250 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Apr. 18, 



to make investigations, besides what I had already learned 

 from a school teacher in the place while waiting at the depot. 

 Our conversation turned on the different crops and fruit, and 

 the " red bugs" (chigoe or chigors) of which Mrs. Atchley 

 wrote when at Greenville. They are described as very minute 

 and very numerous. Tick nature, they will eat themselves 

 into the skin, and sometimes lay their eggs there, which 

 cause hard lumps, and are very itching. They are fouud all 

 over Texas and part of Louisiana. 



After breakfast in a restaurant, I went into some of the 

 stores and found some Texas honey in 5-pound tinpails, which 

 sold for To cents. It was not extracted, but honey and comb 

 in a mass. It was dark, and of rank taste. The honey came 

 from C. P. Clements, Queen City, Tex. I did not hear of any 

 bees in this vicinity. 



My train started from Whitesboro at 10 a.m., west to 

 Gainesville 16 miles. On the way I saw some small fields of 

 cotton and corn, in the openings, in the shruby, poor-looking 

 timber — called "gross timbers" of Texas — mostly white and 

 black oak. There are also some young, thrifty fruit orchards 

 in this timber, here and there. Here I saw the only thrifty 

 apple trees in Texas, while the ground is of a red, burnt, 

 gravelly, poor looking nature. The timbers are irregular, 

 from one to 20 miles wide, and about 100 miles or more in 

 length, stretched north and south. 



Gainesville is a thrifty town of about 9,000 inhabitants. 

 I found there one of my old neighbors, 2% miles from town, 

 on a nicely located farm of 200 acres, for which he paid 

 811,000 last year, and for another 320 acres last fall, ;3 

 miles away, ST, .500. He had to haul his water when I was 

 there, 2 to 3 miles, and did not know how far he would have 

 to haul it soon, if no rain would come — probably from the Red 

 river, 5 miles away, as nearly all the creeks and rivers had 

 gone dry all over Texas. This man had a fine, improved farm 

 here in Minnesota of 320 acres, with a windmill and a never- 

 failing well of splendid water, a gasoline engine and feed 

 mill — in short, it is as fine a home as any one can wish for. 

 He sold 83,500 worth of small grain to one man in Chicago 

 from last summer's crop, besides considerable at home, and 

 raised a lot of hogs and other stock besides here. The reader 

 will ask, " Why did he go to Texas '?" Yes, why did he go '? 

 Just because he listened to the flattering, exaggerated reports, 

 and innocently believed them. He sees now that he made a 

 big blunder. 



There is far better soil on the west side of Gainesville 

 than on the east. I could not find any bees here. I then 

 started east to Sherman, another thrifty town about the size of 

 the former: 14 miles from here I found another of my old 

 neighbors, on a 1,400 acre farm, for which he paid .$24,000 

 three years ago, and he has lived on it since. He has 200 or 

 300 acres in cultivation. This is good prairie land — black, 

 waxy land, as it is called. He does not want to raise cotton 

 for 4 cents per pound, ginned, or $1.40 per 100 pounds for 

 picked — with seed in, as it comes from the field ; 1,600 

 pounds of picked, or raw cotton, makes 500 pounds of ginned 

 or cleaned cotton ; 500 pounds is a bale, and Jo bale is an 

 average crop per acre. Cotton takes three times the labor 

 corn does. This man raises wheat, oats, corn and hay, which 

 all do well here, but has to seek his own market. The rest 

 of his land is in pasture. He has less stock now than three 

 years ago — more have died than he could raise. Going over 

 his land we came to a place where there were a lot of bones 

 and skeletons. I asked him if that was his boneyard. " Yes, 

 that's my boneyard," was his laughing reply ; and further 

 said, " I have lost seven head this fall in the cornstalks. I 

 think it was from the smut." 



His stock was in finer condition than any other I saw in 

 Texas, except eight or nine head southwest of Beeville. Most 

 of the stock in Texas was very poor, some in a starving condi- 

 tion. 



The next morning he took me toCollinsville, 6 miles west, 

 to my route farther south. This man did not realize his ex- 

 pectations in Texas. He is very industrious and economical, 

 and accumulated, while here in Minnesota, .84,000 or 85,000. 

 He was 10 or 12 years in northwestern Iowa, and accumu- 

 lated 820,000 or 822,000 more, and then moved to Texas. 

 " I am going to sell if I can, but will keep silent otherwise," 

 is what he told me on our way. " I could buy land here for 

 S12.50 per acre now." 



While going along I saw some bee-hives in a fence-corner. 

 We stopped the team, and I went to the house and inquired 

 about the bees. I asked the sturdy lady (the man was not at 

 home) how their bees were doing ? " Quito smart," was the 

 reply. How much honey do you get per colony? " O, right 

 smart," she said. With her consent I tried to examine them, 

 but everything was nailed together, even the four sticks on 

 which the hives stood were driven into the ground and nailed 



to the hives. No examination could take place, and lifting 

 was in vain. 



Arriving at Collinsville, I had two hours before ray train 

 was due. I inquired for bees, and found that one man had 

 10 or 12 colonies about 80 rods from the depot. I went 

 there, but was told that the bee-keeper was sick in bed, 

 caused by a bullet which he injected into his body with a re- 

 volver, trying to commit suicide. But he gave orders to let 

 me examine his bees. I had to clear away the weeds and rub- 

 bish around them before I could get to them. I opened a num- 

 ber of the hives, and they were in bad condition, with but 

 little honey ; but some of them were working quite freely in 

 the field, bringing in pollen and honey. His neighbor told me 

 that those bees had not stored any surplus honey for four 

 years. 



The land here is very sandy, and well water bad. One 

 drink of it spoiled my taste and appetite for a number of 

 days. This was the case with well water wherever I drank 

 any all over the State. People that have lived in Texas for 

 some time, claim no bad effects from the well water, 

 though many have cisterns for the house and drinking water, 

 but all of it is very warm — about 60- or more — for drinking. 



I arrived at West Point at midnight, and had to wait for 

 the train until the next noon. Here I saw a species of thistle 

 in full bloom, on which the bees were busily engaged. The 

 leaves were spread flat on the ground, with a dark green 

 foliage, and the snow-white bell-shaped, single, one-inch-or- 

 more in diameter flower, stood right in the center, with a 

 stem about 2 inches high. It was abundant all over the 

 streets and waste places, and was beautiful. 



Here the Colorado river bottoms produce the most corn 

 and cotton per acre of any place I saw in Texas; but here 

 and further south no oats can be raised to any advantage. It 

 gets rusty, as a rule. 



I arrived at Flatonia at 2 p.m., and had to wait for the 

 train until 6. Strolling around the outskirts of the town, I 

 saw some peach trees and many shrubs in full bloom ; and 

 when a lot of playing children saw me coming, with my fur 

 cap, they stood on their toes and exclaimed, "What's that? 

 what's that?" It was near Christmas Day, and when they 

 saw I was not Santa Claus, they commenced laughing and 

 shouting. 



Going on a little farther I heard the sound of bees, and 

 soon found their home in a little garden before a house. A 

 lady, looking through the open window (it was warm — about 

 85^), was asked how the bees were doing, "Right smart," 

 was her answer. How much honey do you get in a season ? 

 " Quite smart," was the reply. By this time the owner of the 

 bees came out and walked with me on the sidewalk, and told 

 me that his bees did not store much honey last summer, be- 

 cause they were not cut last year. 



From here I made a side trip via Houston to Crowley, La. 

 — 166 miles westerly from New Orleans. This is as fine a 

 rice country as can be found anywhere. The country around 

 Crowley for 30 and more miles is just made for rice culture, 

 and all of my friends and acquaintances who live here, are 

 doing and prospering well on rice, and like the place well. 

 Three million bushels were shipped in 1893 from here. Fruit 

 trees make immense growth here. The place is seven years 

 old, and has over 2,000 population. Christmas here, as well 

 as in Texas, is celebrated with fireworks by the youths, be- 

 sides the festivities that we have in the North. The negroes 

 keep it going all night. 



Starting back on the same route, 345 miles, I did not see 

 Houston and the country around it, as the train went through 

 at night both times, but I am told that there is a good country 

 around Houston, which is quite a city, and has a fine depot. 

 There are a number of artesian wells here, about 400 feet deep, 

 which are said to furnish good water. I did not get a taste 

 of it. 



I arrived at Beeville on Dec. 26, at 6 p.m. Myself and 

 another bee-keeper (Mr. Koch, from near Austin, Tex.) were 

 taken by Mr. S. D. Hanna to his nice residence, where we 

 were welcomed by his clever wife and family. Mr. Hanna 

 and his son Henry are bee-keepers. Being with bee-keepers we 

 felt at home, and after the inner man was satisfied with a 

 good supper, we had an interesting time with bee-talk until a 

 late hour, when we were furnished with a splendid bed, and 

 had a good rest after the long ride on the cars. 



Theilmanton, Minn. 

 (Concluded next week.) 



Back INumbers for 1895 we can furnish to new 

 subscribers until further notice, if they will let us know when 

 subscribing. We will begin the subscription Jan. 1, 1895, if 

 you say so when sending 81.00 for a year's subscription. 



