1895. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



19 



as possible, I shall send South for several three-pound lots of 

 bees, and an untested Italian queen with each lot. Half of 

 these lots I will place in hives with the deep frames, and half 

 in hives of standard size, and give all the same care as nearly 

 as possible through the season. Will not this be a fair test, 

 and help to determine the relative value of the two kinds of 

 hives ? 



I would get some nuclei from some Northern bee-keeper, 

 each of which should cost the same as one lot of the Southern 

 bees, as nearly as possible, and divide them between the two 

 kinds of hives as before mentioned, but here the standard 

 comes in and puts a stop to experimentation. I do not see 

 any way yet to circumvent the standard. But, anyhow, I will 

 get some nuclei and place them in standard hives in order to 

 determine whether the same amount of money expended for a 

 nucleus will bring as good returns as an equal amount ex- 

 pended for a 3-pound lot of Southern bees. Next fall, if 

 nothing happens, I will tell the readers of the American Bee 

 Journal how I came out. 



A PROPHETIC VISION. 



I am looking forward with considerable interest to the 

 next meeting of the North American, at Toronto. I may not 

 be there, but I have a prophet's vision of some of the things 

 that may be seen at that convention. I see Dr. Miller there, 

 and I also see him arise and make a speech, the burden of 

 which is, " I don't know." I see John McArthur there, going 

 through the instructive and money-making process of sulphur- 

 ing 200 to 400 colonies of Italian and Carniolan bees. I see 

 A. I. Root there, trying to persuade some fellow to forego the 

 use of tobacco, and go to raising Prizetaker onions in the 

 dovetailed hive. And, lastly, but not leastly, I see Emerson 

 Eat'n Hasty Pudd'n there, in his Ku-Klux robe. 



Leon, Iowa. 



% 



Somethiug About California Bee-Keepiug. 



BY DR. E. GALLUP. 



I enclose a sample letter similar to dozens that I receive, 

 and here is about what I have to say to them : 



It is a hard matter to get permanent employment with 

 bee-keepers here, as the bee-keepers are only obliged to hire 

 help about three months in the year in an ordinary season, 

 and most of them do not hire at all, as they do all necessary 

 work within their own families. 



Bee-keepers are all honorable, so far as I have been ac- 

 quainted with them in this State, without a single exception. 



Apiaries are located up in the mountains or foot-hills — 

 none in the valleys, to speak of. They are isolated, and away 

 from society. The families of bee-keepers — a great many of 

 them — live in the valleys or cities, except about three months 

 in the year. They then move to the bee-ranch during ex- 

 tracting time, and live there in a sort of camping-out life. 

 The owner goes up to the bee-ranch occasionally at other 

 times in the year. 



Bee-keeping here is altogether different from that in the 

 East. For example, take Mr. Miller, who lives here in Santa 

 Ana. His apiary is located about 30 miles up in the moun- 

 tains, in a beautiful canyon, called " Belle Canyon " — among 

 live-oaks and sycamores. He has a few acres in fruit, and a 

 vegetable garden, and hired only a common hand, when he 

 took out 45 tons of honey in one season. He usually keeps 

 about 275 to 300 colonies. In an apiary of that size there is 

 very little swarming — only about sufficient to keep the num- 

 ber good. The apiarist himself does all the necessary work, 

 and only attends to them occasionally, except at extracting 

 time. 



There is no trouble in fixing for winter. After the hives 

 are once made, extracting house, fixings, etc., there is com- 

 paratively little to do — not enough to pay for keeping a hired 

 hand. The season of 1894 was an entire failure. It was the 

 first for the whole country in 17 years. 



Bees fly and gather pollen here almost every day in the 

 year. I have been here 15 years, and in all that time I have 

 known only five days in any one year that bees did not fly. 

 They are now (Nov. 26) humming on the eucalyptus, and will 

 be until February. Then comes willow and other bloom. 

 They have had to be fed this season, but they have filled up 

 well this fall. Where they have been properly cared for, they 

 have been self-sustaining in all those 17 years, in most of the 

 apiaries. One bee-keeper said to me the past season, "If I 

 should have to feed a ton of sugar to keep my bees alive, they 

 have more than paid for it three thousand fold ;" and he was 

 correct. 



Two persons can extract and can 1,000 pounds per day, 



and not work so very hard, either, where everything is con- 

 venient. While the extracting season lasts there is no bother 

 from robber bees, as in a good season they will scarcely stop 

 to clean up any honey that is spilled or daubed about the 

 hives. 



Where else can one find 360 days out of the 365 of cli- 

 mate, for we have climate in summer as well as winter here? 



There was a great scare here about foul brood the past 

 season, but it did not " pan out" foul brood at all. 



Now, Mr. Editor, perhaps it would be as well to place 

 Gallup's name at the head of his articles instead of the tail, 

 and then " Business" could skip them, as California climate 

 does not set well on his stomach. But it agrees with me first- 

 rate. Santa Ana, Calif. 



[The letter referred to by Dr. Gallup in the first part of 

 his article, contained a number of questions about California 

 bee-keeping, which are so clearly answered in the foregoing 

 that it is quite unnecessary to also print the letter. In fact, 

 the questions can easily be surmised by reading the answers. 



Yes, "Business" can skip Dr. G.'s writings, and no 

 " slight " will be felt. —Editor.] 



% 

 The Five-Banded Bees and Golden Italians. 



Br H. F. COLEMAN. 



I am greatly interested in what that chief of bee-masters 

 — Mr. G. M. Doolittle— has to say with reference to 5- 

 banded bees, as given on page 648 (Nov. 22, 1894) ; and I am 

 clearly of the opinion that in producing the bees he charac- 

 terizes as the " 5-banded bees," the Italian side has been 

 strictly adhered to. But pardon me, if I express the idea that 

 the bees he so characterizes are not what we know iu this 

 locality as " the 5-banded bees." There is certainly a very 

 marked difference. It has been my pleasure to examine 

 closely bees from queens reared by Mr. Doolittle, and compare 

 them with bees known here as the 5-banded variety, and I 

 find that the difference is so marked that even a novice would 

 have no trouble in detecting it. 



The 5-banded bees here are evidently crosses with Cyprian 

 or Syrian blood. The abdomens, except the tip, are almost a 

 solid yellow, and their temper is so different from that of the 

 Italians, that it betrays itself. 



The Doolittle bees, in the main, are gentle, and not nearly 

 so yellow as our 5-banders, and in my experience are better 

 honey-gatherers. The Doolittle bees should be known as the 

 "Golden Italians," or bees that have been bred for beauty as 

 well as utility ; and the others as " the 5-banded bees," or a 

 cross between Italians, Cyprians or Syrians, and bred more 

 for beauty than utility. 



I would not be understood, however, as saying that the 5- 

 banded bees are not good honey-gatherers, but in my experi- 

 ence the Golden Italians (for such as I call them) are ahead 

 of the 5-banders, and as to gentleness, they are certainly far 

 ahead. There is another difference that is well to be remem- 

 bered, and that is, the Golden Italians are somewhat larger 

 than the 5-banded. I have both kinds in my yard, and have 

 given each due attention, and speak from actual experience 

 and observation. I have no interest in the matter but truth. 



Sneedville, Tenn. 



Does the Queen Will It ? — Introducing. 



BY W. H. PRIDGBN. 



The above is a question asked on page 617 (Nov. 15, 

 1894). Now, I do not propose to try to answer the question, 

 as Dr. Miller failed, for I have long since learned that I do not 

 always know what I think I do. But some of my experience 

 last summer caused me to come to the conclusion that Mrs. 

 L. Harrison's reply to Query No. 944, did not miss the mark, 

 which was, "Workers are 'boss,' and control the queen." 

 And I believe it holds good as to laying as well as swarming. 

 I don't know anything about the will power of the queen. She 

 may will the sex of her eggs, but I believe she lays the kind 

 the workers want, and where they want them. 



The last of June, 1894, a large swarm issued, that I hived 

 on drawn combs, being late in the season. Wishing to super- 

 sede the old queen, I removed her and gave them a young one 

 from a small nucleus, but I soon saw that they were not satis- 

 fied with the change, and found the queen balled. So I caged 

 her over hatching brood taken from another colony, but they 

 would not receive her kindly in three days. I caged her again, 

 and waited three more days, and on opening the hive I found 



