462 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 15. 



spreads over a trellis fully 40 feet square. The 

 product is also in proportion to its size. 



If Ventura has not tlie largest vine, it boasts 

 of the largest rose-tree in the United States. 

 The body is a foot in diameter, and the estimat- 

 ed number of roses on it at one time is 10,000. 

 California is eminently the land of the rose. 

 The climbing varieties will cover a cottage; 

 and what an enchanting sight when the blos- 

 soms burst forth in all their regal beauty I 



Mr. M.'s apiary is over a mile from the high- 

 way, and, instead of being amid rocky canyons, 

 it seemed like going into somebody's extensive 

 back pasture, and the idea was emphasized 

 when we encountered a large herd of cattle. 

 While passing several larg<^ oak-trees Mr. M. 

 pointed out here and there decoy hives he had 

 distributed, with which he had caught twenty- 

 three swarms. 



M. II. JIENDELSOX, VENTUKA, CAL. 



Another object of interest was an asphaltum- 

 mine, wliere quantities of the pure material are 

 obtained by tunneling into the side of the 

 mountain. Tar-springs are also not far away, 

 but tlu^y have not yet become noted as a sum- 

 mer resort or for bathing purposes. 



Upon arriving at the apiary a glance was 

 sufficient to show that tlie owner was a careful, 

 methodical man, and had ]earn(>d his trade 

 well: for, next to Mr. Mclnlyre's apiary, it was 

 in all appointments the best-regiihitcd apiary 

 I had seen. The fine plioto I present to you 

 shows, as very few photos do or can, owing to 

 the impossibility of getting a good point of 

 view, every detail of a model California apiary. 



This apiary contains 400 swarms in L. hives, 

 and is worked for extracted honey. The first 

 building at the right is a little workroom well 

 supplied with tools. The next little building is 

 the extracting-room. Tlie cart in front has 

 room for a large load of hives, which are passed 

 to the operator inside. A long galvanized-iron 

 pipe, two Indies in diameter, conducts the 

 honey to the strong wooden ripening-tank, 

 which has storage capacity for eight tons of 



honey, and generally aflPords sufficient storage 

 until it ripens enough to draw into cans, whicli 

 are piled at the end of the tank, when it can be 

 filled again. But knowing the possibilities of 

 the country for honey, and wishing to have his 

 dish right side up, Mr. M. has put in an emer- 

 gency tank at the corner of the extracting- 

 room. This is made of galvanized iron, and 

 will accommodate enough drops of honey lo 

 weigh over ten tons. The entire storage capaci- 

 ty in the two tanks and various other utensils 

 is about 37 tons. Two sun wax extractors take 

 care of all the cappings and odds and ends of 

 wax. Mr. M. is seen manipulating a hive near 

 the small wax-extractor. Root's bee-tent oc- 

 cupies a prominent position, and received an 

 unqualified indorsement from the proprietor. 

 The large pile of empty hives neatly painted 

 are also ready for an emergency. As to the 

 nice long ladder, I don't know what he uses it 

 for, unless it is to get into the manhole in the 

 top of his emergency tank. If not used for 

 honey, the tank is not idle; water is caught 

 from the buildings during the rainy season, and 

 stored for irrigating and drinking purposes. 

 The Rambler drank water that had been in it 

 (jver nine months, still it was sweet, refreshing, 

 and cool. 



A few grapevines, also quite a variety of rose- 

 Inishes, are set out. In the latter line Mr. M. 

 is something of an enthusiast. Around the 

 wooden tank is a valuable nursery of orange 

 seedlings. While looking out for the profits, he 

 finds pleasure in the things of beauty. 



For storage tanks, galvanized iron is used 

 almost exclusively in California; and if there 

 are any deleterious efJects on honey stored in 

 them, California bee-keepers should have found 

 it out before this time. I think the recent 

 advice of our English friends and the^4?/ier/e(rji 

 Dec Jdurnal will scarcely be listened to. 



Although Mr. M. is a careful breeder of his 

 stock, much of it is bred, I believe, from Hed- 

 don"s strain. The bees were inclined to follow 

 us around, and veils were resorted to. Not a 

 few California bee-keepers claim that bees here 

 are more vindictive than in the East. Mr. 

 Mclntyre's large apiary is near a public high- 

 way where there is much heavy teaming to and 

 from stone-quarries and oil-wells, but his bcn^s 

 seldom molest passing men or horses. Mr. 

 .Meiidelson, on the contrary, was compelled to 

 move an apiary from near a public road. Peo- 

 ple driving in light vehicles learned to get by 

 on the run, while teamsters with loads put bur- 

 lap sacks over their heads. One teamster 

 thought himself thus duly protected; but a 

 small unobserved hole in th<^ sack, in front of 



V// 



now MENDELSON S BEES GET THEIJE. 



his nose, was too much of an inducement to an 

 angry bee, and, to the man's surprise and con- 

 sternation, this important organ was punctur- 



