JANUARY 15, 1914 



Beekeeping in the Southw^est 



Louis Scholl, New Braunfels, Texas. 



ROSELLE JELLY, AND ADVERTISING IT. 



It has not been very long since our senior 

 editor bad mucb to say about " roselle " and 

 its culture. Not until recently, however, 

 have I seen this plant grown to any extent, 

 and the fruit made into delicious jellies and 

 placed on the market. At one place I saw 

 some four acres of roselle maturing its red, 

 acid-flavored fruits in remarkable abun- 

 dance. The plants averaged about six feet 

 in height, spreading over the ground about 

 five feet, and even more where they grew 

 near irrigation ditches. 



The product put out is a superior pure- 

 food article, very clear and beautiful, red 

 in color, and put up in glass jars nicely 

 labeled, making an attractive package. 



I noticed it in nearly all of the general 

 stores. At some of the hotels several of 

 these jars were left, one at a time being 

 opened, and left with a spoon in it to be 

 tasted by the patrons. This seemed unique 

 to me, and may be applied in advertising 

 honey to advantage perhaps. 



HEAVY LOSSES THROUGH FLOODS IN TEXAS. 



The year 1913 will go down in Texas 

 history as one having a most excessive rain- 

 fall and some of the most severe floods ever 

 witnessed in this State. The damage done 

 will run into many millions of dollars, be- 

 sides the loss of over 1.50 lives. 



Among tlie first lives lost was the wife 

 and four children of our friend Polk, a 

 prosperous beekeeper at Belton, Texas. 

 When Mr. Polk learned that there was dan- 

 ger of high water near some of his bees he 

 proceeded there, with his oldest son, for the 

 purpose of bringing them to higher ground. 

 The flood came on so rapidly, however, that 

 he was soon cut off: from his own home and 

 family, all of whom were lost, leaving him 

 only the one boy who had gone with him. 

 The bees he tried to save were also lost, 

 since the flood reached unexpected propor- 

 tions. Our sympathy is with this bereaved 

 beekeeper in the loss he has sustained. 



OUR OWN LOSSES ALSO HEAVY. 



The Brazos River flood, the highest in 

 history, made toys of seven of our eleven 

 apiaries located on the large plantations of 

 this rich river valley. Although the hives 

 were located on high, heavily constructed 

 scaffolds, out of danger of any previous 

 floods, the water, which was 14 feet at most 

 of the locations, swept away every thing. 



Our new two-story ironclad honey-house, 

 workshop, and warehouse, 28 by 36 ft., our 



manager's residence, a neat city-style home, 

 barn, and all other out-houses, went along 

 also, together with several carloads of sup- 

 plies, all of our equipment, including wag- 

 ons and buggies. The two horses, a valu- 

 able cow, hogs, and poultry were all drown- 

 ed, and the entire place left in ruin. 



Our manager of apiaries, Mr. H. L. Rus- 

 sell, who has been a most faithful assistant 

 for nearly four years, was with me at New 

 Braunfels, for a few days, making plans for 

 the next year, when the news of the high 

 water came. He started back immediately, 

 requiring almost a week to make the jour- 

 ney, walking the biggest part of the way 

 through flood-swept territory. He had left 

 his family and other relatives at home; and 

 the reader can imagine the frenzied anxiety 

 that possessed him.' He had learned that 

 every thing was washed away ; but he could 

 not ascertain in any manner the where- 

 abouts of his loved ones from whom he was 

 separated. After reaching there he was 

 only able to find that they had escaped by 

 means of boats they constructed after the 

 water came, and were safe somewhere in an 

 adjoining county. All communication being 

 cut off, it was impossible to locate them, 

 however; and although two weeks have 

 elapsed, he is still separated from his fam- 

 ily, and neither do they know his where- 

 abouts. 



I am writing this on my way to the strick- 

 en district and to these good people who 

 have suffered so much. Although our loss 

 is from .$10,000 to $12,000, I have given it 

 little thought, because, nppei-most in my 

 mind, has been the welfare of these faithful 

 persons; and while I am making slow head- 

 way from one halting-place to the next, over 

 the miles and miles of ruined tracks, just 

 rejflaeed to let the first trains pass after 

 more than two weeks of suspended traffic, 

 my anxiety to reach our now ruined former 

 fields of operations is the gi-eater. Although 

 Ave have lost heavily, Mr. Russell has lost all 

 of his bdlongings in this terrible flood except 

 the clothes worn by him. But we know 

 that the faithful will receive their reward; 

 and this happy thought is exemplified by 

 the fact in this case that a number of good 

 friends who remembered the Russell family 

 from a few months' residence in my employ 

 at New Braunfels, before Mr. Russell was 

 placed in charge of the apiaries in the 

 Brazos River Valley, have placed in my care 

 a large trunkful of warm clothes that T am 

 to deliver to them upon reaching my desti- 

 nation. 



