APRIL 1, 1916 



289 



Heads of Grain From Different Fields 



The Backlot Buzzer 



BY J. H. DONAHEY 



Mother says it is all right to give rye flovr and 

 oatmeal for pollen in the early spring, but if it is 

 for the baby bees it ought to be pasteurized. 



How the Climate of Florida Differs from 

 that of California. 



I have been reading your articles in Glean- 

 ings, and have been especially interested in 

 what you saj' regarding Florida. Will you 

 kindly write me a line, stating how southern 

 Florida compares with California as to cli- 

 mate and fruit and vegetable products in 

 your estimation, as I understand you have 

 been in both places? 



Chicago, 111. D. Zinser. 



[In a general way the climate of Florida 

 is a little warmer, taking the state as a 

 whole, than that of California. California 

 will have any climate you desire, either by 

 going northward up the state, or by going up 

 into the mountains. Florida, on the other 

 hand, is comparatively level; and the fact 

 that it is surrounded by water makes the 

 climate very moist or humid. Those persons 

 who cannot very well stand dampness, espe- 

 cially nights and mornings, would find that 

 the Florida climate would not be adapted to 

 their conditions. 



In Florida, for example, if a sheet or 

 clothing of any sort is loft out on a line over 

 night it will be dripping wet by morning. 

 Of course, this is not invariably so, but is 

 very apt to be so during the dryer part of 

 the year when the dews and fogs are very 

 heavy. 



In California the climate is comparatively 

 dry; and while it does not get so warm as 

 it does in Florida, the temperature of south- 

 ern California, at least, is more uniform. 

 There are certain kinds of fruit and other 

 vegetation that can be grown in Florida that 

 cannot be grown in California, and the re- 

 verse is also true. 



When we speak of California we must 

 remember that it is large enough to com- 

 prise the area of several ordinary states in 

 the East, so that everything depends upon 

 what is meant when we speak of California. 

 The territory, say fifty miles north of Los 

 Angeles and down to San Diego, comprises 

 the warmer part of the state, and is a good 

 deal like that in Florida, with the difference 

 that it is dry, and more uniform from one 

 year 's end to the other. Both states have 

 rainy seasons. Central and northern Cali- 

 fornia is more like Georgia and Alabama. 

 It would pay you to go to Florida, at least, 

 and spend a month or so, and then go to 

 California. You can then better decide 

 which state suits you best. — Ed.] 



Shall a Successful Farmer Give up Farming 



and Go into Beekeeping on a 



Large Scale? 



I am seeking a little advice; and as you 

 know of the possibilities of beekeeping I 

 want to ask you if you think from a finan- 

 cial standpoint a young man can do as well 

 as to engage in general farming. Men who 

 bought land 10 to 15 years ago have made 

 considerable thru increase in land values; 

 but any desirable land here is from $100 to 

 $150 per acre, and I question as much of an 

 increase in the future. 



I am married — have three children; am 34 

 years old; weigh 135 lbs.; have $2100 on 

 interest and $1200 worth of stock and ma- 

 chinery. I sold my farm last spring and 

 am renting at present. I have 40 colonies 

 of bees and a good location, and there are 

 several good unoccupied places for outyards. 



I am naturally a good beekeeper, I believe, 

 and have been fairly successful with my 

 bees, but have always been rushed for time 

 on account of farmwork. I love a farm and 

 outdoor life, and enjoy the beework better 

 than any other; but my duty to my family is 

 to follow the course which will give them 

 the best opportunities. 



I have a chance to buy the 50 acres, good 

 soil I am renting one mile from town (my 

 home town) for $7500; $2000 down, long 

 time on balance. Now, of course, I know it 

 will take a good many years to pay for this; 

 but I could do it, tho it would mean a great 

 deal of heavy work at times. We are hust- 

 lers, all of us; and as my boy will probably 

 not be large he will be a better help in the 

 apiary than on a dairy farm. We are good 

 savers; and, altho we aren't as husky as a 

 farmer and his family should be, we are 



