826 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 1. 



out a fine jar of honey that Bro. Mendleson 

 had given us with his blessing, when we left 

 him; and as spoonful after spoonful disappear- 

 ed alternately at each end of our table, said I, 

 in heartfelt tones, " May the shadow of Mendle- 

 son never grow less." "^me7i.'" said Bro. 

 Wilder, in a loud and heartfelter tone. 



After leaving El Capitan our drive was some- 

 what monotonous; our surroundings and the 

 hills had a dry and parched aspect, while, on 

 the other hand, the ocean appeared exceeding- 

 ly wet. To wed these two extremes, and to 

 make the land bloom (poetical license) with 

 milk and honey, was a problem we studied upon 

 for many miles. 



" Why," said I, " Wilder, just think what a 

 revolution that would make on all this coast — 

 pump the water of the Pacific Ocean away 

 back into the dry interior, and irrigate." 



the moisture of the ocean slightly interrupted. 

 At Gainotta Landing, which is also on the 

 edge of the ocean, we turned an abrupt angle, 

 and left the ocean behind us. We here ap- 

 proach the mountains, and find our way into 

 the interior through the Gainotta Pass. Some' 

 time ago nature must have rent the mountains 

 in twain here, for the pass is narrow, and im- 

 mense masses of rock overhang the road in 

 many places. Much could be written about 

 this pass and its earlier history, but I can only 

 mention that Fremont had an experience here 

 with the Mexicans, but came out the victor. 



The next obstacle in our way was the Santa 

 Ynez (pronounced Nez here, or Een-yaith by 

 Spaniards) Mountains, over which we climbed 

 easily, crossed the Santa Ynez River, which is 

 one of those bottom-up rivers — no water in 

 sight; passed the old Santa Ynez Mission, in- 



MK. IIILTO.N I'LMriXG WATEll, AND lUKlG ATINU SUUAi; UKKTS. 



As I cast my eye as far as I could cast it in 

 the distance, and could see no end to the water, 

 "Why," said I, again, "we could irrigate all 

 California ten feet deep, and it wouldn't take 

 half the water in sight." 



" Yes," says Wilder, " that's so; but what are 

 you going to do with the salt? " 



"Eliminate her," says I. That's the great 

 problem. We did not have the necessary appa- 

 ratus to make an exhaustive study of the mat- 

 ter, so we leave the problem with the bee- 

 keeping public. There's "millions in it." 

 Wilder and I have the tide-pumping engines 

 all completed— in our eyes. All we want now 

 to make the Golden State more golden is the 

 eliminator. 



There, now, I will get down to terra-cotta 

 again, and go on with the original theme which 



terviewed its ruined walls with the cameia, 

 and then passed into the great barley and stock 

 country. The dry weather, however, had 

 pinched the stock out into other fields, and tlie 

 barley was a light crop except in a few favored 

 localities. It was so short in Los Olivos that 

 we could get none for our ponies, and for the 

 first time on our journey they had short rations 

 for their noonday meal. There is no bee-keep- 

 ing here over a wide stretch of country. Cattle- 

 ranches prevail, containing ten to fifteen thou- 

 sand acres each. These large land-holdings 

 are considered a detriment to the country. 

 The owners will not sell into small holdings, 

 and the chance for the increase of population 

 is small. Disintegration comes, however, in 

 many cases, when the original owner dies 

 and leaves a dissipated son or family to man- 



