768 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 15. 



honey, and seems to have no appearance of the 

 blues. 



This retreat abounds in small game. Both 

 rabbits and quail can be shot from the door of 

 his cabin. As our friend is an expert cook in 

 all of its departments, quail or rabbit on toast 

 Is served in the most epicurean style, and the 

 California flap-jack act can be performed to 

 perfection. 



he has the reputation of securing the largest 

 yields of any bee-keeper in the vicinity. This 

 very poor season his yield from G.5 colonies is 

 only iJOOO lbs. Three years ago he had a good 

 season, and his 7.5 colonies gave him 33,000 lbs., 

 or an average of 440 to the swarm. Mr. P. be- 

 lieves in a liberal use of foundation, and combs 

 that get clogged with bee-bread are taken out 

 and replaced with it. He believes in using a 

 three-story hive, and wants a queen that will 

 keep 10 frames filled with brood. His ranch 

 and orange grove, however, encroach so much 

 upon his time that he think* of disposing of his 

 bees in a year or two; but. speaking reflectively, 

 he said if we have another season like this 

 . California will lose its reputation as a large 

 honey-producer. 



Mr. Samuel Ferguson, who was with us on 

 Grayback. owns the next ranch and apiary, 

 and, like Mr. "Wilder and the Rambler, he is a 

 lone '• bach." He has a cosy cabin enbowered 

 under eucalyptus and pepper trees. Water is 

 developed in the canyon above, and a reservoir 

 is nearly completed to collect water to irrigate 

 the ranch. The apiary numbers 21.5 colonies. 

 The hives are in two double rows. A track is 

 laid Ijetween the rows, and a car is used to run 

 the combs to the extractor. The hives are cov- 

 ered with a framework for shading them in 

 hot weather. The shades were not in place 

 this season, owing to the short yield of only 

 11,000 lbs. jNIr. Ferguson seems to have every 

 thing ready for a bird in his cage, but the birds 

 around the cabin seem to be mostly quail. 



A little apiary, owned by a consumptive, and 

 another of seven hives, complete the circuit of 

 the mountain, and we find on the seven square 

 miles 1287 colonies in 14 apiaries, counting both 

 great and small. The total amount of honey 

 sold was7G..500 lbs.; and although the bees were 

 on the seven square miles embraced in the 

 mountains, their field of operations was on 

 valleys ten miles wide. The sources of nectar 

 were sage. orang<\ wild buckwheat, hoarhound, 

 sunflower, and wild flowers in profusion. Ex- 

 cepting the temperature, which was up to 100°. 

 I had a veiy pleasant journey, and some thrill- 

 ing experiences which will next be duly record- 

 ed bv the Rambi-er. 



5in. WII.DEK 



PERFORMING THE 

 FEAP-.JACK ACT. 



CAI,IFOKMA 



Mr. W. is a skillful taxidermist, and samples 

 of his handiwork are visible in the shape of 

 rare specimens of California birds. The only 

 missing links in the chain of his enjoyment 

 are a helpmeet and a generous patch of water- 

 melons. : 



Messrs. Helmer A: Pratt have a flourishing 

 bakery at Riverside. The Pratt portion of the 

 firm devotes a part of his time to the cultiva- 

 tion of the busy bee. Near another spring that 

 seeps out of the mountain is this apiary: 43 

 colonies in the spring increased up to 98: and 

 4000 lbs. of honey, secured as tiie product of this 

 apiary, is sold to a great extent in the bakery. 

 Both comb and extracted honey are produced. 

 Speaking of selling honey in this way, Mr. 

 Pratt said they sold for a little better price: 

 but as it came in littles and went in the same 

 way, they didn't feel the profits so much as 

 when sold in a lumi), and they could handle a 

 roll of bills or a bag of gold. This season mi- 

 gratory bee-keeping has been practiced by 

 them. The bees have tieen removed to the 

 river bottoms with good results. A few colo- 

 nies kept in the city put in some fine orange- 

 blossom honey, some of which we hope will 

 find its way to the World's Fair. 



The nearest apiary to Riverside, on this 

 range, is owned by Mr. Parks. His hives are 

 among great rocks just above his ranch, and 



COVERS TO DOVETAILED HIVES. 



INTRODrrlNG 



HOW THE 



STING. 



CJUEEN USES HER 



The cover of Dovetailed hives of your make 

 is not good enough, for it catches the rain and 

 moisture, and will lead it right into the hives. 

 If the top were made exactly like the liottom it 

 would be an improvement. I for my part 

 would have it just two inches wider, and have 

 end and side strips to run down about one or 

 two inches over the body of the hive. I had 

 extra gable-end covers made for all hives, and 

 thus have a better shade in summer and a dry 

 home for bees during winter and spring. 



Some time ago you stated the different views 

 of bee-keepers on the so-called r.aking of bees 

 as a sign of swarming, etc. It means a thun- 

 derstorm and nothing else. 



Queens do sting, if they find chances in their 

 favor. During last year I experimented in the 

 following manner: One queen was left with a 

 number of her own bees in a Benton cage sev- 

 eral days. Then I removed the bees and gave 

 one bee from a strange colony. It instantly at- 

 tacked the queen, but was very quickly killed 

 liy her. One queen killed as many as six bees. 

 A virgin queen also fought for life. Put in 

 many bees and the queen will not fight at all. 

 These experiments are in accordance with the 



