1892 



(i LEANINGS IN HEE CULTURE. 



8sr. 



oi-s liavc jxissilily rdriioiicii wluit it is liko, and 

 soiiu' of «>iir iK'w (tncs would Iil\o to sec it loo, we 

 pivst'iit tlic cntriaviiii; aiiaiii from p. 50. .Ian. l.'i, 

 WM. A dcsi'iiptioii will iianlly hr ncci'ssary. 



BOAKDMAN S SOI.AR WAX-EXTRACTOK. 



We might mention tlial the curved runners not 

 only make the machine portaWe, but permit of 

 its being tilted at any angle to the sun. 



We should like to hear from othei's who have 

 had experience with the solar wax-extractor, 

 and particularly as to how to get every particle 

 of wax out of the refuse and the cocoons. This 

 matter is not so valuable to the foundation- 

 maker as it is to those who render out their old 

 combs for the wax which they send to the man- 

 ufacturer.] 



BASSWOOD AND ITS PROPAGATION. 



WIIV ITS SEEDS DC) NOT GROW. 



A few years after coming to this country, 

 from the old continent. I sowed seeds of bass- 

 wood in order to get plants and trees, when of 

 suitable size, for my near neighbors, to be plant- 

 ed on the roads along their farms. Most of the 

 roads in France are lined with trees such as 

 basswood, elms, walnuts, ashes, etc.; besides, 

 there is. in the city where I was educated, a 

 promenade about two miles long, with four 

 rows of lindens, of which the trunks are three 

 feet in diameter or more. About (10 years ago I 

 asked my grandfather how old those trec^s were, 

 adding that, probably, lie had seen them plant- 

 ed. He answered. ■• When I was of your age 

 they seemed about as large as they are now." 

 So these basswoods were planted several hun- 

 dred years ago. 



The remembrance of the Vjeautiful foliage, 

 delicious perfume, and agreeable shade of these 

 rows of trees, together with the prospect of in- 

 creasing the honey harvest, had induced me to 

 make the expense of raising these lindens; but 

 not one seed in one hundred germinated. As I 

 had sown them in s[)ritig. I tliought that the 

 seeds were too dry. and <<> the next summer I 

 sowed seeds just gatheicd. Those did not suc- 

 ceed any better than the lirst ones. Then the 

 following summer I broke some seeds to find, if 

 possible, the cau>^e of my failure. X(»ar'ly every 

 one was eaten inside by worms. .\b(jiit two 

 years ago Mr. KM. I'.ertrand. editor of the 

 Revue Iiiterndtioiuilc. wrote me that one of his 

 friends desired to get a few pounds of .Amf^rican 

 basswood seeds to raise trees, and distribute 

 them among his neighbors. I sent iiiiri a few 

 hundred seeds only, to show the conditions 



which prevented the American l)asswood from 

 growing from seeds. As these seeds are eaten 

 by small in.sects. it would proobably be possible 

 to kill them before laying, or to jirevenl them 

 from laying by spinying i.undon piirpli' or otiiei' 

 iiisecliciiies on the treses just after their bloom- 

 ing. 



1 hope that Mr. L. C. Clark, or some other 

 bee-keeper, will try this spraying, and report in 

 Oleaninos the results obtained. 



CuAs. Dadant. 



Hamilton, 111., Nov. 21. IS'Xl. 



RAMBLE NO. 73. 



advice about emigrating to CALIFORNIA; 

 QUESTIONS ANSWERED. 



Since I came to this beautiful southland, the 

 laud of sunshine and flowers, and the home of 

 the fragrant rose, where the rich green leaves 

 of the orange and the lemon never wither, and 

 their blossoms (ill the air with fragrance, the 

 hive with honey, and the fruit gives health to 

 the body and inspiration to the soul: and es- 

 pecially since A. 1. Root and I have written 

 about California bee-keeping. I have not been 

 flooded with letters of inquiry, but have receiv- 

 ed as many as three in one day, and usually 

 two or three a week, which shows that there is 

 something of an interest in relation to this 

 Stati! as a country in which to gain a livelihood, 

 and perhaps wealth in this world's goods and a 

 hope for future bliss. 



This ramble, then, is written for the purpose 

 of answering a multitude of past, present, and 

 future questions: and all of these persons, 

 either young or old. who have a desire to emi- 

 grate to California will please read this Ramble 

 ten times, feel their pulse, and say, if they can. 

 '■• No temjo nwhi" (nothing is the matter with 

 me, as the Spanish say). 



In the tirst place, California consistsof a large 

 area of land and not a great deal of visible 

 water. Much of the land hangs up edgewise, 

 and well up toward the heavens. There is, 

 however, enough rich level and rolling land 

 and charming valleys to support an immense 

 population. Water is iiiade visible by tapping 

 the mountains and valleys, and the effect is 

 magical, for the baiTen desert is made to blos- 

 som with vegetable life. As to climate, there 

 is no country in the world where; one can select 

 just what suits him as well as in California. 

 If you delight in a temperature of 11.5° in the 

 shade, many of the interior towns will fill the 

 bill during the summer months. If you prefer 

 arctic breaths, climb the mountains into the 

 regions of perpetual snow. In fact, any grade 

 of temperature can be selected, and that is the 

 boast of California. 



The State is bounded on the west by the 

 Pacific Ocean. I mention this, because many 

 seem to forget it: and when they get here they 

 sit down upon the shore and shed tears over the 

 overwhelming fact that this is the end of west- 

 ward emigration. In a great many instances, 

 instead of taking a rational view of the situa- 

 tion, they turn around and b(>rate all California. 



California is called the Colden .State, and it 

 deserves the name. There; have been rich dis- 

 coveries of the precious metals, and sudden for- 

 tunes have been made: but remeunber that, 

 alongside the lucky man. there have been a 

 thousand who have toiled all their lives, and 

 tlien died poor. Remember that even the man 

 who first discovered gold, and picked it up by 

 the handfuls, died a poor man; therefore, my 

 friend, don't let the alluring idea get into your 

 head, as it does into many, that vou can pick 



