AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



45 



them about the fruits and vegetables. 

 Grapes grow and fruit the heaviest here 

 of any place I ever saw ; some bunches 

 of ripe grapes weighing 2K pounds, and 

 very rich in flavor, and they always 

 fruit — no failures. 



Oranges do well here, but have to be 

 irrigated during the dry seasons. I 

 drove by any orchard yesterday that 

 was loaded with ripe oranges, and I tell 

 you it was a pretty sight. 



Bananas do only moderately well, but 

 I do not believe the people here under- 

 stand their culture. There is hardly 

 ever any ice here thicker than a knife- 

 blade, but I see the people wrap up and 

 protect the banana-trees. 



Pears do excellently, and young trees 

 grow into bearing very quickly, com- 

 pared to some countries. Blackberries, 

 strawberries, raspberries, dewberries, 

 currants, and all small fruits do well 

 here. Peaches do well if the varieties 

 are chosen that are acclimated to this 

 latitude. Apples only bear sparingly — 

 It is too warm for them, and the trees 

 do not live long. The whole country 

 here is covered or strewn with wild cur- 

 rants, and they bear every year, and are 

 very fine. Jennie Atchley. 



Hints that May be Valuable. 



If you wish nice yellow beeswax every- 

 time, do not use any iron vessel in ren- 

 dering it. Use tin, brass or copper, as 

 iron will make it dark. 



Don't rest too long, as you may lose 

 considerable, and the '"Stitch in time 

 saves nine" adage holds good in bee- 

 keeping, surely. Have you got your 

 sections, frames, and the supplies all 

 ready for next season '? If not, you had 

 better see about it, as no bee-keeper in 

 the world can reap a full harvest, and 

 be behind with his supers, hives, frames, 

 etc. It is always best to be ready, 

 whether the harvest comes or not. But 

 should it come, and find the tub bottom 

 up, but little is caught. 



It is not best to ask too many ques- 

 tions when you start out in apiculture. 

 Remember that one idea learned your- 

 self, is worth more than if two were 

 told you. 



Remember that you may read agricul- 

 tural papers for years, and without any 

 practice you are no farmer. It is the 

 same with bees. It is right and proper 

 to learu all you can from others, but to 

 be real successful you must learn some 

 yourself. Jennie Atchley. 



Many Vegetables and Few Neighbors. 



If a person doesn't have all the veg- 

 etables he can use, it is his own fault, 

 as they can be raised at any time of the 

 year here. I notice cabbages just be- 

 ginning to head-up now, and tomatoes 

 are plentiful, as the vines seldom are 

 killed by frost. Cabbages grow best in 

 winter, and, to make this short, I will 

 say that people are making garden all 

 the time — while some are harvesting, 

 others are planting. I planted peas, 

 lettuce, radishes and cabbages to-day 

 (Dec. 14th). I have only been here 

 three months, and have raised one crop, 

 and we do not have the time to devote 

 to our garden that it needs, to make a 

 real success of it, still we can, with very 

 little trouble, have all the vegetables we 

 need. 



Sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, onions, 

 carrots, artichokes, and celery are all 

 paying crops here. Every known va- 

 riety of melons do well. There are 

 plenty of ripe water-melons now, and 1 

 see new vines coming up. 



Now, all of this may seem flattering, 

 but it is true, nevertheless. But this is 

 a new country, out from the towns, and 

 thinly settled. Willie and Charlie say 

 they traveled nearly all one day — about 

 20 miles — without seeing a house, and 

 it was a public highway, too, or what we 

 call a " county road •," so you see there 

 is room here for you. But you must be 

 content to live without a near neighbor, 

 for awhile, at least. 



Jennie Atchley. 



Grading of Honey. 



I have lately been looking over some 

 old bee-papers, and find that the grad- 

 ing of honey has occupied considerable 

 space, with but little accomplished, as I 

 look at it. Now. it is a very easy mat- 

 ter for us bee-keepers to school our- 

 selves, also easy to school the dealers, 

 but schooling the puiilic is a different 

 thing altogether, and I yet believe that 

 the simple figure plan is the best, such 

 as No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, etc. For 

 to get the consumers to know what 

 grade of honey they are buying, the 

 grade should be on each section, the 

 producer saying something like this : If 

 you wish honey like this, buy my No. 

 1 or No. 2, as the case may be. John 

 Smith, producer, Chicago, Ills. 



Every producer should mark his 

 honey in plain figures, and then the 

 public will soon know how to buy honey, 



