1898 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



797 



size and habit of this noble tree I present a 

 small photo of one. This tree is near the resi- 

 dence or home camp of Mr. R. It covers a 

 space of (j4 feet in diameter, and there is room 

 for several fannlies to camp beneath its 

 branches. Mrs. Richardson is the central 

 figure in the photo. Near her is a lady ready 

 to mount her horse. This is the inevitaVjle 

 schoolma'am. No bachelors need apply, how- 

 ever, for she is a married lady. The other 

 figures are the ranch superintendent and 

 attachees. 



Mr. Richardson has a host of friends, not 

 only in the bee-keeping ranks, but throughout 

 Ventura Co., and he is a man with whom it is 



CALIFORNIA LIVE-OAK. 



a pleasure to become acquainted. He is pres- 

 ident of the Bee-keepers' Exchange, and early 

 in its organization it was hoped tliat he could 

 become its manager. 



On the morning when I left the Simi Valley 

 for Los Angeles 1 desired to take another route 

 home, and friend R. directed me to return via 

 the Canejo Valley. When I was about to 

 start he gave me' the information that I might 

 have a gate or two to open. He was right in 

 that, and from the twinkle in his eye he must 

 have sent me that way in order to get the full 

 benefit of gates. When I had traversed the 

 few intervening miles of barren country to 

 the county road, I had shaken hands with, so 

 to speak, and paid my compliments to, four- 

 teen healthy gates. 



In the height of a good honey season, when 

 the sages are in bloom and the hills and plains 

 are carpeted with a profusion of wild flowers, 

 the Simi Valley is a beautiful country and a 

 pleasant camping place, and many people 

 spend their outing in its quiet nooks. Adios, 

 Simi. 



VISIT AMONG THE BEE-KEEPERS. 



BY H. R. BOARDMAN. 



" What are you going to do, now your hon- 

 ey crop has failed ?" asked a brother bee- 

 keeper of me one day. I replied, " I will go 

 on a visit among bee-keepers who have met 

 with better success than I have ; learn all I 

 can of my industry ; prepare my bees with 

 confidence and courage, for the next season; 

 look forward and not backward — hope." 



I did not think then that my reply was pro 

 phetic. 



My first visit was a wheel-trip to the well 

 known bee-keeper and writer, Chalon Fowls 

 of Oberlin, and with him to Rootville, to visi 

 the Home of the Honey-bees. 



Notwithstanding a heavy downpour of rain 

 which interrupted our program of visiting the 

 bee-keepers in the vicinity of Medina, which 

 we had anticipated with so much pleasure, our 

 visit was one filled with interesting incidents 

 and pleasant surprises long to be remembered. 

 If 1 were asked what interested me most of all 

 1 saw and talked about I would answer un- 

 hesitatingly," The manufacture of comb foun- 

 dation with its various improve- 

 ments." Mr. Weed, whom I had 

 the pleasure of meeting, is devot- 

 ing his whole energies and his life 

 to the perfection of comb founda- 

 tion . 



" How about the Boardman plan 

 of liberal feeding of sugar s\rup 

 before the beginning of the honey- 

 flow to get the nectar stored in the 

 sections? Has the plan been a 

 success with you this season ? ' ' 

 was asked me. 



' ' I am as certain as ever that the 

 plan is a success ; but the season 

 v^ith me has been a failure, and I 

 have secured no surplus, because 

 there was none to get. It is a try- 

 ing ordeal for my pet theory; still, 

 I have the utmost confidence in it." 



The evening was devoted to discussions of 

 the various live topics of bee culture until 

 quite late; and, although of much interest, to 

 enter into their details here would be out of 

 the question. We were treated with consider- 

 ation and kindness not soon to be forgotten. 



The next day, after sampling the good 

 things on the lunch-counter, we decided to 

 tr}^ to wheel back to Oberlin, notwithstanding 

 the rain and mud that prevailed. We made a 

 short but very pleasant call on Mr. Vernon 

 Burt, a few miles out of Medina, where we got 

 sight of some very fine and genuine this year's 

 honey, which was truly refreshing, and where 

 we also saw samples of work in the plain sec- 

 tions, with the fence separators, which were 

 pretty near pi'tfedioti. Mr. Burt thinks fa- 

 vorably of this method. He gives early liberal 

 feeding credit largely for his crop of honey 

 this season. Mr. Burt is a model bee-keeper. 

 Our return to Oberlin through the mud was 

 not relieved by many inspiring incidents. It 

 was rather an exhibition of endurance than of 

 skill. 



My stay with Mr. Fowls will be remembered 

 as a very pleasant and (I trust) a profitable 

 day. Mr. Fowls produces mostly extracted 

 honey; depends mostly upon his home mar- 

 ket; takes pride in the quality of his honey, 

 and expects good prices. He extracted some 

 honey this season, but expects to feed for 

 winter stores. I think he does not advocate 

 this method as one of economy or profit. I 

 was so well pleased with this trip that, a few 

 days later, I packed my grip, and, with my 

 wheel, boarded the train for a more extended 



