AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



85 



when the sections are alternated with 

 the brood-combs that the bees take im- 

 mediate possession of them, and Mr. 

 Doolittle has demonstrated where to 

 have kept only one colony waiting it 

 would have equaled his time in the hay- 

 field. 



I should have said that when the sec- 

 tions are taken out of the brood-nest, 

 the original combs are returned ; and I 

 may add that the average time for the 

 sections to contain honey will be 48 

 hours, while 72 hours is an unusual 

 length of time. 



There is a certain period in the prog- 

 ress of every colony in conjunction with 

 the honey harvest when this plan is most 

 successful, and can be told by the ex- 

 perienced. In California this year it 

 was about three weeks ago, while our 

 honey harvest is still in the future. 



One or two weeks later or earlier, it 

 will take twice as long to have the same 

 work done ; it will be a poorer job, the 

 queen may lay in them, or there may be 

 pollen stored in them. 



Colonies vary so much in strength and 

 work that in a hundred colonies five 

 may be ready to-day, 12 to-morrow, 25 

 day after, and then the number de- 

 creases for a week or two. 



Many of our foremost apiarists who 

 produce honey by the ton, in applying 

 this method, instead of sorting out the 

 stronger colonies and manipulating them 

 first, will begin on one side of the apiary 

 and take the colonies weak and strong, 

 by the row, as we hoe a row of corn, be- 

 ginning too late for the strong, and too 

 early for the weak, making a failure of 

 the whole job. 



When a colony stores one-half of the 

 brood-chamber with honey, there never 

 can be the force of a colony in the sec- 

 tions, since division of the honey means 

 division of the workers. 



To cause bees to store honey above a 

 line of capped honey along the top-bar 

 is contrary to natural instincts, and may 

 be compared to compelling a mason to 

 finish the top of a wall before laying the 

 foundation. 



Pasadena, Calif., May 10, 1893. 



Capons and Caponi^ing:, by 



Edward Warren Sawyer, M. D., Fanny 

 Field, and others. It shows in clear 

 language and illustrations all about 

 caponizing fowls ; and thus how to 

 make the most money in poultry-raising. 

 Every poultry-keeper should have it. 

 Price, postpaid, 30 cents ; or clubbed 

 with Bee Jouknax one year, for $1.10. 



Some California Bfotes on Bees, 

 Cherries, Ete. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 

 BY W. A. PRYAL. 



I have been at home from Chicago a 

 week now, and have been at work 

 among the bees most of that time. I 

 think by Tuesday next my year's work 

 with the bees will cease, as I will have 

 to turn my attention to my regular busi- 

 ness. The bees will not be neglected, as 

 my brothers are fairly well able to run 

 the apiary. They attended to all the 

 work while I was away, and as they ob- 

 tained a fair amount of comb and ex- 

 tracted honey in that time, I feel confi- 

 dent that they will have no trouble in 

 running things apicultural hereafter. 

 These boys have been brought up among 

 the bees, for they have seen me at work 

 wtth the honey-gatherers since they 

 were babies. We have had bees on this 

 place for the past 26 years; neither of 

 my brothers are yet 20 years of age. 



Though I have more colonies run for 

 honey this year, I think I am not going 

 to get as much honey as I obtained last 

 year with less hives. At this date we 

 have more honey, and will still obtain 

 more. The season seems to be shorter 

 by a good deal ; the grass is all dry on 

 the hills and valleys. Yet there may be 

 a big flow from some of the wild flowers 

 in the hills during the next few weeks. 

 Our fine light honey is yet to come in, 

 provided there is to be any. 



While I was away I was afraid that 

 the boys would have trouble in saving 

 the swarms as they issued ; they did not, 

 and strange to say the bees did not get 

 the swarming fever. Out of over 60 

 colonies we have not had more than 10 

 swarms. They were given plenty of 

 room, and kept to work. This has 

 pleased me, for I have been always 

 " forninst " too many swarms. I prefer 

 to do my own swarming, so to speak. 



While at the World's Fair I saw in the 

 California building an exhibit of a bee- 

 hive and some "bean" honey, by Dr. 

 Archer, of Ventura county, this State. 

 The samples of honey were as fine as 

 any honey I ever saw. I would have 

 thought from its appearance that it was 

 sage honey — that honey for which South- 

 ern California is famous. The exhibit 

 is in that corner of the building where 

 the Southern California counties are 

 making their special display. 



We have a big crop of cherries this 

 year. Our county is one of the leading 

 cherry counties of the State. If the 



