18 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



feeding most successfully, fed 30 swarms 

 from the 20th of April to the 20th ot June 

 with four and a half litres of milk and 

 f6ur and a half pounds of sugar daily. 



Feeding eggs is managed as follows: 

 The eggs (both yolk and white) are well 

 beaten together, after the tread has been 

 removed. One part of eggs is then added 

 to two parts of cold sugar syrup, made by 

 boiling seven pounds >f sugar in four 

 pounds of water, care being taken to skim 

 the same. Hilbert feeds about six eggs 

 weekly to one swarm, feeding the quan- 

 tity mixed with two eggs ever}' other day. 

 When this or any other stimulating feed- 

 ing has been commenced, it must be con- 

 tinued to the end, that is until the bees 

 are in everyway able to take care of them- 

 selves, as the sudden lack of food would 

 seriously interfere with brood-raising. 

 John P. Bruck. 



Los Angeles, Cal., Dec. 14, 1875. 



^ ■ m 



For the American Bee Journal. 

 Bees in California. 



In the American Bee Journal for 

 September, 1875, I noticed a communica- 

 tion over the signature of "G. F. M;" a 

 few of the false statements of which, I 

 wish to contradict. When I wrote the 

 first letter to the American Bee Journal 

 I made a simple statement oi facts as to 

 the income of bee-keeping. I stated 

 nothing as to the out go, as I had not 

 enquired into the matter at all. I made 

 no pretention to a knowledge of bee- 

 keeping. Neither did I write the letter 

 with any intention of inducing any per- 

 son in the world to come here. In due 

 time after the publication of that letter, I 

 began to receive letters of enquiry as to 

 locations, and chances for bee ranches, 

 cost of hives, lumber, hauling, prices of 

 groceries, flour, etc., etc., all of which I 

 answered correctly. I now wish to show 

 up some of the inconsistencies and con- 

 tradictions of the communication of 

 " J " who received a letter from a " promi- 

 nent Kansas bee-keeper." By way of 

 parenthesis, I will state that G. F. M., is 

 located on one of the prettiest claims in 

 the county of San Diego just six miles 

 from mine aod it is not a " desert " by any 

 means. I am at a loss to understand how 

 a man can state in his letter, that a coun- 

 try is a "desert" and in the same letter 

 state Xhafact that the country is " overrun 

 with swifts, horned-toads, snakes, ground 

 squirrels, gophers, rabbits and quails." 

 Query. What do they live on'! I always 

 supposed that sheej) and cattle had to 

 have grass, etc., to live on, and that thous- 

 ands of sheep and cattle do live here and 

 live fat too. This, G. F. M., cannot with 

 truth deny. 



Now as to some more of " J'a" facts. 

 "Some 500 or 600 miles" etc. It is 

 480 miles by sea from San Francisco to 



San Diego. I have traveled that whole 

 distance overland on horse back on pur- 

 pose to see the countrj\ 50 miles south of 

 San Francisco is San Jose. The plain or 

 valley surrounding which, 20 years ago,, 

 was thought by novices like G. F. M., to 

 be a " desert.'''' Now it can not be bought 

 for less than from $200 to $1,000 per acre,, 

 it now being under a high state of culti- 

 vation and covered with vineyards and 

 orchards and fruits of all kinds; and in 

 the fall of 1868, I saw hundreds of bush- 

 els of apples rotting on the ground, there 

 being no market for them. 80 miles south 

 of San Jose is Gilroy, with a rich farming 

 country surrounding it. 20 miles south 

 of that is IloUister, with the same. Be- 

 tween Gilroy and Hollister lies Soap lake,, 

 out of which flows the Pajaro river, which, 

 " reaches the Ocean " all the year round. 

 30 miles south of Hollister is the valley 

 of the Salinas River which for a portion 

 of the year at least, " reaches the Ocean " 

 in something besides a " dribble," per- 

 haps. (?) "J" knows more about that,, 

 than I do. 



The valley is a rich farming country 

 and not a desert, "J " to the contrary, not- 

 withstanding. Next comes San Louis 

 Obispo, with some more good farming- 

 country, the people of which, would not 

 thank "J " for publishing their county as 

 a '■'■desert.''^ Next comes Santa Barbara,, 

 the same. Then comes Ventura Co., with 

 just as good farming laud as a man need 

 live on. Next comes Los Angeles with 

 her thousands of acres of orange, lemon,, 

 lime, peach, pear, apricot, plum and prune 

 orchards; as fine as any in the world. 

 Also her thousands of acres of vineyards 

 producing vast quantities of grapes, wine,, 

 etc. Not much of a desert. The average 

 corn crop of Los Nietos, Anaheim, Santa 

 Ana, and San Bernardino, is from 80 to 100' 

 bushels per acre. 



When I refer to fruits and harvest fields 

 I don't mean a portion of the State 500 or 

 600 miles north from where I live, but I 

 mean right here in San Diego Co. Yester- 

 day I saw a white turkey fig tree three 

 years old, without a drop of water put on. 

 it since it was set out, and not a thing, 

 done to it in the way of cultivation since 

 the first season. This was frozen to the 

 ground the first winter, and on it I saw 113. 

 figs. 



Men who plant and sow here, and do it 

 when and how it should be done, get just 

 as good returns for their labor as in any 

 of the western States, where they are as 

 far from market as we are here. OoodJ 

 men get just as good wages and as steady 

 employment here as in any country I ever 

 lived nil, and I have lived in Pa., N. Y., 

 Ohio, Ind., Iowa and Missouri; and to- 

 day, I would not trade my little 160 acres 

 for the best farm in either of those States 

 and be compelled to go there and live oa 

 it and work it myself, or hire it worked 



