1898 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



581 



bee-keeper must know his work, or he'll often 

 find one end of his hive minus a queen. I in- 

 variably work those long combination hives — 

 seen in front of the sun-dial in picture — as 

 twin hives. Being compelled to economize 

 space, I never disturb two single stocks in or- 

 der to establish them in a Wells hive; but for 

 working up small slocks (nuclei of the previ- 

 ous season with young queens) I find the sys- 

 tem works well, and the result satisfactory. 

 My dunmiies always become blocked with 

 propolis, but I don't trouble, having little fear 

 of the btes disagreeing if both lots are allowed 

 access to super at the same time when honey 

 is coming in. 



"I never have many swarms; but in order 

 to have young queens I usually get my cells 

 from the few stocks that do swarm, and find 

 this a convenient way of getting the necessary 



" I have, of course, my favorite hive (my 

 own invention, you maybe sure); the bees, 

 perhaps, are not so conscious of its many 

 'points.' Anyway, the result doesn't show it 

 off much more favorably than it does some of 

 the other patterns." — British Bee Journal. 



THE ORANGE-TREE. 



BY J. H. MARTIN. 



The fruit-bloom in Southern California is 

 quite a factor in the production of honey; but 

 the most of it from the peach and the apricot, 

 and many other fruit-trees, goes to brood- 

 rearing. It matters not how many peach- 

 orchards surround an apiary, we never hear 

 of peach-blossom honey upon the markets; 



APIARY OF C. ATKINSON. — FROM BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 



young queens, and I think queens raised in 

 this way compare favorably with those bred 

 on advanced and approved lines. I don't like 

 pure foreign bees for Yorkshire, but aearly 

 every hive in my apiary shows the Italian 

 cross. Foul brood I've had no experience 

 with, nor do I wish to have any. 



" I run my hives mostly for extracted honey, 

 and I think ISO lbs. is the most I ever took 

 from one colony. In recent years, however, I 

 have not troubled with a separate account. 

 Have I much trouble in disposing of my hon- 

 ey ? No, not a great deal, and, as a rule, I keep 

 over each year about a quarter of a ton, and 

 then, if the crop is a failure, as it is apt to be 

 some seasons, I am still able to supply my 

 most regular customers 



and if there is any produced for commercial 

 purposes it is found mixed with honey from 

 other sources. 



The orange-tree, however, produces a pro- 

 fusion of bloom upon which the bees work 

 industriously ; and where the orchards are 

 most abundant there is quite an amount of 

 that quality of honey produced. 



Orange-growing is increasing every year; 

 and to give your readers an idea of the mag- 

 nitude of the business I would say that the 

 shipments for the past year were 12,000 car- 

 loads; and but for the damage done by frost 

 it would have been over 15,000. From pres- 

 ent indications there will be 20,000 carloads 

 of oranges to ship during the coming year. 



The orange-tree is an evergreen, and beau- 



