718 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 15. 



letters and papers always gives new interest 

 and new life. I was in the midst of my writing 

 — in fact, right in the middle of a letter — when 

 Mr. Wilder, who went away so calmly, came 

 up at a tearing rate, with only Keno, on a light 

 wagon. We had resolved to make a short sea- 

 voyage out to the islands if we had the oppor- 

 tunity. Wilder had just learned that a tishing- 

 smack would start in just half an hour. It 

 took me about a minute to focus my mind from 

 letters to sea-voyages, and then we tumbled 

 things into the wagon and were off; but disap- 

 pointment awaited us. The smack took the 

 first favorable breeze, and left befo/e the half- 

 hour was up. While sadly contemplating the 

 vicissitudes of this life from the door of the 

 blacksmith's shop, where our camping-outfit 

 was scattered pellmell around us, whom should 

 I see but Mr. Mendelson driving by on his cart! 

 The recognition was mutual. He reined his 



ttSsJ_ 





'p. 









'• THE ship's gone, SUIiE ! " 



Steed up short, sympathized with us about the 

 sail to the islands, and wound up by saying 

 that, if we would stay over, he would go with 

 us when we could get the boat. We went out 

 to Mendelson's bee-ranch, and camped in his 

 door-yard. 



We found that Mr. Mercer was also at home, 

 and he also seemed willing to go to the islands. 

 Then Mr. Crampton, his neighbor, and also a 

 bee-keeper, thought he would also like to go; 

 so upon the whole we stopped regretting our 

 first disappointment, and were glad that the 

 change happened: for now we should have 

 several happy bee-keepers with ns. The fisher- 

 men would not be back for at least two days, 

 and meanwhile Mr. Mercer and wife and sons, 

 Mr. Mendelson and wife and daughter, Mr. 

 Crampton, wife, and daughter, and the Ram- 



bler, spent a very pleasant day in the Ojai Val- 

 ley. Mr. Crampton owns an apiary up one of 

 the canyons, which ordinarily yields good prof- 

 its. The valley is devoted largely to fruit, and 

 of excellent quality. We were pleased to meet 

 Mr. Richardson, of Santa Paula, who was busy 

 erecting a large and elegant mansion for some 

 eastern capitalist who evidently thought the 

 Ojai Valley, with its surrounding mountains, a 

 very paradise in which to escape from the rigors 

 of the eastern winters. 



We were on hand early the next morning for 

 the boat; but it did not arrive, and we returned 

 to Mr. Mendelson's. Mr. M. is making im- 

 provements on his ranch, and, having in con- 

 templation the erection of a new building, Mr. 

 Wilder and I offered to help. The Rambler, 

 with square and scratch-awl, laid out the archi- 

 tectural plan. The building was three feet six 

 inches long, three feet three inches wide, and 



six and a half feet front eleva- 



__, tion. We all hammered, sawed, 



'I and talked, at a great rate. 



l'^ There was a large knot-hole in 



iji, I ; one of the boards. Said I, '"Mr. 



M., shall I nail a piece of tin 



over this? "' 



"Oh, no!" said he: "leave 

 that for ventilation." 



The board at the gable end 

 lacked an inch or two. " How 

 is this, Mr. M.'? Shall I put a 

 piece biasing over that?" 



"Oh, no! let it go for ventila- 

 tion." 



Our boards for the door lacked 

 about six inches at the bottom. 



"Shall I put a thin board over 

 that?" said L 



"Oh. no! let it go for ventila- 

 tion." 



These little short cuts for ven- 

 tilation shortened our work ma- 

 terially; and before sunset the 

 building was completed, and is 

 an ornament to the grounds. 



Mr. M. is a lover of the rose, of which he has 

 70 varieties in his apiary. I have no doubt the 

 new building will be hidden under one of those 

 climbing varieties, excepting, perhaps, those 

 places left for ventilation. 



It will be remembered that a description of 

 Mr. M.'s apiary, and a half-tone of himself, 

 appeared in Gi^eaninos. page 4G2. 1802. Mr. M. 

 lived for several years in California, a more or 

 less happy bachelor; but last winter a diflFerent 

 spirit entered his dreams, and his friends were 

 suddenly surprised to hear tl)at he was married. 

 He seems to live just as happily as before, and 

 his house shows that deft hands are there to 

 make things more homelike. Mrs. M. came 

 from Denver, and this is the first of her life on 

 a California bee-ranch; and, considering the 



