GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Ape. 15. 



gums and one red gum (the tops of two of the 

 former are shown in one of the scenes in the 

 cut) that are probably over 150 ft. tall. One of 

 these trees has a diameter a little over 3 ft. As 

 these trees will grow much taller for some 

 time, they are beginning to fil' out in girth. 

 They are nearly 25 years old. 



The flowers begin to open on the sunny side 

 of the tree, beginning usually on the branches 

 nearest the earth, and gradually extending 

 upward and about the tree. The whole of a 

 tree is never in bloom at one time; neither are 

 all the trees of the same variety in a period of 

 florescence at the same time. 



The flowers of the blue gum are about 2 

 inches in diameter; those of the red gum, about 

 K inch; but they are much more numerous, 

 and are borne in clusters of twos and threes. 

 These flowers are rich in nectar. A gum-tree 

 in bloom is a veritable paradise for bees. They 

 just swarm amid the flowers. 



Generally speaking, the chief a'm of the bee- 

 lieeper is to sell his honey at the highest price 

 possible. To do this his honey must approach 

 nearly a water "whiteness." Yet there are 

 times when honey is of more value to the api- 

 arist than when it is of the character mention- 

 ed. This is true in a great measure of eucalyp- 

 tus honey. The honey is, so far as I have been 

 able to learn from experience, dark, and, when 

 well ripened, thick. Its taste is aromatic and 

 slightly unpleasant, partaking of the tannic 

 and resinous properties of the fluid secretions 

 of the body of the tree. This honey is said to 

 possess medicinal virtues. 



The value of this honey to the apiarist lies in 

 the fact that it is produced at a time when his 

 bees are generally sorely in need of winter or 

 early spring stores. One of the greatest causes 

 of loss of bees in this State is the open winters, 

 during which time bees consume much honey, 

 and have little or no chance of gathering any, 

 owing to the want of a supply of native or other 

 flowers at that season of the year. The euca- 

 lyptus is the only tree that flowers in California 

 during this period, except the bay, or laurel, 

 which is more of a pollen-producer, as it is not 

 known to yield honey. For this reason the 

 family of eucalypti is a boon to the California 

 apiarist. 



I do not believe that the honey will ever 

 prove of any merchantable value to the hon^y- 

 producer unless it is discovered to have some 

 special medicinal properties. But as a means 

 of keeping weak colonies from starving, espe- 

 cially where the owner does not feed his bees, 

 and for promoting early brood-rearing, so that 

 the colonies will be in strong condition when 

 the harvest of light-colored honey is ready for 

 the bees, the eucalyptus is of inestimable value. 



Where the bees have been able, by being close 

 to a gum-tree grove, to gather a surplus, it may 

 become necessary to extract this honey iu the 



latter part of April, otherwise the bees may, as 

 I have known them to do, carry this honey 

 from the brood-chamber up into the supers. 



I would advise bee-keepers in all parts of the 

 State, where it is not too cold, to set out all the 

 young trees of this great honey- producer tney 

 possibly can. Besides being valuable to them 

 for the nectar it will afford their bees, they will 

 find it valuable for shade, windbreaks, posts, 

 fuel, and other purposes that will suggest 

 themselves. 



North Temescal, Cal., March 25. 



HOW I SOLD HONEY. 



SOME OF THE DISAGREEABLE FEATURES OF 



THE BUSINESS; A VERY INTERESTING 



ARTICLE. 



By Alice Harding Grossman. 



We had a large crop of honey on hand, and I 

 felt sure we could sell a quantity at the house 

 if people only knew we had it for sale. 



I persuaded my husband to put up a sign, so 

 he nailed up a large board on the gate-post, 

 " Pure Honey for Sale, 10 cts. per lb." I was in 

 ecstasy. Now I felt sure we should sell honey. 



We lived on a main road not far from the 

 city. I waited patiently for some one to buy 

 honey. "It will take a little while to adver- 

 tise." I surmised. It was delightful to imagine 

 money coming in for honey. 



My husband was away during the day, so I 

 felt I had the business to myself. One morning, 

 when I had the busiest day before me, and 

 things seemed to pull backward any way that 

 particular morning, my baby was sick and my 

 head ached. But I was trying to hurry, when 

 I heard a knock at the front door. I opened it, 

 and there stood a little boy. 



" Got honey to sell ? " he asked. 



"Yes, we have honey." 



" Well, I want a dime's worth, but ain't got 

 nothin' to put it in. I want to hunt bees." I 

 hunted a can and gave him the honey. This 

 took quite a while. When I returned to the 

 kitchen I started with new energy at my work, 

 when knock ! knock !— some one else. I open- 

 ed the door. This time it was a young man in 

 hunting costume. He took off his hat and said, 

 "I should like to get some honey." 



He wanted thirty cents' worth to take on his 

 trip. A few moments was taken in directing 

 him. Then I went back to the kitchen. "Oh!" 

 I thought, "I wish people would not come un- 

 til I get my work done." I left the dishes, and 

 prepared to churn, for the butter must not be 

 neglected. I was just taking the butter from 

 the churn, when there came a continued rap- 

 ping at the door. I hastened to open it. An 

 old man glared at me a moment, then said, " I 

 see you have honey for sale." 



"Yes, sir." 



"Ten cents a pound ? " 



