106 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



If you are an " old bee-keeper," bee- 

 keeping will no doubt pay you well here, 

 and if you want to raise fruit, you can, on 

 suitable land and with the necessary water 

 for irrigation, add this branch to your re- 

 sources. It is customary here to take bees 

 "on shares," giving half the increase and 

 half the products to the owner, the same 

 receiving back the original stock at the end 

 of the term, and both parties sharing the 

 expenses equally. Few bee-keepers hire 

 any assistants except in the height of the 

 season, and the wages range from tifteen to 

 forty dollars and board. From OxiC to two 

 hundred hives may be kept in one place, 

 according to the size and quality of the 

 range. Clarke's and Harbison's apiaries 

 are in San Diego County, south of here, and 

 about one hundred miles distant. Harbi- 

 son has formerly resided at Sacramento, 

 but I see by the American Bee Journal 

 that he has removed his bees south. 



We move the bees from twenty to thirty 

 miles when moved as above mentioned. 



I believe, now, that I have answered all 

 your questions. Any further information 

 shall l3e cheerfully given, as far as I am 

 able. You are at liberty to publish this in 

 the American Bee Journal if you think it 

 will interest any body else. My address is 

 at present, Los Angeles. Care of Henry 

 Beckley, Esq. Respectfully, 



Wm. Mutu-Rasmussen. 



Los Nietos, Feb. 24, 1874. 



Forthe American Bee Journal. 



A New Smoker. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Wintering Bees. 



Could 1 have ordered the weather the 

 past winter I could not have been suited 

 better. Our losses had been sevei-e the 

 two preceding ones, causing much anxiety. 

 The past winter will throw much light on 

 many points that have been suggested as 

 the cause of loss. We have had warm 

 spells frequently, which seems to be addi- 

 tional proof that steady cold was at the 

 bottom of the trouble. 



That dysentery is not caused by the 

 quality of the honey is strongly proved by 

 there being none of it when they have been 

 kept sufficiently warm. I know a lot of 

 bees that have been kept in the cellar since 

 the tenth of November, where the mercury 

 has not been below forty-two degrees nor 

 above fifty degrees during the time. Never 

 in better condition — combs bright and 

 clean. I hope that whoever has kept strict 

 account of tlie temperature will report con- 

 dition of their bees, whether disquieted 

 from any cause, and how much. We shall, 

 after a while, get the proper temperature, 

 so that we can winter bees as safely and 

 surely as cattle or horses. 



I have much more to say on this subject 

 some day. M. Quinby. 



Mr. Editor. — Seeing so many contrivan- 

 ces for smoking bees, I will send you direc 

 tions for making a smoker that I have used 

 and like very much. Take a piece of paper 

 eight inches by twelve, and with corn silk 

 make a solid roll of about one inch thick ; 

 paste down the edge of the paper and you 

 will have a smoker that you can depend on.- 

 You can blow the smoke where you want 

 it ; it leaves no bad efl'ect on the bees. 



A great many bees have been lost here 

 this winter, I think it was because they were 

 all old bees. C. W. Stokes. 



Atchison, Kan. 



For the American Bee JouraaL 



Which is Best? 



We keep bees for the honey and wax 

 they secure us. Aside from these objects, 

 we should no more think of keeping them 

 than of keeping hornets and wasps. As 

 honey is the principal object, the number of 

 colonies kept, and the character of our hive* 

 and honey receptacles, should be formed 

 and regulated with reference to that object. 

 They, in the number of their colonies and 

 hives, may be so regulated as to give a very 

 handsome return at a very trifling expense, 

 or so as to require considerable expense, a 

 great deal of care and perplexity, and their 

 product be very trifling and unsatisfactory.. 



In the opinion of many, success in bee- 

 keeping depends upon luck and chance. 

 Care and skill, with intelligence, will be 

 likely to secure good luck or success. The 

 careless and inattentive will fail, there is UO' 

 chance in this matter. If the number of 

 colonies in a field exceed the capacity of 

 the field, some of them must perish. If 

 the capacity is greatly exceeded by the 

 number of colonies, probably all of them 

 will perish. The number of colonies will 

 be increased by swarms in the swarming 

 season something in proportion to the size 

 of the hives. Very small hives will proba- 

 bly give most swarms. Very large hives 

 will probably not swarm at all. If standing 

 in the hot sun, the size of the hives does^ 

 not secure against swarming. Eft'ectively 

 shaded from the sun, a hive of one thousand 

 cubic inches, or more, will not be likely to 

 swarm ; a hive of two thousand cubic 

 inches, or less, will be likely to cast from 

 one to four swarms. The operation of these 

 hives will be, the small ones will average 

 two or three swarms each. The providing 

 for three or four colonies for winter will 

 leave little room for surj^lus. 



If we commenced with one, at three 

 swarms from each hive, the first season 

 there will be four, the second season six- 

 teen, the third season sixty-four, the fourth 



