304 



A blue-gum tree (eucalyptus) in bloom. 



favored in all that goes to make ideal con- 

 ditions for the business man who desires to 

 keep just a few colonies, there being large 

 parks; and throughout the I'esidence dis- 

 tricts many of the houses are surrounded 

 by a veritable riot of vegetation. Then tlie 

 streets are lined with trees, principally 

 pepper and eucalyptus. And here a word 

 about the eucalyptus, commonly called gum- 

 tree. There are many varieties of these 

 trees, all couiing from Australia. They all 

 keep their foliage throughout the year, and 

 are as apt to be found in bloom on Christ- 

 mas as on the Fourth of July. The most 

 common is the blue gum, the red gum being 

 next, these being the 

 most hardy varieties, 

 although throughout 

 the principal cities 

 will also be found 

 large numbers of lem- 

 on gum, sugar gum, 

 vate gum, and iron- 

 bark g-um. 



From my own ob- 

 servations, the sugar 

 gum is the most pro- 

 fuse yielder of nectar. 

 The first time T saw a 

 sugar gum in bloom it 

 brought to my mind 

 the instance of my 

 first acquaintance with 

 pamarosa of the West 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Indies, there being two reasons — first, 

 the blossoms being similar, each consisting 

 of a hollow cup in tlie center, surrounded 

 by a mass of white hair-like petals; second, 

 (here being a number of bees around each 

 blossom, each bee waiting as it were for its 

 turn to obtain a load of nectar. The sugar- 

 gum blossom, however, goes the pamarosa 

 one better in that it has more odor, the 

 odor being not unlike that of a ripe canta- 

 loupe, and so strong that it conveys to one 

 the idea that the blossom itself is fruit. 



As an item of general information if 

 might be stated that the eucalyptus is very 

 apt to play an important part in honey 

 production in California. The scarcity of 

 lumber has resulted in a number of com- 

 panies being formed for the pui-pose of 

 planting eucalyptus, and there are to-day 

 thousands of acres of trees that have been 

 planted recently. So I think it safe to 

 predict that, a few years hence, eucalyptus 

 honey will be a staple the same as honey 

 from clover, basswood, sage, etc. 



And now a word of explanation : There 

 will be many, no doubt, among the readers 

 of this journal who will not approve of ray 

 attitude of mind, the procedure 1 have 

 followed, or of the story T have written. 

 To them I have no excuse to offer, no apol- 

 ogies to make. As to what I intend to do 

 in the future, I can only say that I have no 

 definite plans, other than that I will con- 

 tinue to keep my bees, and that I am think- 

 ing of working more for increase than for 

 honey during the coming season. 



San Diego, Cal. 



[The eucalyptus is said to be "a wonder- 

 ful producer of water-white honey, and as 

 many as three bees at one time have been 

 observed to sip up from a single blossom as 

 much nectar " as they could carry. — Ed.1 



A drive through the park. The trees are acacias and the shrubs myrtle. 



