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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 15. 



feeder, and a hole in the cover to the portico 

 allows the feeder to be filled, and outside bees 

 can not molest. 



The apiaries of this firm make a fine appear- 

 ance, as will be noticed by the photo. There is 

 one convenience in a dry climate: If the few 

 weeds are cut after the rainy 

 season, there will be but little 

 more hoeing necessary for 

 many months, and the apiary 

 has a clean appearance. 



The extractors used are all 

 of the old California style, 

 with a four -frame basket. 



some of which are hung in a large wooden tub. 

 The highest number of colonies owned by these 

 gentlemen has been about 1500. The past 

 three bad seasons have reduced the number to 

 about 1200. If increase is desired, however, a 

 good season would boom ilie colonies to an 

 astonishing extent. As an experiment, Mr. H. 

 increased 18 colonies to 100. and secured f200 

 worth of honey; but that was a boom season. 



" Headquarters " is a fine brick 



building, and the entire first floor 



is filled with hives, supers, and all 

 the paraphernalia of a bee- busi- 

 ness. Hives and foundation are 

 made here. In dipping wax sheets, 

 Mr. Hunt uses a gang of four dip- 

 ping-boards, making 8 sheets at 

 every dip. In the line of putting 

 together sections and putting in 

 foundation. Mrs. Hunt and Arthur, 

 the 12-year-old boy, are very ex- 

 pert. 



Bees propolize so much around 

 the ends of the top- bars of brood- 

 frames in this climate that Mr. 

 Hunt makes his hives large enough 

 to give a bee-space around the end 

 of the top - bar; and to insure 

 against the frames moving end- 

 wise, another shoulder is cut on 

 the end of the frame, to fit the 

 metal rabbet, and the frame is 

 held secure. Mi\ H. would like to 

 try the Hofl'man frame here, but 

 would want the top-bars made on 

 the above plan. 



As before stated, the apiaries 

 are located back in the foothills. 

 These hills are cut up by many ravines, 

 or gulches— or, as the Spaniards say, nrroyns. 

 The ridges between are veritable hogbacks, 

 and some of them, upon which a trait leads, 

 are not adapted to safe riding, especially if 

 the horses are subject to shying. Mr. Hunt 

 rattled the Rambler over one of these hogbacks 



at the imminent peril of his plug hat and um- 

 brella. Mr. Hunt is something of a genius; 

 and, though his mind has never become inflam- 

 ed with the gold-mine fever, he expects to strike 

 it rich upon something in the mechanical or 

 speculative line. During the honey season the 

 energies have been running at 

 high pressure; and when the slack 

 time comes they must find some- 

 thing to feed upon. At present 

 Mr. H. is working up a grand 

 scheme to supply the world with 

 " Herba Santa" cigarettes. Herba 

 santa, or " blessed herb." grows 

 luxuriantly in this climate; and, 

 besides being a honey shrub, it 

 has ever been known as a me- 

 dicinal herb of great importance, 

 a-< the name signifies. The leaf is 

 uf the lanceolate order, and is 

 covered with a glutinous substance 

 that gives the leaf a high polish. 

 When eaten they have a highly 

 aromatic taste; the leaves work 

 readily into cigarettes; and, be- 

 sides their medicinal qualities, Mr. 

 Hunt has made the above discov- 

 ery; and while th(< Rambler has 

 about as much faith in the medici- 

 nal qualities of the smoke as he 

 had in the divining instrument, 

 still "Herba Santa" cigarettes 

 wraitped in harmless paper would 

 certainly be an improvement over 

 the death-dealing tobacco cigar- 

 ette; and with this end in view, 

 Mr. Hunt regards the scheme as 

 highly philanthropic. The Herba Santa facto- 

 ry is not started, however, and the scheme is 

 not brewing so strong as it did a few months 

 ago. 



I suppose the senior editor, when in Califor- 

 nia, noticeii, in the windows of curiosity stores, 

 great numbers of horned toads, taxidemiized 

 and mounted upon cai'dboard, and looking as 

 natural as life. Mr. Hunt and the Rambler 



have hunted horned toads; and, as they are 

 easily hunted, captured, and prepared, we have 

 a scheme for putting several carloads on sale at 

 the World's Fair, at 50 cts. each. There is a 

 bonanza greater than a gold-mine in it. Plunt- 

 ing them among the cactus bushes might fray 

 out our pants a little; but consider the bags of 



