540 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 15. 



few years ago the bee-keepers of California 

 were in hopes that a permanent experiment 

 apian- had been established at the State Uni- 

 versity at Berkeley. The professor who had the 

 matter in charge attended two of our State 

 Association meetings ; but he ruined his repu- 

 tation as a practical bee-keeper, and the sta- 

 tion as well, by inventing a new and imprac- 

 tical hive. The moral we draw from this is 

 that a professor of an experiment station must 

 not only understand the theory of bee-keep- 

 ing but the practical side as well. 



After a good portion of a day's chat with 

 Brodie I gave his hand a farewell shake and 

 wheeled on to San Jose and various other 

 towns. This portion of California is not dis- 

 tinguished for the number and size of its apia- 

 ries. Now and then an enterprising and up- 

 to-date fruit-grower has a small apiary near 

 his orchard, as an aid to the fertilization of the 

 blossoms. This fertilization is particularly 



teJlEAL Qjiejte 



beneficial to the almond-nut, which is largely 

 grown here. 



At Santa Clara my usual good luck in get- 

 ting into a clean temperance house deserted 

 me, and I found lodgment' in a French hostel- 

 ry with a saloon as the main feature ; but I 

 thought certainly that, with a French cook, I 

 should have an up-to-date dinner, even if the 

 surroundings did have the odor of beer. But 

 here was a disappointment also. The rotund 

 old fellow who officiated as cook and dispens- 

 er of beer spread his dishes upon the bare ta- 

 ble with eggs, bacon, hard French bread, and 

 black coffee. Frenchmen and dagoes gather- 

 ed around, some in coats and some without ; 

 some on benches, some on boxes, and none on 

 chairs. The feast was conducted in silence ; 

 but after it was over, there was a gathering in 

 the saloon, and the corks of the beer-bottles 

 began to pop, and the spirits of the guests be- 

 gan to rise. I was urged to take a social glass. 



In such cases and with such people a refusal 

 is taken as an affront, and the importunity 

 changes to a desire to enforce hospitality ; 

 therefore it is better to take something, and 

 my ready resort is to take a cigar. Taking 

 something seems to confer honor upon the do- 

 nor, and it is seldom that they stand upon 

 what you take. I do not smoke ; but while 

 staying with Mr. Levering, in the northern 

 portion of the State, the near-by storekeeper 

 would always offer a cigar on every trade of a 

 dollar or more, and I would take the cigar and 

 take it home to Mr. Levering, and felt amply 

 repaid as I saw him derive solace from it. So 

 it happens ever since, wherever I may be, 

 when the opportunity comes I take a cigar, 

 not for myself but for Mr. Levering. 



During the struggle between the men and 

 the beer-bottles I made my escape to a barber- 

 shop. Here I found a congenial artist, and 

 we straightway fell into conversation upon the 

 hard times and the scarcity of 

 money. 



" Say, stranger," said he, " I 

 have just had my eyes opened 

 about the cause of hard times 

 during this thanksgiving. We 



TtHKIS 1 have three saloons here, and 



each one of them puts up tur- 

 keys for a raffle. The poor 

 laboring men all rushed in and 

 raffled away their money, some 

 individuals as much as five 

 dollars, and then getting no 

 turkey ; and (do you believe 

 it?) the saloons in this little 

 one-horse town cleared one 

 hundred dollars each. I used 

 to do just such things ; but a 

 few years ago I found myself. 

 Talk about hard times ! just 

 banish the saloon and you 

 would see the best times on 

 record." 



I fervently said, " Amen ! " 

 The next morning when I 

 looked into the saloon it was 

 deserted, and things were in 

 much confusion. I counted 38 

 corks of beer-bottles scattertd 

 here and there. I concluded that the French- 

 men should immediately organize a search- 

 ing-party for the avowed purpose of finding 

 themselves. So much for an unavoidable 

 experience in a beer-den. 



If we travel much in this country we are 

 struck by the variety of people we meet. All 

 nationalities under the sun are represented ; 

 and my noonday lunch is taken at a wayside 

 station presided over by an Italian lady. While 

 I was doing justice to her hot biscuits and 

 honey she kept a close eye upon me, and final- 

 ly relieved her mind by propounding the fol- 

 lowing inquiry : 



" Is you ze ministar zata a go a by here to 

 Vegas to preacha ? ' ' 



" No, my dear madam, I am not guilty of 

 any such thing. I am not the minister. I am 

 only a poor bee-keeper." 



' ' Oh ! zata so I lika zat. We gotta a bee- 

 rancha to it, am a in a tree." 



