Dkcemukr, 1922 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



FROM NORTH, EAST, WEST AND SOUTH 



In Southern California The weath- 



er in south- 

 ern California is still very dry. Usually we 

 have some rain before this date (Nov. 4), 

 but nothing more than a light sprinkle has 

 fallen so far. Cool nights prevail and the 

 bees have little to induce them to fly. This 

 is as near the broodless period as we ever 

 get in southern California, and by December 

 or January all prosperous colonies should 

 have a good start in brood. November is a 

 good month to take off all supers containing 

 empty combs, leaving only those containing 

 brood or honey. 



The Southern California Fair was held in 

 Eiverside Oct. 11-16_ and has been pro- 

 nounced the best ever. The exhibits put 

 on by the beekeepers' clubs would be a 

 credit to any fair. Three prizes were Of- 

 fered for the best display of honey and 

 those things pertaining to the bee business. 

 The first prize of $150 was given to the Eiv- 

 erside County Club; the second, of $100, was 

 given to the San Bernardino County Club; 

 while the third prize of $50 was awarded 

 to Orange County. 



Tlie Eiverside County Beekeepers' Club 

 met November 4, with a good representation 

 of Eiverside and San Bernardino County 

 beekeepers present. After some discussion 

 it was decided to accept the offer of a local 

 firm to make foundation for club members 

 at a price of 11 cents per pound. Wliile this 

 was not quite so low a price as was offered 

 by a firm in Los Angeles, it was decided 

 that the advantages of being able to go di- 

 rectly to the warehouse, deliver the wax and 

 take the foundation along home, were 

 enough to overbalance the small difference 

 in price. 



A committee was appointed to formulate 

 plans whereby the small producer can be 

 financed when considered advisable. The 

 small producer is the one who is apt to sell 

 his honev at a low price early in the season 

 because he needs the money, and the market 

 is apt to be weakened thereby. 



Since my last letter, accompanied by Mrs. 

 Andrews, I took an auto trip through the 

 great central valley of California and as 

 far north as San Francisco. The return trip 

 was made by way of Santa Cruz. Santa Bar- 

 bara and the coast valleys. This trip of 

 about eleven hundred miles gives one some 

 idea of the vast territory available for 

 honev production and agriculture. North of 

 the Tehachepi range of mountains verv few 

 localities report a satisfactory crop of hon- 

 ey, while most of them report almost a fail- 

 ure. 



A side trip of some 40 miles south from 

 the historic old town of Monterev to Big 

 Sur, where our fellow correspondent. M. C. 

 Eichter. has located, formed one of the 

 pleasant diversions of the trip, i^bout B."? 

 miles of this road winds back and forth, 

 up hill and down, now near the ocean 



waves, then some miles back, first among the 

 redwoods, then up among the sages- — giving 

 one a most scenic and enjoyable trip. Big 

 Sur is a small resort on the Big Sur Eiver 

 about two miles from the Pacific Ocean. 

 Fine fishing is enjoyed in season, deer 

 abound in the mountains, and if a fellow 

 could not enjoy himself there, we do not 

 know where he could. Stately redwoods 

 abound in the river bottoms, while the sages 

 and other honey plants grow in great pro- 

 fusion on all of the mountain sides, begin- 

 ning a few hundred feet up from the river 

 and covering the mountains to their tops. 

 In this locality the mountains are not very 

 high (perhaps about 4000 feet), but are 

 "most awfully" steep and rough. 



Very little of the great territory lying in 

 the southern part of Monterey County is ac- 

 cessible by wagon or auto road. Some parts 

 are reached by horseback over government 

 trails. While the country produces the finest 

 grade of white lioney from the black sage, 

 it is well that we all have the privilege of 

 producing honey where we like, and the writ- 

 er is well satisfied to operate in southern 

 California. The contract has just been let 

 for an extension of about 13 miles of road. 

 connecting with the present road at Big Sur 

 and continuing south along the coast. When 

 the road is completed to a point near San 

 Luis Obispo — a distance of something like 

 39 miles — this road along the coast will form 

 one of the most scenic drives in the West. 

 Some very fine bee ranges will also become 

 accessible because of the new road. 



Carmel Valley, a narrow valley reaching 

 back about six or seven miles from the 

 ocean along the Carmel Eiver, is very fer- 

 tile, and the settlers are just finding out 

 that they have one of the ideal locations for 

 the growing of pears. They are also finding 

 out that there is great need of pollination 

 and in every way encouraging the placing of 

 apiaries near their orchards. Tracts of 

 pears with several acres of one variety often 

 had little or no fruit, while orchards set to 

 several different kinds, when the trees were 

 well intermixed, gave great crops. Now 

 they often graft a limb of another variety 

 in each tree or set a tree of another varietv 

 here and there throughout the orchard. One 

 of these, with plenty of honevbees to work 

 on the blossoms, is considered an assurance 

 of a crop every yenr. 



ContinuinfT 071 our trin south, the honey 

 crop gradually improved until we reached 

 what is termed sotithern California, where 

 in most cases satisfaf'torv crons were har- 

 vested. A stop was made at Santa Maria, 

 near where there are several hundred acre's 

 devoted to the growing of flower seeds. We 

 did not get a chance to tnlk to anv of the 

 beekeepers and wonder if some of the va- 

 rieties of flowers do not furnish a good 

 flow of nectar. L. L. Andrews. 



Corona, Cal. 



