1893 



GLEANINGS IN HEE CULTURE. 



321 



abiiniiaiu'iMtf lioncy-prodiioinp i)l;ints jKHMiliar 

 to it Tlif scinlilaiu'i' of a loail follows tlic 

 wasli. MOW ill it or on tiic risiht <>r tlu' left. Tlic 

 sides of tli(> iiioiiiitain soon draw closer, and rise 

 in many places so ste(>p and rocky tliat even 

 vegetation recoils from tliedi/.zy lieijilits. The 

 further we penetrati*. the more ohstrnctions we 

 meet in the form of stones and a scrnhhy growtii 

 of bushes, and we iiave to scramble ami wrijifil<' 

 our way aloiis. At lenijtli we reach an old 

 deserted lime-kiln, and halt. We mijilit pursue 

 our course up the canyon for several miles, or 

 until the summit of the i-anjre is n»ached. These 

 uppei' raiiii*'^ ;^i"e unoccupied l)ee-pasturas(>, 

 and will be for a long time, as a road can not l)e 

 maintained in the canyon without great ex- 

 pense, on account of the annual wash-outs it 

 receives. Opposit^^ the lime-kiln, in the per- 



here, but it was als^i jjreserved liy the lime and 

 other ingredients held in solution in the water, 

 w hicli ill a short lime conifiletely line tlu; pipe 

 with a rocklike sulistance. 



When we emerged from the Hagadorn we en- 

 tered another smaller canyon and found the 

 apiary of Mr. I)e Tee. The owner lives in a 

 very romantic place in the mountains, and is 

 surrounded by all of the comforts of life. The 

 apiary I must, however. say was in a dilapidat- 

 ed condition. The hives were unpainted and 

 full of cracks, and were leaning at various 

 angles, their entrances showing unmistakable 

 signs that skunks were doing their share toward 

 running things. The honey-house was a rough 

 shed with the door awry, and roof-boards off. 

 The general wreck and ruin of the place was 

 probably owing to the fact that the apiary was 



THK RAMBLER DREAMS. 



pendicular face of the rocky mountain-side, 

 was a genuine California bee-cave with a small 

 entrance, and of unknown depth. The bees 

 were streaming out and in as though there were 

 immen.se numbers within their safe abode. 



About every two hundred yards the main 

 canyon was entered by side canyons of greater 

 or less depth and length. The whole mountain 

 was thus cut up into ranges and pi'aks, and the 

 multiplied surfaces covered with sage and other 

 honey-producing plants. There is no timber 

 on these mountains except a few scraggy live- 

 oaks, and thus the honey-plants have free 

 range. The water company's pipes for obtain- 

 ing water are laid far into the canyon, and I 

 was surprised to find one of them nothing but 

 common stovepipe. In our eastern climate 

 such a pipe for conveying water would soon 

 rust out. The pipe itself would last a long time 



in charge of a helper who runs things on the 

 rare-and-tear principle. When the extractor 

 didn't give down properly, it was kicked all 

 over the apiary. The hives were probably not 

 kicked around much, but the little oak-trees 

 looked as though thr>y had been subjected to a 

 hard time. Still, this apiary produces honey, 

 and any quantity of absconding swarms. 



Having seen aH of the bees in the vicinity, 

 we next turned our attention to locating a min- 

 ing claim. Various kinds of minerals crop out 

 of these mountains; and Mr. Bon foey, seeing 

 unmistakable signs of something having the 

 possibility of millions in it, proceeded to lay 

 claim to it. He tirst stated in writing his 

 claim in full, adding his signature, to which 

 also was appended the Rambler's name as 

 witness. This document was then inclosed in 

 a tight tin can. We then built a monument in 



