July, 1920 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



oiic-tliinl the cost further south in the 



iSaiita Oruz district. In the iiieaiitiine there 



was a mad rush for the production of cotton. 



At lirst the beekeepers of the Salt River 



A near view of a siiant cactus which was taken with- 

 in half a mile of the apiary of Mrs. Lovett. 



Valley were expecting their industry to go 

 like the cattle and dairj' interests. As a 

 matter of fact, some of them did get hit 

 hard. Alfalfa land around the locations was 

 plowed under, and cotton took its place. In 

 some localities cotton yielded honey, while 

 in others it did not. But while the honey- 

 producing industry seemed to be in danger 



A view of (iiic of the wells and hydro - electric 

 centrifutjal puiuping-outtits on the Goodyear prop- 

 erty where long-staole cotton is grown for automo- 

 bile tires. The amount of water delivered is aston- 

 ishing. 



for a time it has since developed that the 

 cotton may be a blessing in disguise. The 

 alfalfa honey of Arizona is a light amber. 

 The cotton honey of today is white, and of 

 almost a neutral taste or flavor, much like 

 that of sugar syrup. As to quantity, it may 

 equal the production of alfalfa — not because 

 cotton will yield as much honey per acre, 

 but because there will be more acres of 

 cotton than of alfalfa in its liest days. 

 Many of the beekeepers around Phoenix and 

 Tempe are just becoming accustomed to the 

 change. Apparently most of them are neither 



sorry nor glad, because they do not yet know 

 what is going to hai)pen. Sonic of them are 

 l)roduc)ng more honey than they ever did in 

 tiie good old alfalfa days, and others are 

 doing as well as they formerly did. 

 Long Staple Cotton. 

 The long-staple variety of cotton has a 

 fiber two or three times as long as ordinary 

 cotton, and hence its adaptability to the mak- 

 ing of a fabric for automobile tires. The 

 product is so perfect that the Goodyear Rub- 

 ber Company has some 12,000 acres of long- 

 staple cotton under cultivation, and 12,000 

 more that will be oj^ened up soon. And not 

 only that, but, so we are told, they are offer- 



The irrigation ditches leading from each well are 



lined with cement to prevent erosion and clogging. 



The pumping stations are located over the entire 



12,000 acres, about a mile apart. 



ing the farmers and ranchers who are grow- 

 ing cotton independently a minimum price 

 of 60 cents a pound, with the further stipu- 

 lation that they will pay as much more as 

 the market will afford. If I am correct, a 

 dollar a pound was the last figure paid. The 

 company employs Mexicans and Indians to 

 do the work, furnishing them comfortable 

 houses and supplying them with leoitiniate 

 forms of amusement, such as moving pic- 

 tures and outdoor sports. 



Talk about the grand rush to Oklahoma 



.V typical Arizona apiary. Practically all bee-yards 



in Arizona and Imperial Valley, Calif., must le 



under grass sheds, standing nearly cast and west, 



so that the sun never shines on the hives. 



and the Klondike! It was nothing in com- 

 parison with the furore of enthusiasm that is 

 now manifest in the Salt River and Santa 



