174 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 1. 



Lives they were placed in, and joined the 

 swarm then in the air. Times began to get 

 interesting. Soon two more came out from 

 the apiary and joined the other three. This 

 makes five that were in the air at one time, 

 and it was at this point that the fun began; 

 and of all the sweet music that was ever 

 heard from bees emanated there. The morm 

 ing air was still and clear; and the roar of the 

 bees was all that could be desired in that line. 



But, what could we do with the bees? Soon 

 they began to settle on the top of the little 

 cedar-tree, and soon the tree began bending 

 to the ground, when I ordered some hives to 

 be brought and placed around the tree. Then 

 we began shaking off and carrying away; but 

 other swarms kept coming forth, and the ones 

 that we hived would stay only a few minutes 

 and then come out and again join the great 

 army of bees that were still clinging to the 

 tree and flying about it in such a way that it 

 was hard to get to the tree, as the very air 

 was full of bees — bees everywhere; and such a 

 roar of bees ! To make a long story short, we 

 would shake off the bees into boxes and carry 

 them off; and as fast they would come out 

 and go back to the swarm on the tree, while 

 all the time there were other new swarms 

 coming forth, and we kept this up until noon, 

 when, being tired, and not meeting with suc- 

 cess, we went to dinner some one-fourth mile 

 down the canyon. While we got out of sight 

 of the bees, there was the music still. 



On returning, the tree was a perfect arch, 

 the top resting on the ground, completely cov- 

 ered with bees, and, for about two feet through, 

 a solid mass of them, and still they came out, 

 and the air was as full as I ever saw. We be- 

 gan once more to shake off and carry away, 

 just as you do in the East when thrashing 

 oats, measuring out and carrying away. We 

 kept account of the swarms that came out, as 

 far as we could, and we knew of 30 that came 

 out during the day. But, to go back a little. 



About the middle of the afternoon we gave 

 it up as a bad job, and sat down to see what 

 would be the outcome. While thus seated I 

 asked the man who was helping me what 

 course he would have taken had this occurred 

 when I was away. The answer was that he 

 would have rolled his blankets and started 

 across the mountains, seeking other occupa- 

 tion. At about 4 o'clock they all took wing, 

 and, as I supposed, they were going to take 

 across the hills instead of my man; but, not 

 so; they had decided to try another tree for a 

 while; but when that multiplied multitude of 

 bees came from that tree and rounded up over 

 the apiary it was a sight to hear and see; and, 

 to our surprise, the bees that were in their 

 hives apparently quiet came out, and left 

 brood and honey. 



I suppose some are anxious to know how we 

 managed the bees. I was quite anxious at 

 that particular time ; but as the sun went 

 down behind the western mountains, about 

 four o'clock, and the evening shades brought 

 the usual coolness with it, the bees began to 

 go back to their old homes again, and we had 

 better success in keeping the swarms in the 

 hives; and when the day's work was fully 



over and all quiet, there were just 18 new 

 swarms. 



The next day the same thing occurred again, 

 and the 18 swarms of the day before were just 

 as frantic as they had been the day before; 

 and all that spring, when we had heavy 

 swarm days, the bees from new swarms would 

 desert, leaving brood and honey. On some 

 occasions the hives would be nearly full of 

 freshly gathered honey and plenty of brood. 



Hanford, Cal. 



[Well, friend Brown, it looks as if you had 

 broken all the records — or, rather, your bees 

 have. Eighteen swarms in one bunch, and 

 eighteen swarms in the air at one time ! Did 

 any one ever hear of the like of it before? I 

 would have given something to hear that 

 mighty roar made by something like a million 

 or more of wings. 



There is any amount of evidence to show 

 that one or more swarms in the air at one time 

 will induce others to go forth; but as a gener- 

 al rule the average bee-keeper is not troubled 

 by more than two or three swarms in a bunch. 

 Under those circumstances he usually divides 

 them by the dipperfuls into two, three, or four. 

 These are then put into as many hives, and 

 compelled to go to housekeeping, even if each 

 family, as it were, is made up of members of 

 two, three, or more other families. — Ed.] 



J. P. ISRAEL. 



BY J. M. HAMBAUGH. 



Died at his home in San Diego, Cal., at 

 11.30 P. M., Dec. 31, 1898, Mr. Joseph P. Is- 

 rael, in the 76th year of his age. 



J. P. Israel ( alias Sk}dark) was born in Pitts- 

 burg, Pa., in November, 1822, and was mar- 

 ried to Miss Elizabeth Falkner, of that city. 

 As a result of their marriage, four children 

 were born to them, two of whom are still liv- 

 ing — Mrs. Cordelia Lane, of Pittsburg, Pa., and 

 Mrs. B R. Robinson, who has been living 

 with her father since the death of her husband 

 many years ago. Mr. Israel came to Califor- 

 nia in 1849, but did not become a permanent 

 resident of that State until 1882, when he 

 moved to Escondido. It was here that the 

 writer became acquainted with him, and our 

 acquaintance ripened into true and lasting 

 friendship. Little did we realize, when we 

 wrote a biographical sketch of him, which was 

 published in Gleanings for July 15, 1898, 

 that we should so soon be called upon to pay 

 the last tribute of respect to his memory. Mr. 

 Israel's work as a writer is well known and re- 

 membered; and his quaint humor and at times 

 sarcastic tilts that were so characteristic of his 

 writings will long be remembered by those 

 who saw fit to cross pen-points with Skylark. 

 Mr. Israel was a highly cultured and polished 

 gentleman, and, above all, a patient, forbear- 

 ing, true Christian. His daughter has said, 

 never did she know him to be angry. " He 

 was a Christian in every act, word, and deed." 

 He was well versed in Scripture, and a Baptist 

 by faith. A letter from Mrs. Robinson states 

 that her father was in his usual good health 



