658 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Skpt. 1. 



Such a can cut off three or four inches up will 

 make a very good wash-basin. Cut it length- 

 wise the same distance up froiu the side, and it 

 makes a good dish-pan. In fact, tin cans and 

 wire can be found anywhere in California, and 

 are utilized for many purposes. Take out the 

 top and bottom of old rusted cans, and cut the 

 tin in twain; and if you have enough of them 

 they will make a covering to a cabin. In Cali- 

 fornia, canned goods enter largely into the liv- 

 ing of not only lone bee-men but the dwellers 

 in towns; and a grocery is largely filled with 

 canned goods. Roast beef, chicken, fish, baked 



plenty of small game; and a short walk with a 

 shot-gun brings down a rabbit, pigeon, or quail, 

 to grace his table. 



Work in a California apiary is much easier 

 than in an apiary of the same size in the East. 

 There is no preparation for winter, such as chaff 

 packing and carrying into the cellar. The only 

 preparation is to see that they have honey suffi- 

 cient to last through, and a large stone on the 

 cover. That bee-keepers ai'e careless to leave 

 insufficient stores is evident from the number 

 of bees that have starved this season. They 

 become so accustomed to the good seasons that 



RAMBI.EK'S culinary DEPAKTMICNT. 



beans, condensed milk, and all kinds of fruits, 

 are on the market in great quantities; therefore 

 whether he lives on canned goods and the ba- 



OPEKATING THE CULINARY DEPARTMENT. 



kery, or on his own cooking, the lone Californi- 

 an lives well. His ranch being located in the 

 canyons, or remote from dwellings, there is a 



a poor season is the one they run a risk on. and 

 get left. During the poor season just past, tlie 

 Rambler considers himself providentially for- 

 tunate in having a location that produced hon- 

 ey. From 173 swarms, spring count, I increased 

 to 200. and secured 5H tons of honey, which 

 sold for G cts. per lb., which was fully as well as 

 an apiary would average in the East, while the 

 possibilities were great. In the manipulation 

 of the bees I made the queen-excluder and bee- 

 escape something of a factor. My method of 

 management was, to first get the colonies 

 strong. When the honey- flow commt^nced I 

 put on the queen-excluders; when the super 

 was full it was raised up; an empty super with 

 empty combs put under it, and a Porter bee- 

 <'scape board placed between. This was done 

 near evening. In the morning, before five 

 o'clock (if rattlesnakes do not interftu'e), com- 

 mence taking off the supers. In taking them 

 off I found that queen-excluders and bee-escapes 

 were not perfect in their operation. I found the 

 queen would g<^t above the excluder in about 

 every fifth hive at the commencement of the 

 season, and but few above at the close. Where 

 the queen was above, of course the escape was 

 useless. The escape was also not effective 

 where a large number of young bees were 

 above. Sometimes two or three center frames 



