266 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



April 1. 



attendance at church I should judge there 

 was the usual number of sugar-and salt Chris- 

 tians in Roseburg, afraid of melting under the 

 raindrops. But how quickly their fears of 

 melting are banished when a comic show 

 comes along ! They get to the show, rain or 

 shine. 



Having a well-spent day to my credit I felt 

 quite happy Monday morning in spite of fogs 

 and mud ; and thinking that I could be of no 

 use to the bee-keepers of the vicinity I left 

 town at 8 : 30 on the schoolma'am train for 

 the north. Roseburg has a normal school, 

 and is a sort of headquarters for teachers, and 

 a bevy of them came aboard the train, each 

 armed with a common nickel-plated alarm- 

 clock. I had some curiosity to learn some- 

 thing about the clock ; but the prim and 

 severe aspect of the owners presented an in- 

 superable obstacle to my investigations in that 

 line. However, the train soon stopped at a 

 cross-road where there was not a house in 

 sight, and one schoolma'am and a clock 

 marched out. Soon there was another stop at 

 a farm-gate, and so it continued for half an 

 hour until all the ma'ams and their clocks 

 were disposed of. The last stop was near a 

 schoolhouse, and the children came romping 

 through the mist to meet their teacher ; and 

 as I saw the cordial greeting I thought that 

 surely the life of a schoolma'am has more roses 

 than thorns in its course. 



The same agricultural and horticultural 

 conditions hold good in Oregon that we find 

 in Southern California. Districts have their 

 own peculiarities. One district produces a 



GLIMPSE FROM A PRUNE ORCHARD. 



certain kind of fruit in greater perfection than 

 an adjoining district. We are now passing 

 through the Umqua Valley, where the prune 

 grows to perfection, and we pass extensive 

 orchards. 



From this valley our route takes us over the 



ed that, when all party lines should be obliterated, the 

 Organization should be styled the "Republican party" 

 This created a big laugh, "but it had the effect of up- 

 setting all that had been done, and each man went 

 back to his old party line. — A. I. K. 



Calipooia Mountains, and we enter the great 

 Willamette Valley. The towns become more 

 numerous and larger, the fields broad and 

 level, and devoted to the raising of grain, 

 while some towns are a center for the lumber 

 business, which is great in Oregon. 



While passing through the hills another 

 feature reminded me of the far East. The 

 lovely autumn tints of the forest were in their 

 most vivid col jrs. This coloring is wanting 

 in our southland ; and as it had been nearly 

 eight years since I had seen such a glory of 

 the hills I allowed my eyes and imagination 

 to feast to the full. 



In the soft light of an autumn day. 



When Summer gathers up her robes of glory, 

 And like a dream of beautj* glides away. 



In this valley we also reach the land of the 

 golden pheasant ; and the first one I saw fly 

 out of a grain-field reminded me of a stick of 

 yellow pine stovewood with wings attached. 

 While the bird does not show off well in flying 

 in the distance, it is a beautiful creature when 

 seen at rest in a cage or corral. They are be- 

 coming plentiful all through this country, and 

 in the season when they are allowed to be 

 hunted they make a good table bird. 



This time my ride by rail took me 14(5 miles, 

 and I stepped off the train at Salem, the capi- 

 tal of the State, a pretty city of about ten 

 thousand inhabitants. I was extremely lucky 

 again to get into a cosv, well-kept temperance 

 hotel. 



During my journey I had not seen any evi- 

 dences of bee culture ; and I judged, from the 

 appearance of the Willamette 

 Valley, that certain portions of 

 it were not adapted to the prof- 

 itable production of hone)'. 



The next morning I donned 

 my mackintosh and sallied out 

 in the misty rain upon an ex- 

 ploring expedition for some Or- 

 egon honey. I soon found a 

 nice exhibit in a neat glass case 

 in a grocer's store, and which 

 had all of the evidences of a 

 careful bee-keeper, and I forth- 

 with interviewed the grocer. 



" I observe you have some 

 nice honey here," said I ; "is 

 this a home product? " 



"Yes, sir," said he; "that 

 was left here by Dr. Chase, of 

 this city. He is the best-post- 

 ed bee-man in this portion of 

 the State, and a very skillful 

 manager of the busy bee." 



" But," said I, "do you not 

 sometimes handle California 

 honey ? " 



" No, sir, I do not," said he; " I want noth- 

 ing to do with California honey. We always 

 get it from dealers in San Francisco, and we 

 grocers get imposed upon many times with 

 adulterated goods ; and a child that has been 

 burned does not want to put his fingers in the 

 fire again." 



"Well," said I, "suppose an association of 

 bee-keepers should send you some honey, and 



