THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



6-7 



Bee Culture in the Rockies. 



There are many inquiries now about 

 bee-culture in Colorado. In order to 

 reply to the many, all at once, we give 

 the following from the AmeTican Ag- 

 riculturist for January : 



Apiculture is an established Indus- 

 try in Colorado. A recent tour 

 through all the valley lands, in search 

 of agricultural statistics, gave the 

 writer full evidence that both in 

 Northern and Southern Colorado more 

 or less attention is being paid to that 

 pleasant and prolitable industry ; and 

 that, if it increased in the same ratio 

 for the next ten years, at that time 

 the market could be supplied with the 

 home product to the entire exclusion 

 of that now brought from Kansas and 

 California. We are inclined to believe 

 that at least five thousand colonies of 

 bees, mainly Italian, are in the State ; 

 that Colorado is as well adapted to 

 profitable bee-keeping as California ; 

 that the honey produced is full as 

 white, as pure, and as sweet as any in- 

 troduced into the market; that there 

 is hardly a farm or garden where bees 

 will not thrive, and that the toot-hills 

 are peculiarly adapted for extensive 

 apiaries. 



In the East, warm weather, with oc- 

 casional storms, is necessary to a good 

 honey season. A continual drouth is 

 fatal to the bees' harvest. Looking at 

 Colorado from this point of view, it 

 would seem as if its arid climate would 

 be unfavorable. But the belief now 

 prevails, that the hot days, followed 

 so invariably by cool nights, facilitate 

 the secretion of honey in tlowers and 

 blossoms better than any other state 

 of weather. In the East, days of 

 drouth are usually followed by warm 

 nights, which is fatal to honey pros- 

 pects. Occasional showers cool the 

 atmosphere, which is favorable ; 

 therefore, the temperature is of more 

 importance than dampness. Again, 

 continual rains destroy the honey crop, 

 and deprive the bees of an opportunity 

 to go upon the wing. Taking these 

 things into consideration, we see why 

 bees do so well in the dry climate of 

 Colorado. Its hot days, following by 

 cool nights, give to nature an abun- 

 dance of sweets. With no prolonged 

 rains, bees have an ample opportunity 

 to improve the shining hour, which in 

 Colorado means from sunrise to sun- 

 set, one day after another, week in and 

 week out — as a rule. 



Where a canyon or gulch is open or 

 wide, and the hills are low, a dry side 

 gulch with a southeastern exposure 

 would be a good situation. In the 

 early spring the bees go to the lowest 

 foot-hills to get the earliest-blooming 

 flowers, and as the same varieties 

 blossom at higher altitudes, they fol- 

 low them np, and as the season ad- 

 vances, still keep following them up 

 higher and higher. Then, as new va- 

 rieties bloom below, they repeat the 

 process during the entire season of 

 bloom. But it is also to be said that 

 bees will do well upon the plains, in 

 the valleys, and wherever land is under 

 cultivation ; for the face of nature here 

 is covered from early spring-time to 



late fall, with flowers that afford honey 

 in great abundance. Trees, wild 

 blooms, vegetable blossoms, wild 

 grasses, cleome, alfalfa, corn blossoms, 

 all offer their store of sweet treasure 

 to the ever busy bees. In considering 

 this source of constant supply, it is a 

 fact of great importance to know, that 

 from the early part of March, gener- 

 ally, bees begin to gather pollen and 

 honey from willows on southern hill- 

 sides and sunny slopes, and from this 

 time to October, there are very few 

 days that honey is not gathered from 

 some source. 



Now contrast this with a season in 

 the Eastern, Middle, or even Western 

 States, where the honey season sel- 

 dom lasts three months, and it willjbe 

 seen that Colorado is one of the best 

 States in the Union for bee-culture. 

 Pasturage is profuse in its abundance. 

 With the willow blossoms comes a 

 species of Delphinium, pushing its 

 head up through the snow, and cover- 

 ing foot-hills and plains with its 

 bloom. 



Roses and red raspberries abound 

 in the foot-hills. On the plains, with 

 the willow and Cottonwood, comes a 

 little weed called the "hog potato," 

 growing flat on the ground. It has a 

 purple bloom. Then there are fruit 

 blossoms and wild roses in May and 

 June ; milkweed and immeasurable 

 wild Howers also appear. Alfalfa is 

 in its first bloom and is favorite for- 

 aging ground for the busy bees. In 

 July the wild grasses and wild flowers 

 tempt the roving fancy of the bees, 

 while melon, squash, and other vines 

 invite the winged seekers after sweets. 

 During August and September, corn 

 tassels, alfalfa, amber cane, furnish 

 abunant food. At this time, too, the 

 prairie, in spots, are covered with 

 cleome, or the Rocky Mountain bee- 

 plant, with its wealth of purple flow- 

 ers, in which lies hidden an amount of 

 bee-food one little dreams of, which 

 the bees transform into the choicest 

 honey that can be found. In October, 

 there grows on dry prairie land, a 

 weed, the shape and size of sage brush, 

 having a yellow bloom. This is not 

 the best bee-food known, but it is used 

 when other things are not to be 

 had. 



There is one drawback to bee-cul- 

 ture which must be mentioned. It 

 comes from too much warm, sunny 

 weather in winter. This causes bees 

 left on summer stands to fly out, and 

 doing this day after day, many are 

 lost and never return to the hive, and 

 as they do not begin breeding until 

 February, and then very slowly, the 

 numbers rapidly decrease, and often 

 the entire swarm is lost from this 

 cause. The remedy for this is a good 

 cellar, well ventilated, and so arranged 

 that the temperature will be kept at 

 40^ to bOf^ Farenheit. It is to be said, 

 in addition, that perfect darkness and 

 the greatest degree of quiet that can 

 be secured must be maintained. 



Special Notice. — We will, hereafter, 

 supply the Weekly Bee Journal 

 for 1883 and Cook's Manual in cloth 

 for .$2.75, or the Monthly and Manual 

 in cloth for $1.75. 



Attractive Packages of Honey. 



The following, from the Amaiican 

 Agriculturist, is such advice as we have 

 often given to bee-keepers, about hav- 

 ing honey attractive, when marketing 

 it for the retail trade. It cannot be 

 too often stated, nor too persistently 

 urged. If we want to popularize its 

 consumption, it must attract the eye, 

 and, by its neatness, captivate the 

 purchaser. This " advice is good and 

 timely," and bee-keepers should " ever 

 remembei'" it : 



Winter is a good time to build up a 

 market. For extracted honey , use at- 

 tractive pails and jars, with neat la- 

 bels, which state the kind of honey, 

 and the name of the person that pro- 

 duces it. Neat pyramids of these 

 packages, in the stores, will attract 

 buyers. The size of the vessels should 

 vary from one-half a pound to those 

 that will hold five pounds. The label 

 should state that the granulation is 

 no injury, and, indeed, is the best as- 

 surance of purity. It should also tell 

 how to restore the liquid condition, 

 without harm to the honey, by apply- 

 ing heat, not to exceed 180° F. 



Comb tioney should be put in a neat 

 case, so as to show off to the best ad- 

 vantage. The case ought to bear the 

 name of the producer, and the kind 

 and grade of the honey. Bee-keepers 

 cannot be too careful about grading 

 their honey. In creating a market, 

 nothing will take the place of neatness 

 and care in putting up the honey. If 

 it properly arranged, every dealer will 

 be only too glad to give it a showy 

 place in his store. 



1^ We wish to thank the many who 

 have not only renewed their subscrip- 

 tion to the Bee Journal for 1883, 

 but who have also sent on one or more 

 new names with their own. The 

 multitude of expressions of fraternal 

 good-will and kind wishes for the suc- 

 cess of the Journal also call for our 

 acknowledgment. We cannot And 

 time to write to each one personally, 

 and hope that all such will take this 

 acknowledgment as though personally 

 addressed to those who have so kindly 

 aided us in our work. 



i^ Mrs. Martha Adams Winder, 

 wife of Mr. John W. Winder, recently 

 from Tliibadoux, La., died at Uvalde, 

 Texas, of dropsy of the heart, on 

 Sunday the 7th inst., in her .52nd year. 

 Mrs. Winder is reported to us as a 

 sincere and consistent Christian, and 

 that, during her illness, she often ex- 

 pressed a wish to recover, so that she 

 might be more useful in the church. 

 Our sympathies are with the luisband 

 and the two sons, for truly the very 

 heart of the home life departs when 

 the mother is taken away. 



