894 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



8«7 



frames, etc.— not that we wish to emigrate to 

 that favored paradise for the bee-keeper, but 

 that we like to know what has been and can be 

 done under the most favorable circumstances 

 in the best season, in tlie most favored locality. 

 It may be well to mention that Mr. Pender, 

 •of Australia, who attended the World's Fair, 

 reported at the North American, which he at- 

 tended, some very large yields. In the light of 

 these the report above may not seem so impos- 

 sible of attainment after all, especially when 

 we remember that, in some places in Australia, 

 honey comes in the year round.— Ed.] 



RAMBLE 120. 



IN THE ZAf A MOUNTAINS. 



Till Rdinbln: 



If I were to divide the people of Los Alamos 

 off into squads I would put one-fourth down as 

 Americans, Dutch, etc.; one-fourth .Spaniards, 

 and one- half babies. It may seem remarkable 

 that so many babies should be there to make up 



over their heads, and then he would laugh and 

 shout, " More babies I " A further look on my 

 part in the opposite direction would reveal an- 

 other squad and more babies. It is needless to 

 say, that my dreams for several nights were of 

 red mouths, fists, and feet, all in juxtaposition. 

 I could see no sense in Wilder's spatting his 

 hands, and laughing about it, when it was such 

 downright sober business. It was, therefore, a 

 downright relief when Brother Hilton (may his 

 shadow never grow less) proposed that we spend 

 a day or two prospecting the honey capabilities 

 of the Zaca Mountains. Mr. H. aroused our im- 

 aginations, and visions of elysian fields of hon- 

 ey-flora floated through our minds; and one 

 morning, soon after the 4th of .July, our ponies 

 were attached to Mr. Hilton's wagon, and, with 

 our camp-e(iuipage, guns, etc., we set forth. 

 Our party consisted of Mr. Hilton and his sev- 

 en-year-old daughter Frances; Mr. Wilder, and 

 myself. The three peaks of the Zaca Moun- 



ZACA LAKK. 



the population ; but when a big .Spaniard and 

 his wife present themselves and point with 

 pride to their family of 24 children, and some of 

 these older children married and emulating the 

 example of their parents, the problem is not re- 

 markable. When it became generally known 

 that a photographic ontlit was located near our 

 friend the blacksmith we were besieged with 

 much work, and enlivened with the squalls 

 and wry faces of Spanish babies, some black 

 and some white, and some of a mongrel hue. 

 While the Rambler, with tired and befuddled 

 brain, would try to focus the camera on one of 

 the aforesaid urchins, of less than a week's 

 growth, WMlder would catch a glimpse of anoth- 

 er squad of dark-skinned women with towels 



tains loomed up against the sky in the blue dis- 

 tance, about twenty miles ahead of us. During 

 our journey Mr. H. amused himself by pointing 

 out the various things of interest on the way, 

 and we discoursed fraternally in relation to bee 

 culture and its delights. All along the route, 

 whenever we passed through oak-groves we 

 found the busy bees at work amid their branch- 

 es in great numbers. We were curious to find 

 out what they could find in oak-trees at that 

 time of the year, and proceeded, as a committee 

 of the whole, to investigate. Our examination 

 revealed the source of honey. The little acorns 

 that were just forming had been stung or punc- 

 tured by some kind of insect, an egg deposited, 

 a little worm hatched, and a sweet juice exud- 



