July, 1907. 



American IBee Journal 



597 



tioiis tlie same year wIutc abuiulaiil 

 crops may h; had. To mciitioii all these 

 things in detail will lake up more space 

 than is at my disposal in this depart- 

 ment. This year abundant rains fell 

 tliroughont the length and breadth of 

 California, yet there will be a shortage 

 of crops in some portions. Some kinds 

 of fruits are a failure tliis season; so is 

 the honey crop in other portions. The 

 flowers were never in greater profusion, 

 yet the nectar was "wasted on the des- 

 ert air," as it were. Cold were the 

 nights, and too oft the days were damp 

 and dreary. The consequence was that 

 the bees remained in the hives, or when 

 they ventured out in such weather, they 

 often perished froin the cold. This was 

 more the case in the lower coast coun- 

 ties than it was in the mid-ocean coun- 

 ties along the coast. 



Inland the weather was more propi- 

 tious. Here, near the Bay of San Fran- 

 cisco, the weather was not what we 

 hoped for. Whole weeks at a time would 

 be cool of nights and rather foggy up 

 to 10 o'clock in the forenoon. Strange 

 to say, during this cool spell, which has 

 extended over 8 or lo weeks, nearly ev- 

 ery Sunday was a beautiful day — days 

 well named. These Sundays were 

 swarming-days as well as days for 

 abundant honey-gatherings. The pos- 

 sessor of an apiary wished that every 

 day was Sunday, not that he would be 

 any more devout, but that his honey 

 crop would be larger and his bank ac- 

 count be more swelled thereby. 



From up the rivers I learn that there 

 is little complaint. New honey has ar- 

 rived in the San Francisco market in 

 limited amounts and has sold for good 

 prices — in some instances for 20 cents 

 per pound. And the quality of the honey 

 has been excellent. I have not tested 

 such lucious honey since I was a boy. 

 In those days our bees seemed to obtain 

 nectar that reininded me of having been 

 gathered from the flowers of sweet alys- 

 s um. so luscious w'as the flavor and so 

 richly perfumed the odor. Early in 

 April, this year, some of this choice 

 honey found its way into the hives; the 

 partaking of it carried me back to my 

 boyhood days when we had American 

 hives with honey-boxes above. But I 

 must write the season a failure as far 

 as I am concerned. Instead of three 

 extractings per hive, I won't be able to 

 make a single one from each of all the 

 colonies — unless the unforseen happens. 



Cheap Hives 



What is there about a bee-hive that it 

 should cost from $2.25 to $2.75? I have 

 seen a single hive of rather ordinary 

 make listed at the latter price. By the 

 quantity-, they come at a somewhat re- 

 duced price ; but, nevertheless, they come 

 high. I can go to a mill and get the 

 top, bottom and sides for say 50 cents ; 

 division-board, 5 cents ; a complete su- 

 per, including holders, sections and 

 foundation starters, shoidd not cost 75 

 cents. The rest of the hive I would 

 have of Eastern make, costing say, 25 

 cents, for the brood- frames ; 2 cents for 

 metal rabbets, making, the total cost of a 

 hive made of good, sound lumber, (whole 

 pieces being used for cover, bottoms, 



etc.), $I.7.S; and, 1 believe, one can get 

 such a hive .is is needed in a commer- 

 cial apiary for less than $i..SO. It is not 

 necessary to have the lumber dressed on 

 both sides; in fact, the Imnber st.ands 

 wear ;md tear better when it is rough 

 on the outside. I would have a hive 

 always smooth inside. The rough out- 

 side should l)c given a coat of metallic 

 or lead and ochre paint. 



The Slaughter of the Drones 



Tree Clover or White Broom 



There .ne a number of varieties of 

 this plant. It may be called a "tree- 

 clover," hence the Greek name — Citisus. 

 Bailey's Horticultural Rncycloprcdia says 

 there are some 45 species in Southern 



The drone-killing days are here — 

 I Ik- s.iddest of the year. 



There, now, that will do; no more 

 tcar-provoking gush, especially over 

 such lazy gentry as the toiling workcr- 

 becs are now banishing pell-mell from 

 their homes. "The drones must go, for 

 the bees say so," might be a good battle- 

 cry in beedom. And it would be put in 

 practice just as sure as fate. It reminds 

 me of the slogan of the Kcarneyites of 

 San Fr.incisco in 1877 — "The Chinese 

 must go, for Kearney says so." 



There is a time in the aflfairs of bees, 

 which when — there again the poetic fan- 

 cy o'ertakes me. I'ut I can not help 



WHITE BROOM. 

 Citisus proUferutcs albus, of Canary lahs. 



and Middle Europe, Canary Islands, 

 Northern Africa, and Western Asia. 

 Like most of the pea-shaped flowers, 

 the}' are rich in honey. I have C. pro- 

 lifcnis albas, or white broom, growing 

 on our place. It thrives wonderfully 

 well in California. It was introduced, 

 I believe, by the University of Califor- 

 nia. It blooms in February, March and 

 April, and is a favorite with the bees. 

 It blooms in a year or two from seed, 

 grows rapidly, but does not attain to 

 much of a height, not over 20 feet, I 

 believe. Owing to its being an ever- 

 green and valuable as a fodder-plant for 

 cattle, it is on« of the best plants for 

 l)ee-pasturage in California. I think it 

 will do well in the Southern States as 

 well as California. Seed may be ob- 

 tained free by applying to the Agricul- 

 tural Department of the University of 

 California, Berkeley, Calif. The photo- 

 graph here shown was made from flow- 

 ers grown on our place. 



reflecting on the late of the poor drones ! 

 They are worse than the proverbial dog. 

 You may talk as you may, but it is not 

 every dog that has his day — that is, a 

 day for an ill-fate. But 'tis ever so with 

 the drone. The husky fellow that wings 

 his amorous flight to a successful con- 

 quest pays the penalty for his mid-air 

 pleasure — he is soon "a dead one," and 

 falls to the earth a useless nothingness. 

 Then, the fellows of the hive who have 

 tasted no other pleasure than plain 

 honey from the combs, have to be justled 

 and hustled, and kic'Ked from pillar to 

 post, as it were, and turned out of 

 house and home to die — unhonored and 

 unwept. All because there's nothing for 

 them to do. What a fate! Nothing to 

 do! There was something for them to 

 do : it might have been a crowning 

 pleasure for one drone in a thousand. 

 But now the time is past ; the flowers 

 are gone ; the harvest garnered ; there 

 are no more queens to rear — so out 



