G12 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



check, and less than the usual amount 

 of stores be used. 



Supposing that my guess of 200 

 inches is correct (and it may be very 

 wide of the mark), it does not follow 

 that 200 inches would ever be necessary, 

 and I do not think it would. If, for ex- 

 ample, fruit bloom is yielding well, there 

 may be more gathered every day from 

 that source than is used in brood-rear- 

 ing. On the other hand, if nothing is 

 yielding, less brood will be reared, and 

 less than the 200 inches will be re- 

 quired. 



Whatever may be the true answer to 

 the question, I am not so sure that it 

 would be so very useful to know it, for 

 I believe it is best at all times to have 

 quite a margin ahead, and I believe in 

 having in the hive ajt all times a good 

 deal more honey than you are sure they 

 need.— G. C. Millek. 



Mr. Enas aiil California Bee-Keeprs. 



W. A. PRYAL. 



California bee-keepers of a few years 

 ago knew Mr. J. D. Enas quite well 

 through his writings to several of the 

 bee-papers, and the press of that State. 

 He lived on a mountain ranch some four 

 or five miles out of Napa City, in a re- 

 gion where grapes and other fruits grew 

 to perfection. It was while growing 

 fruits and farm and garden truck that 

 he discovered that bees did well in the 

 hills of Napa county. 



He increased his few colonies to many, 

 and in time had a respectable apiary, 

 that is, from a northern California point 

 of view, for it must be remembered that 

 the central and upper portions of the 

 State are not noted for producing bees 

 or hontiy to any great extent. His honey 

 was of a very excellent quality, and as 

 he put it on the market in the most gilt- 

 edged form, it sold readily at a fair 

 price. 



Through Mr. Enas' writings he began 

 to rciceive requests for hives and other 

 supplies. He was not in the hive busi- 

 ness, not having the machinery to make 

 them. Still he set to work to build up 

 an apiarian supply trade. Tlu^, business 

 expanded until at the time of his death, 

 four years ago, it was fairly large, and 

 gave promise of being tlie largc^st in the 

 State. He luid purcliased liive and sec- 

 tion inaicing nuicliinery, ail to be ()pe,r- 

 atc.d by steam [lOWf^-. So iniijortant had 

 his bi'.e and sui)ply busiiuiss becouu'. that 

 the farm and garden were m^glcctod ; 



in fact, It paid to let them go to look 

 after the former. 



When he died, he left all this ma- 

 chinery, and a large stock of extractors, 

 foundation mills, smokers, and other 

 implements. The supply business could 

 not be kept up, for there was no one to 

 attend to it, except his wife and daugh- 

 ters. They were unable to do so, and 

 consequently the supplies were left un- 

 sold, and the machinery unused. The 

 ranch was attended by hired help, and 

 sustained the family. 



But a sadder blow yet remained for 

 this family. The children's cup of sor- 

 row was not yet emptied to its dregs. 

 This loss came to them last November, 

 when the mother — the widow of the bee- 

 keeper who did so much for the Califor- 

 nian apiarian supply business, died! 

 She left five children, nearly all girls. 

 This stroke of Grim Death was the sig- 

 nal, as it were, for the family to break 

 up. The home of the Enases — the home 

 of the honey-bee, and contentment in 

 the Napa hills— was to be left, perhaps 

 for ever. 



Most of the children went to live with 

 their uncle in San Francisco, and some 

 with a married sister in Oakland. The 

 ranch was rented out, pending the set- 

 tlement of the estate. 



Some 9 or 10 years ago it was my 

 pleasure to make Mr. Enas' acquaint- 

 ance in Oakland, while he was on a visit 

 to that city. I found him a pleasant 

 and intelligent New England gentleman, 

 and I should judge that he was then 

 about 55 years of age. I had never met 

 any member of his family until the pres- 

 ent week. It was but a few days pre- 

 vious to that event that I was apprised 

 of the death of Mrs. Enas. From the 

 daughter, I then nu't, I learned that 

 there was a large quantity of supplies, 

 all in good condition — in fact, nearly all 

 new, which, she as administratrix of the 

 estate of her mother, wished to sell at 

 considerable sacrifice. 



I write this unbeknown to the young 

 lady mentioned, in truth, unknown to 

 any of the family, and I wish to suggest 

 to the bee-keepers of this coast, that 

 here is a case; whore they have an ex- 

 cellent opportunity of showing that fra- 

 ternal spirit v/liich exists in the breast 

 of all true bee-keepers, especially among 

 Californians, who are particularly kind- 

 hearted. Here is a chance of helping 

 these unfortunate children, and in a 

 way that will not smack of charity. 



There nuiy be articles among the; bee- 

 supplies wliicli you n(M'd, and you will 

 be doing well to write and find out what 



