THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



237 



As this valley carries about 18,000 

 head of cattle, including' a large dairy 

 interest, the alfalfa is mowed before it 

 yields much hone}', or else kept down 

 bj' the dairy herds. The mesquite is 

 frequently cut short by a week of 

 windy weather while in bloom. Our 

 valley is, therefore, heavily overstocked 

 with bees. 



Alfalfa is the most regular honey 

 plant of the arid West, although it 

 does not produce honey from the first 

 crop in the spring-, nor late in the fall, 

 nor in damp climates, so I am told. 

 In the arid West, if allowed to bloom 

 during- the hot weather, and, especially 

 if left for a seed-crop, it yields, abund- 

 antly, a good quantity of amber honey. 

 Mesquite ;ind cat-claw, native brush 

 in the arid West, yield a very light 

 colored and mild flavored honey far 

 superior to the alfalfa honey for table 

 use. 



It pays to plant willow and other 

 honey producing trees along- the 

 ditches, fences and road side. 



THE NECKSSITY FOR SHADE IN THE ARID 

 WEST. 



I set my hives close together, in 

 straight rows, on a border of dirt a few 

 inches high, and facing-out, with room to 

 pass between with a wheelbarrow. It 

 is very important that the row should 

 extend east and west, as all hives must 

 be shaded in summer to keep the combs 

 from melting. As the sun is low in the 

 horizon during the winter season it 

 will shine under a brush shed, keep- 

 ing the bees warm; while the sun pass- 

 ing over head in summer will be shut 

 off by the shed. 



I make m}' sheds entirel}' of posts, 

 fence wire and brush, leaving room 

 under one end for extracting. 



I find it much the cheapest to select 

 second-class lumber at $35 a thousand; 

 get our planing mill to rip it the 

 proper width, then g-ive the job of 

 making the hives to a cheap carpenter. 

 Family and farm hands make the 



frames. We also make our own 

 foundation, putting full sheets in loose- 

 hanging-, wired frames. 



My supers and brood-chambers are 

 interchangable, and so are the tops and 

 bottoms. The front end of the hives is 

 }i of an inch narrower to give a bee 

 space. The entrance to the super is 

 stopped up for winter. The family, or 

 farm-help, also paint the hives, tack- 

 ing tin over any knot liable to drop 

 out. 



As the bees are flying- all winter, 

 they probably consume more honey 

 than bees in the Northern States. 

 They are left with their supers on, sit- 

 ting upon their summer stands. 



I run my thirteen apiaries all for ex- 

 tracted honey, putting it up in 60-pound 

 cans. If conditions are favorable for 

 a big- honey flow earl3% I commence 

 feeding to stimulate breeding-, and 

 spread the brood as fast as the bees 

 can cover it. As soon as there are 

 signs of swarming-, I take brood from 

 them for increase; also practice 

 "shook-swarming" to some extent. 



If a strong- swarm is made, and 

 allowed to raise a queen, the first one 

 that hatches is almost sure to come out 

 with a swarm, which I avoid by 

 dividing; giving each a cag-ed cell be- 

 fore the 14th day from the time the 

 swarm was made. In this way I hold 

 back and keep down natural swarming 

 until the honey flow starts in earnest, 

 when the bees are ready to give up 

 swarming and devote their attention to 

 storing honey. 



Before this we visit the apiaries fre- 

 quently, going on horse back, with 

 bicycles, buggy or spring wagon. 



I use a four-frame Cowan extractor, 

 hauling- it, tog-etiier with camping out- 

 fit, from shed to shed. A f^irm-hand 

 follows up to haul home the honey. In 

 case the bees bother, I set up a tent to 

 extract under. A honey-house screened 

 in on a wagon would be better. I hire 

 one or two hands at $30 per month, and 

 Mexicans at a dollar a day. M3' three 



