IMPORTATION OF 1858-9. 43 



"good hives remaining from the previous year, we 

 increased to four hundred and twenty-two (422) colo- 

 nies, including the sixty-eight old ones ; three hund- 

 red of them filled standard hives, and the remainder 

 averaged half full. 



The increase was all made on the artificial princi- 

 ple (as laid down in this work) . Not a single natural 

 swarm issued from any hive during the whole season. 

 I also formed a large number of colonies, for different 

 parties in Sacramento and vicinity, which were at- 

 tended with like success. 



During the time between the 1st of October, 1858, 

 and April 1st, 1859, there were shipped from New 

 York for California, over one thousand hives of bees, 

 not' over two hundred of which survived on the 1st of 

 May of the latter year. 



All but three of the parties engaged in shipping 

 them lost money by the operation, many of them 

 being unacquainted with the business. 



Of the modes of importing bees to California, the 

 most novel was that of Mr. J. Gridley, who brought 

 four swarms across the Plains from Michigan, placed 

 in the rear end of a spring wagon. He arrived in 

 Sacramento on the 3d of August, 1859, with them, 

 in good condition. His plan was to feed them, and 

 in addition, stop occasionally in the afternoon and 

 allow the bees to fly out and work till dark, when they 

 were closed up, to resume their journey early on the 

 following morning. This was repeated from time to 

 time, as they required their liberty. 



