 

 gined with a thickset growth of black 

 alders, willows, maples, wild plum and 

 cherry, buckthorn, and several differ- 

 ent varieties of dogwood ; while occa- 

 sionally here and there arose the sur- 

 passingly beautiful madrona tree. 

 Higher up the valle}' we found a small 

 lava field destitute of trees and shrubs, 

 but clothed with a carpet of golden 

 conipositai clover, and several different 

 varieties of mint. 



At the base of the mountain we 

 found growing chestnut oak, live oak, 

 California lilac, manzanita, chaemeiss, 

 adenostaua,beds of dwai'f pholx,hulsea. 

 potentille, and golden-rod : while 

 looming far overhead were groves of 

 ari'ow}' silver firs and incense cedars, 

 rich in both pollen and honey-dew. 



This valley would be a ver}^ paradise 

 for bee-keepers, but it is no exception ; 

 there are thousands of others like it in 

 the upper Sierras, which are as j'et 

 almost untouched, save by wild bees. 

 Fi-om 4,000 to 5,000 feet elevation is 

 the grand bee-zone of the Sierras. The 

 t'limate at this elevation admits of the 

 making of permanent homes, for here 

 are successfully grown the best of 

 apples and pears. Peaches, plums, 

 cherries, grapes, and numerous small 

 fruits thrive well. Melons, pumpkins, 

 tomatoes, potatoes, corn, etc., grow to 

 perfection. 



ROTATION OF CALIFORNIA BLOOM. 



The black alder is the first honey 

 and pollen producing tree of any im- 

 portance in early spring. In our sec- 

 tion it generally commences blooming 

 about the first of January, and furnishes 

 a profusion of bloom for about two 

 weeks. 



The various species of willows next 

 make their appearance, and furnish- an 

 unlimited quantity of pollen for brood- 

 rearing. Some seasons, willows yield 

 considerable hone}'. 



Manzanitas begin blooming about 

 the first of February. They are excel- 

 lent honey-yielders, and if we had the 

 number of bees in the hives that we 

 have about the first of June, to work 

 on the manzanita bloom, we should 

 get considerable honey from that 

 source. Chaparral, in certain seasons, 

 yields considerable honey and pollen. 

 It blooms at about the same time that 

 the manzanita does. Possibly if it 

 bloomed before or after the manzanita, 

 the bees would pay more attention to it. 



Wild jiluni and cherry commence 

 Idooniiug abiuit the first of April, but 

 the bloom is of such short duration 

 that I am inclined to believe that they 

 do not get nuich honey from it. 



The various species of maples com- 

 mence blooming about the middle of 

 April, and bees reap a rich harvest 

 from this source. The bloom lasts for 

 about two weeks. 



Dogwood commences blooming about 

 the same time, l)ut it is not much of a 

 honey-yielder. 



California lilac begins blooming the 

 latter part of April, and furnishes a 

 vast profusion of bloom. The honey 

 gathered from tliis plant is of an excel- 

 lent quality and of a sparkling clear- 

 ness. California lilac is one of the 

 most important hone3'-jielders of the 

 Sierras. The bloom generally- lasts 

 about three weeks. 



Wild coftee yields considerable 

 honey ; it commences blooming about 

 the first of May and blooms about six 

 weeks. The honey from this source is 

 dark and of inferior quality. 



By the middle of May, plant-life has 

 fairl}' reached its hight ; then the up- 

 land meadows are painted with the 

 various colored blooms of the lark- 

 spur, meliotns. collinsia, verbena, 

 lilies, lupines, clover, monardella, wall- 

 flowers, Indian cress, etc., all of which 

 are excellent honey-plants. This ocean 

 of bloom of the various wild-flowers 

 lasts about a mouth. 



About the middle of May the folocio 

 (Chammhalia foliolosaj, a little shrub 

 with a fern-shaped leaf and a little 

 white blossom, somewhat resembling 

 the strawberry- blossom, begins to 

 bloom. It is a splendid honey-plant, 

 and yields large quantities of honey 

 everj' season. 



The wild snow-drop begins to bloom 

 about the first of June, and sends the 

 bees out in large numbers early in the 

 morning ; it continues to bloom for 

 over a month. 



The wild holly and California buck- 

 eye furnish considerable honey in cer- 

 tain seasons. One season I obtained 

 almost 50 pounds to the colony, of 

 holly honey. 



In July and August, the various 

 sjSecies of mints keep the bees busy the 

 entire day, and furnish enough honey 

 to keep brood-rearing going on lively. 



In September, a species of hartshorn 

 furnishes considerable honey. The dif- 

 ferent species of golden-rod commence 

 blooming in September, and furnish a 

 profusion of bloom until frost comes. 



In October, the incense-cedar fur- 

 nishes vast quantities of honey, and 

 keeps the bees roaring as if they were 

 robbing instead of honey-gathering. 

 The honey gathered from this source 

 is splendid ; it has a greater density 

 than anj- sage honey, and it never 



candies. When bees arc gathering 

 this honey, they cap the cells with wax 

 of a snowy whiteness, which gives the 

 honey a very beautiful a]>pearance. It 

 is impossilile to extract tliis kind of 

 honey, as the density is so gr(!at that 

 the combs would be torn to pieces be- 

 fore it would come out. I have had 

 colonies of hybrid bees that stored 150 

 pounds of comb honey in six weeks, 

 all gatliered from this source. 



The bee-pastures of the .Sierras are 

 better; all things considered, than 

 those of the southern portion of Cali- 

 fornia. The drj' seasons do not have 

 as much effect on the bloom here as 

 there ; we never have occasion to feed 

 bees ; they always gather sufficient to 

 winter on. 



Grizzly Flats, Calif. 



COIVVEXTIOIV DIRECTORY. 



1890, Time and place of meeting. 



July 17.— Carolina, at Charlotte, N, C, 



N. P. Lyles, Sec, Derita N. C. 



Aug, 19.— Northern Illinois, at Harlem, Ills. 



D, A, Fuller, Sec , Cherry Valley, Ills. 



Aug, 29.— Ilaldinianfl, at South Cavuga, Ont, 



B, C, Campbell. Sec, Cayuga, Ont. 



Sept 10,— Ionia County, at Ionia, Mich. 



H. Smith. Sec . Ionia, Mit-h. 



Oct. 29-31.— International American, at Keoltuk, la. 



C. P. Dadant, sec, Hamilton, Ills. 



Oct.— Missouri State, at Mexico, Mo. 



J. W. Rouse, Sec, Santa Fe, Mo. 



In order to have this table complete, 



Secretaries are requested to forward full 

 particulars of the time and the place of 

 each future lueetiug, — The Editor, 



International Bee-Association. 



President- Hon. K. L. Ta.vlor. Lapeer. Mich, 

 Secret.vrv— ('. P. Dadant Hamilton. Ills. 



ITational Bee-Keepers' Union. 



President— James Heddon ..Dowagiac, Mich, 

 Sec'v, and M.tNAGER— T, G, Newman, Chicago, 



10 4//t A^& T^mt^W 



?^ 



Svirarininsr L>ate — Storing Honey. 



Bees are in good condition here this year, 

 but swarming is late, I started with one 

 colony last year, and this year I bought 2 

 more — now I have 7 strong colonies, some 

 of which are storing honey, and some are 

 not, I had 2 swarms on June 24, 



Bert Vi.iger, 



Molina, Ills,, June 37, 1890. 



Poor Season in Wasliinsrton. 



I have lost 8 colonies of bees this winter, 

 and those left have not swarmed yet. They 

 are are two months later this year than 

 last year. Too much rain is the trouble, I 

 think. After 25 years ot work among the 

 bees, I feel somewhat discouraged, but I 

 will not give it up j-et. I am glad the 

 editor reminded me of Rev, L, L. Lang- 

 stroth, I sent him a letter to-day. Wake 

 up, bee-keepers, in this important matter 



JOUS BOERSTLER. 



Vashon, Wash,, June 25, 1890. 



