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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.. 



that ripens at the time of the year that 

 God intended it should. This is the fruit 

 that has all the good qualities that com- 

 mend it to the lover of delicious fruits. 

 And yet, with the claims of Florida 

 staring us in the face, California is the 

 first State in the Union to get early fruit 

 to the Eastern markets, withal Florida 

 is "only 48 hours from Chicago or St. 

 Louis." A " week's travel " does not 

 prevent our fruit from getting to the 

 Eastern markets ahead of that of the 

 South, and I am glad to know that the 

 people of this country, who can afford 

 to pay the high rate of transportation 

 the railroads exact, find that a week's 

 travel does not prevent them from com- 

 ing to California where they can enjoy 

 the grandest climate in the world. 



California is diversified in everything ; 

 her climate is of different qualities. All 

 you have to do " is to pay your money 

 and take your choice." You may live in 

 some charming valley in a home where 

 contentment reigns within, and where 

 roses and other flowers are blooming in 

 profusion without ; and in half an hour 

 you may be in a region where the per- 

 petual snows abound. This is no fanci- 

 ful sketch — it is true, and not of only 

 one place, but of many in the State. 



Where is Florida alongside of the 

 Golden Stale when it comes to grand 

 mountain scenery ? Where is it with its 

 wonderful mineral springs and geysers ? 

 Where are its beautiful sunsets ? Yea, 

 there are too many grand things that we 

 have and you have not. Dr. Oren, that 

 I cannot name them further, as I have 

 already taken up too much space in 

 these columns. Just leave your sand- 

 hills, death-dealing swamps, noxious in- 

 sects, etc., and come out here to this 

 God-blessed land, and live in luxurious 

 happiness. 



North Temescal, Calif. 



Bee-Notes liy llie WaysUe. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 



BY E. S. LOVESY. 



When I came over the Rockies on my 

 trip to Chicago and the great Fair, last 

 fall, I saw very much to admire. I found 

 a highly civilized people. I saw a peo- 

 ple that were far advanced in the arts, 

 sciences, and manufactures, and when I 

 walked through those great buildings 

 and saw the great and grand achieve- 

 ments that had been accomplished for 

 the use and pleasure of mankind, I 

 asked myself the questions, Do our peo- 



ple appreciate this things ? If not, why 

 not ? For we saw there exhibited almost 

 everything that the people could con- 

 ceive of or desire for their use and 

 benefit ; yet there seemed to me to be 

 one thing which appeared to be a lack 

 of, for the benefit of our bee-keeping 

 friends in some parts of the country, 

 namely, a lack of honey-producing 

 plants. As far as I could discover, the- 

 indications for honey in and through the- 

 Rocky Mountains were better than it 

 was immediately east of them. 



While I may be more or less in error, 

 and at the same time there may be 

 much better indications for honey than, 

 a person could observe in riding through 

 the country on the cars, still I think, 

 from the best observation that I could 

 get as to the lack of honey-producing 

 plants through portions of Nebraska 

 and Kansas, I think it was sufficient so- 

 that I no longer wonder why it is that 

 we ship honey to those places and other ' 

 points east. I received an order from 

 Nebraska for honey on Dec. 7, 1893. 



I have received many letters from bee- 

 keepers in the East, complaining of the 

 poor honey-flow, and asking for the in- 

 dications here. One gentleman in Kan- 

 sas wrote me that in his locality they 

 had not had a good honey-flow in five 

 years. Now supposing this to be cor- 

 rect, what is the cause of it ? Cannot 

 honey-producing plants be sown and 

 grown, where Nature does not produce 

 them in sufficient quantities ? 



Let us note some conditions: The 

 most of our honey-producing plants here 

 are propagated. There were very few 

 here when the country was first settled, 

 but now we have a moderate supply, 

 and they are increasing every year. 

 Through the loss of so many of our bees 

 here last winter in some localities, less 

 than one-third of the honey crop was 

 gathered. When I started on my trip I 

 traveled through lucerfte fields — much of 

 it was still in bloom. While in some 

 seasons the bees gather much fine honey 

 from this plant, yet much of it was cut 

 for hay as soon as it comes into bloom ; 

 but when the lucerne is in full bloom, 

 or when it is left for a seed crop, the 

 bees have a much better chance. 



I also saw what is called here the 

 " Rocky Mountain honey-plant." It is- 

 also known as "stink-weed." This is a 

 vigorous plant, growing from 2 to 6 feet, 

 according to soil and location. Some 

 seasons this plant produces an abun- 

 dance of fine honey ; but the best of all 

 our wild honey-producing plants, is the 

 sweet clover. The bees usually work on 

 this plant from midsummer until the 



