Q26 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



;EEKEEPING IN CALIEOENIA 



P, C. Chadwick, Medlands, Cal. 



Up to date (Nov. 11) we have bad no 

 " northers " — a really unusual condition for 

 this time of year, for October rarely fails 

 to give ns one or more of these dreaded 



winds. 



* * « 



The second rain of the season has been 

 falling- the past two days, a gentle one at 

 that; and while not heavy at all points (one 

 of which is Redlands), in some places close 

 to two inches has been recorded. With each 

 of these storms the beekeepers' hopes go 

 up, and visions of a good crop of honey 

 appear. But many times those hopes are 

 evaporated by the warm sunshine before 

 more comes to wet the soil to a beneficial 

 depth. Personally I am pessimistic as to 

 a general crop next season. Some do not 

 share my views, but I have yet to see two 

 good successive flows of nectar from the 

 sage. Some say we did not get a good flow 

 this season ; but to my mind the only reason 

 was because our bees were not in condition 

 to gather it from the beginning of the flow 

 in surplus c|uantities. In some localities as 

 much as a 350-pound average per colony 

 has been reported, while a few miles distant 

 the yield was extremely light. I, like all 

 beekeei^ers, am living in hopes of a sage 

 flow, but really I expect to see only the 

 orange give surplus cjuantities in this local- 

 ity- * * * 



I had the great pleasure of visiting a 

 successful i3oultry-raiser a few days ago, 

 who showed me through his entire plant. 

 The marvel to me was not that he was 

 successful, but rather the qualities that 

 made his work a success. It was feeding- 

 time when I arrived. He was just starting 

 out with a large bucket of wheat, and I 

 followed. Slowly and observingly he went 

 from pen to pen, holding his bucket low as 

 he traveled. Each chicken seemed to delight 

 in getting a good mouthful before the grain 

 was thrown in the scratching litter, though 

 none acted as though they were starving by 

 any means. I asked him if he did not know 

 when he started that he had more grain than 

 he would feed for the meal, to which he 

 answered he did. " But," said he, " they 

 like to pick out of the bucket, and I took 

 enough so all of them could reach it easily." 

 He loves the work, he loves his birds, each 

 one receiving individual attention if needs 

 be. I could not help comi3aring his care 

 and his love for the work with that of those 

 who are making a failure of the same 

 business. Neither could I banish the thought 



that the comparison fits so aptly two classes 

 of beekeepers, the first of whom makes 

 success, while the other may succeed if cir- 

 cumstances favor him. Less bees and more 

 individual attention will succeed better than 

 more bees and less individual attention. 

 And this is the rule in nearly all farming 

 enterprises — proper attention at the right 

 time. The failure to provide a super at the 

 proper time may result in a colony swarm- 

 ing, and thus curtail its surplus production 

 greatly; or failure to give sufficient room 

 may cause the loss of several days in the 

 miclst of the heavy flow, when honey to the 

 amount of from six to ten pounds per day 

 might have been saved. Many are the 

 details of the business that receive far too 

 little attention, while the chief work seems 

 to be to get off the honey and " whoop her 

 up." After the " whoop " is over, then that 

 '' Ave sliould worry " feeling sets in and 

 holds sway until the extractor hums again. 



Mr. Editor, you say, page 794, that your 

 foreman pointed out one colony which he 

 tliought would be a fair average that drew 

 out six frames of foundation half way, on 

 one Cjuart of sugar syrup, half sugar and 

 half water. I do not know what was the 

 condition of the colony or other conditions 

 at the time this test was being made; but 

 when I read that assertion I am frank to 

 say that I concluded your foreman did not 

 know what he was talking about. Unless 

 conditions were different from any under 

 which I have tried this experiment I still 

 think his estimate is entirely too small. I 

 would have no worries about increasing, and 

 sufficient comb room in the future if I 

 could obtain results so favorable. [Our 

 foreman wishes to state that, although he 

 has never been accused of being very bright, 

 yet the above-mentioned assertion is correct. 

 The experiment was carried on during the 

 most unfavorable circumstances. The colo- 

 ny in question was shaken from its combs 

 in October. At that time asters were in 

 bloom, and we expected they would gather 

 sufficient to meet their needs. Instead of 

 that, the next day it turned cool and a driz- 

 zling rain set in. When the colony was 

 examined the second day after shaking, the 

 bees were so nearly starved that they were 

 beginning to drop to the bottom-board. One 

 quart of sugar syrup, half sugar and half 

 water, was immediately given them warm in 

 a Boardman entrance feeder. The cap of 

 this feeder had only two perforations, so 



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