796 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 1. 



the house. The wheelbarrow, with its load of 

 combs filled with honey, is driven opposite 

 one of the doors, and the boxes are quickly 

 shoved in and the door closed. The wheel- 

 barrow is then moved along and the other 

 door is opened, and the boxes with empty 

 combs are as quickly removed to the wheel- 

 barrow, and the robbers have no chance to get 

 into the house or into the honey. Mr. Rich- 

 ardson takes the utmost care to have his hon- 

 ey of the finest quality, and dealers never 

 make complaint in that respect. 



There is one little point in Mr. Richardson's 

 management wherein I think he is away be- 

 hind the times. Instead of using an up-to- 

 date Corneil or Bingham smoker he uses an 

 old stew-pan. The pan holds about two quarts, 

 has a strong handle of moderate length, and, 

 when the pan is filled with rotten wood, or 



creased by purchase he found about forty col- 

 onies infected. To make a sure thing of the 

 cure he adopted the heroic method, and com- 

 mitted the whole of them to the flames. 



Mr. Richardson practices migratory bee- 

 keeping to a certain extent, and moves a por- 

 tion of his bees to the bean-fields. This move- 

 ment is made in order to help the bees to a 

 living through a dry season ; but the honey 

 sometimes fails to secrete, even in the bean- 

 fields, as I understand it has this year. 



About two years ago Mr. Richardson, in 

 stepping from a moving train in the evening, 

 was thrown violentl}' to the ground, and for 

 several days he lay in an unconscious condi- 

 tion. Mr. Touchton, a brother bee-keeper 

 and friend, lived near the scene of the acci- 

 dent, and Mr. R. was taken to his residence, 

 where Mrs. Richardson and Mr. and Mrs. 



ONE OF W. T. RICHARDSON'S APIARIES, SIMI, CALIFORNIA 



even sound wood, it is a regular furnace, and 

 sends forth a rousing smoke ; but dependence 

 must be placed largely upon the wind for di- 

 recting the smoke where needed. Mr. Rich- 

 ardson contends that the bellows smoker is 

 not to be depended upon at all times, needs 

 filling often, and is expensive, while a stew- 

 pan is cheap, and always going. He had va- 

 rious other grudges agAinst the modern smo- 

 ker, and I came to the conclusion that it 

 makes little difference what kind of tool we 

 use if we only become expert in its use and 

 have a measure of success with it. If a per- 

 son persists in ignoring an improvement, and 

 bids us get away with our new-fangled ma- 

 chine, he will probably stick to his stew-pan 

 in spite of us. 



As Mr. R. controls the entire field of forage 

 he is very careful to keep foul brood at a dis- 

 tance. In one of his apiaries which he in- 



Touchton tenderly nursed him back to life. 

 Since the accident Mr. R. has not enjoyed his 

 former excellent health ; and during the past 

 summer he and his wife have been east in 

 hopes that a few months from business would 

 have a beneficial eifcct. Upon his return he 

 will devote his entire attention to his ranch 

 and his bees. He claims that many times in 

 the past his output of honey would have been 

 several tons more if he could have given his 

 bees his undivided attention. Both Mr. and 

 Mrs. Richardson prefer to live out on the ranch 

 in the busy season. They camp out near the 

 apiary they are working ; and so pleasantly 

 are the days passed that one of the apiaries is 

 termed Happy Camp. 



The majestic live-oak, the pride of all Cali- 

 fornians, grows to perfection here, and the 

 camp is sometimes made beneath its dense 

 foliage. To give the reader an idea of the 



