GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



BEEKEEPING IN CALIFORNIA 



P. C. Chadwick, 



Do you keep bees or do you 

 make them keep you? 



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The proper size for an entrance 

 seems to be about as nearly settled 

 as the mooted question of " how 

 old was Ann ?" 



There have been few seasons when my 

 sui^ply of bees has been greater at the be- 

 ginning of the winter than at the present 



time. 



* * * 



We are glad you have an auto, Brother 

 Crane; but we don't like to hear so much 

 about it until we can blossom out with one 



of our own. 



» * * 



The average honey, even that weighing up 

 to the standard, could be improved by a 

 little more ripening. The riper the honey 

 the less it will granulate. 



* * » 



Bees are going into winter quarters in 

 fine shape in this locality. There are 

 plenty of bees, also plenty of stores, where 

 the beekeeper has been wise. 



* « « 



Tn response to the editoi-ial beaded " Are 

 your bees packed for the winter?" I can say 

 " yes," but they are not in chaff or leaves. 

 I packed honey enough from the fat ones 

 to supply the lean ones, and a little more for 

 good measure. 



* * s 



The state convention is to be held in Los 

 Angeles some time in December. Well, I 

 had already packed my grip to go l^p into 

 tlie central part of the state, as that was my 

 understanding at last convention time of 

 the place for the next meeting. 



We vent our wrath on the wax-moth on 

 several occasions, yet they are more of a 

 benefactor in the long run than an enemy. 

 Many are the old diseased trees and uncar- 

 ed-foi" hives where the bees have died out 

 that they have cleaned up, thus preventing 



disease spreading. 



* * * 



The man in California who fails to leave 

 his bees not only sufficient stores for the 

 winter but a surplus to fall back on in the 

 face of a dry season as well, will, eventually, 

 be found either in the sugar market or sus- 

 taining a heavy loss of bees. In my opin- 

 ion a man can not afford to feed bees even 



Redlands, Cal. 



at a difference in price of five cents per 

 pound in favor of sugar. 



* * * 



So GiiEANiNGS is to have a new face and 

 visit us only once a month. It will be a 

 long time to wait to see who took the last 

 dig at you. But then, if we get a larger and 

 better magazine, one that will compare with 

 the best, we will be up in the front row and 

 thereby put the business of beekeeping on 

 a higher plane. Good ! 

 » * * 



The early October rains ceased as abrupt- 

 ly as they began. Much of the weather of 

 late has been very dry and "electric," dry- 

 ing out the ground and leaving much of 

 the surface vegetation in a dying condition. 

 Rain is needed badly to keep vegetation 

 coming on nicely. But, will we get it in 

 time? That is the point. 



* * * 



I have never seen the white sage stool out 

 for blooming as extensively in this locality 

 as it is tliis season. Each year when the 

 plants are making their spring growth they 

 also grow the base for the next year's bloom. 

 This year the number of stalks on the stools 

 for the next spring's bloom are very numer- 

 ous ; and should it be seasonable we may ex- 

 pect a wonderful bloom en this i^lant. 



* * * 



Mr. Scholl, I accept your explanation of 

 how you take off forty pounds of honey 

 per minute. I did not wish to infer that 

 it could not be done, but it brought to my 

 mind a story of a bull that chased a man 

 across a large pasture. Just as he reached 

 the fence the bull struck him and sent him 

 sprawling on the other side. He gather- 

 ed himself up, feeling more secure than 

 for some minutes; then turned, shook Ms 

 fist at the bull, and said, " You can do that 

 once in a while, but you can't make a prac- 

 tice of it." /» * 



A very unnatural condition exists in a 

 small area in the sage belt. Summer show- 

 ers in September covered a small area just 

 south of Redlands. This started the sage 

 to take on its springtime hues. Then came 

 the October rains which put an unseason- 

 able growth on it in many places. In the 

 canyons there are places where the growth 

 lias reached a length of from five to ten 

 inclies. The danger of freezing is great, 

 for on the 14th of this month it got pretty 

 cold, down to (there goes Chadwick knock- 

 ing California again) so I'd better not tell. 



