

^I-^."m"D 



42dYEAR 



CHICAGO, ELL, JULY 17, 1902, 



No. 29. 



^ Editorial Comments, t | 



Bee-Orowers is a term that Editor Root thinks it 

 would be well to use so as to avoid the constant repetition 

 of "bee-keepers." But is the frequent use of the same 

 word objectionable if the thing itself is frequently referred 

 to ? The word "bee " is used with much greater frequency 

 than " bee-keeper." Does our good friend of the Buckeye 

 State object to allowing the word " bee " the monopoly of 

 representing the thing that we speak about so often ? We 

 prefer to be a bee-keeper or honey-producer rather than a 

 " bee-grower." 



The Change in Weather throughout a large scope of 

 country came suddenly, but there was nothing of a compro- 

 mising character in the change. It was from cold to hot, 

 sudden, distinct, unreserved. In the latitude of Chicago 

 the feeding of bees was the order of the day throughout the 

 month of June with those who were wide enough awake to 

 be aware how stores had disappeared. Then just about the 

 same day with the opening of linden came a welcome rise 

 in the thermometer. No matter how much clover was in 

 bloom, the bees got nothing from it during the dreadfully 

 chilly time, and they will be more or less uncertain now 

 whether bees are getting honey from it, and will wait with 

 no little interest to find out after the cessation of linden 

 bloom. Whoever may grumble about the hot weather, bee- 

 keepers will hardly do so. 



Honey Crop Prospects )n California.— A leading bee- 

 keeper of San Diego County sends us the following, taken 

 from the San Diego Weekly Union, dated June 19 : 



SAN DIEGO COUNTY HONKY PROSPECTS. 



The latest estimate of the honey crop in this county by 

 those who make a business of dealing in it, is that there 

 will be about 20 car-loads this season. The average yield is 

 about 7a car-loads, so that there will be a quarter crop this 

 year, if the estimate is correct. It is very difficult, however 

 to forecast just how much honey the bees will gather. This 

 will depend to a considerable extent on the life of the plants 

 and flowers from which the honey is taken. 



Some new honey is already being brought to market 

 but the quantity is very small. One commission man said 

 yesterday that he was not buying new honey, and when 

 asked for the reason, he said there was none to buy Be- 

 tween 4 and 4", cents a pound is being paid for the new 

 honey. The bee-men themselves think that the estimate of 

 20 carloads for this year is a little high. There have been 

 seasons when this county produced more than 100 car-loads 

 The other day Simon Levi shipped 48,000 pounds of last 

 year's crop to eastern points. This honey had been stored 

 since last season. 



JULIAN BBE-MEN ORGANIZE. 



The honey-producers of the Julian section have organ- 

 ized themselves into a local association for their mutual 



protection, and for the purpose of marketing their honey in 

 car-load lots. F. A. DeLuca was appointed sales agent 

 and John Stevens honey inspector, to grade the honey and 

 assist in making the sales. 



The motion was carried that all honey-producers of 

 Julian and vicinity not present at the meeting, who wish to 

 avail themselves, through this agency, of selling their 

 honey by car-load lots, where it is not convenient to deliver 

 their honey in Julian, they can deliver it at Foster or Lake- 

 side, but must have their honey inspected or graded and 

 bring their receipt from railroad agent and deposit the same 

 with the agent at Julian. 



ORANGE COUNTY'S CROP. 



Orange County's honey crop for the current season 

 promises to be particularly small, says the Santa Ana 

 Blade, and instead of 20 car-loads, as was the aggregate 

 output last year, the figures for this season are put by well- 

 known and reliable authorities at not more than one-fifth 

 of that amount. For the promise of the beginning of the 

 season has not been fulfilled, and instead of having "honey 

 to burn," or to sell, many bee-men are already buyine 

 sugar to feed their bees, and many more are undecided 

 whether to incur the extra expense of feeding the colonies 

 over the season in the hope of more favorable conditions 

 another year, or to let them take the chances. 



J. N. Smith, probably one of the best informed men in 

 Orange County on the subject, says he has made a careful 

 canvass of the county in the interest of the honey-business 

 and from information obtained from reliable sources he 

 fee s confident that not more than four cars of new honey 

 will be available for shipment the present season, and he 

 further says he will not be surprised if the yield for last 

 season is 16 or 17 cars less, or reduced to figures more easily 

 understood, is a shortage of between 200 and 250 tons from 

 last season's output. For from 12 to IS tons is considered a 

 car-load, and thus the weight is roughly arrived at. 



The leading bee-keeper referred to when introducing 

 the above quotation, has this to say in a private letter to 

 us, under date of June 26 : 



Editor American Bee Journal— 



l,=f'?'''"rr'-"-";?"'''°^^'^ P'^^*'' ^'"^ ^ clipping from the 

 last San Diego Union, about the honey crop this year. The 

 estimate of 20 cars for this (San Diego) county is, in my 

 judgment, very high. . , u ^^ 



Julian, the place where they expect some honey is on 

 the extreme summh of the highest mountain range in the 

 county, and some ,5 miles back from the coast. Up there 

 they have few bees and fewer honey-plants, and as they s-et 



rLT.u^\°»' '^^^ J"' ^°^' ^' '* '^ '°^«^ down toward fhe 

 coast, that flowers do not necessarily produce honey I have 

 just returned from up that way, and although I saw thou- 

 sands of acres of our best honey-plant-the wild buckwheat 

 —white with bloom, the bees did not touch it. 

 *>,» ^^.^^i^"^ •=*• °"\ honey-plants are now at their best, but 

 they yield very httle-so that scarcely any are extracting 

 and they are doing it, feeling that their bees will ,^ot gft 

 enough later to carry them over. ^ 



I looked through about 500 colonies 40 miles back from 

 the coast, this week-where they are surrounded by million^ 

 of flowers-and found only about one- fourth of them wi?h 

 enough honey to justify extracting. 



• ^ get reports from all over Southern California like 

 mine. The north half of the State never has cut any Lure 

 in honey. In considering the crop from this State you 



from ln?-''"'^^''^^'^^°''°'^ '^ ^ /-«^ State-as long'^as 

 from Louisiana to Chicago, or Savannah to Maine--and 



