88 



POPULAE SCIEI^CE l^EWS. 



[June, 1888. 



young and immature bees. It has been ob- 

 served that a bee alwa3-s confines its visits 

 to one variet}- of flower at a time, so that 

 pollen of different plants is never mixed. As 

 the cross-fertilization and consequent fertility- 

 of plants is largely dependent upon the visits 

 of bees and other insects, this habit is of the 

 greatest importance. 



We thus see that, even from a chemical point 

 of view, the contents of a beehive are not with- 

 out interest ; but in comparison with the almost 

 human knowledge displayed b}' these wonder- 

 ful insects in bringing up their young, and 

 providing stores of food, it is of but little 

 consequence. Talk about instinct and reason 

 as we may, the dividing line is a very obscure 

 one ; and the source of the knowledge which 

 enables the bee to build its comb, and teaches 

 it to la}' up a supply of honey for the coming 

 winter, is still an unexplained mystery. 



HONEY PRODUCTION IN CALIFORNIA. 



Southern California is justly celebrated for the 

 quality and variety of its fruits ; but comparatively 

 few persons are aware of the extent to which honey 

 is produced there, and the excellence of the prod- 

 uct. Believing that pharmacists and other con- 

 sumers will be interested in knowing where they 

 can procure houey of unsurpassed quality in any 

 desired quantity at a reasonable price, I have been 

 led to prepare this brief account of its production 

 on the Pacific coast. 



The honey-producing district includes San 

 Diego, Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and 

 San Bernardino Counties, together with portions of 

 those adjacent. The primary requisites for an api- 

 ary are a suitable location, plenty of "bee-feed," 

 and convenient water. The apiaries — or "bee- 

 ranches," as they are commonly called — are mostly 

 located in canyons of the Coast Range Mountains, 

 whose slopes are in many places densely covered 

 with several varieties of wild sage and other honey- 

 bearing shrubs and trees. In addition to these 

 sources of honey-supply, the so-called grasses com- 

 monly known as wild alfalfa {Mekicago sativa, 

 Linne), and alfilaria, or pin-grass {Erodium cicuta- 

 rium, L'Heritier), are much utilized by the beei in 

 gathering in their supplies. Usually from one 

 hundred to three hundred colonies are kept in one 

 place, the number depending chiefly upon the extent 

 of the range. The hives are made in two com- 

 partments; the upper one, called a super, being 

 removable. 



The usual size is fourteen by nineteen inches, 

 inside measurement, and ten inches deep ; the size 

 of the super being the same. Each compartment 

 is supplied with eight or ten frames placed longi- 

 tudinally, and supported upon the rabbeted upper 

 edge. A movable horizontal partition separates 

 the two compartments, by which the bees are con- 

 fined to the lower part of the hive, whicli is often 

 necessary. The season opens usually about the be- 

 ginning of March, and continues until the close of 

 July. When fully at work, a large apiary presents 

 a scene of activity not often seen elsewhere ; for, in 

 addition to the storing of honey, swarming occurs, 

 frequently to the extent of fifty swarms a day. In a 

 good season it is not uncommon for the number of 

 colonies to be doubled. The method of extracting 

 honey, while familiar to many, may not be without 

 interest. The frames containing tlie filled combs 

 are taken to the extracting room, where the ends 

 of the cells are sliced off with a long flat-bladed 

 knife. The frames are then placed in the extract- 

 or, which consists of an upright tank with a verti- 



cal shaft, and from four to eight radial arms, 

 supporting hinged wire cages of sufficient size to 

 admit the frames and support the combs. By 

 means of a simple or geared crank the shaft is 

 rapidly revolved alternately to the right and to the 

 left, and in a few minutes the contents of the comb 

 are thrown out against the sides of the tank, and 

 collect at the bottom, whence the honey is drawn 

 off into storage tanks, to be kept until canned and 

 shipped. The emptied combs are tlien replaced in 

 the hives to be refilled, which process is repeated a 

 number of times with the same comb, being con- 

 tinued until the comb is destroyed. When it is 

 understood that the amount of bee energy required 

 for a pound of wax will produce twenty pounds 

 of honey, the object of the above-mentioned pro- 

 cess will be apparent. "Comb foundation" is 

 largely used in order to save unprofitable energy. 

 It is made by passing thin sheets of wax between 

 metal rollers whose surfaces are so arranged as to 

 produce an exact reproduction of the central parti- 

 tion of a honey-comb. This is fastened into the 

 frame with a little melted wax, and the bees build 

 out the cells just as if they had made the entire 

 comb. 



The refuse combs, fragments of combs, scraps, 

 etc., are put into the "sun-extractor," in which, 

 by exposure to the sun's rays, the honey is rendered 

 less viscid, and slowly drains off. This product is, 

 of course, inferior, and is not mixed with the cen- 

 trifugally extracted honey, being reserved for the 

 bees to forestall a possible honey-famine, which, 

 owing to unfavorable seasons and improvident ex- 

 traction, sometimes occurs. 



It is said that glucose is used not only to feed 

 bees, but also to adulterate honey. I do not know 

 to what extent this practice obtains elsewhere, but 

 a long residence in the honey districts of Cali- 

 fornia, and frequent visits to a large number of 

 apiaries, confirm me in the belief that glucose is 

 not used for either of these purposes there. I have 

 never seen any glucose at an apiary, and the fact 

 that it would be quite as expensive as the honey 

 itself, would preclude its use. 



California honey is usually very light-colored, 

 which fact leads many people to believe that it is 

 not pure ; but to those who thoroughly understand 

 the circumstances under which it is produced, this 

 seems to be an entirely unfounded prejudice. The 

 amount of honey turned out in a single apiary 

 seems, to those unaccustomed to such things, enor- 

 mous. Thirty tons of extracted honey have been 

 produced in a single season in an apiary of 

 three hundred colonies. Indeed, three hundred 

 pounds per colony is not uncommon, a super often 

 being filled once in seven days. This large yield 

 depends to some extent upon the assistance given 

 the bees by the apiarist, but chiefly upon the sea- 

 son. If the preceding winter has been dry, or if 

 there is much fog during the period of honey pro- 

 duction, the yield will be greatly lessened, and 

 sometimes is barely sufficient to tide the bees over 

 until the next season. Formerly much loss wa.s 

 occasioned in this way; but now a sufficient portion 

 of honey is always held in reserve to keep the col- 

 onies in a strong, healthy condition. 



The bulk of California honey is shipped in cans, 

 varying in size from twelve to sixty pounds; it 

 can also be obtained in smaller cans and glass jars, 

 if desired. About one-tenth of the entire amount 

 is shipped in the comb. During 1887 there were 

 shipped to the East from Los Angeles 1,256,210 

 pounds, and from San Francisco 1,090,000 pounds, 

 together with 250,000 pounds of comb honey. 

 Canned honey usually sells at the apiaries at from 

 four to six cents per pound. I have frequently 

 bought honey of superb quality for five cents per 

 pound. In car-load lots it can be laid down in any 



Ea.stern city at from two to three cents a pound for 

 freight. It could be sold with profit by retail deal- 

 ers at ten to twelve cents. Last season was unfa- 

 vorable for honey production, and in consequence 

 the quality is not up to the standard, although the 

 price is higher than usual. In view of the figures 

 given above as to quantity and price, it would seem 

 that there is no sufficient reason why all persons who 

 use honey for domestic and other purposes cannot 

 be fully supplied. The honey of California is un- 

 surpassed by any in the world, and nowhere else 

 can honey of equal quality be procured in such 

 large amount. There are reliable merchants in 

 each of the counties named who can supply honey 

 of the best flavor and purest quality in any de- 

 sired quantity, from a single can to a car-load, at 

 prices entirely witliin the reach of all who are ac- 

 customed to the use of pure articles of food. — J. E. 

 S. Bell, in American Journal of Pharmacy. 



GLEANINGS. 



For shaded, damp lawns, plant Poa trivialis. It 

 will make a velvety carpet under an apple-tree. 



The export of breadstuffs from the United States 

 in 1887 amounted in value to $168,301,708, against 

 1148,123,020 in 1886. 



Corn and Water. — It has been estimated that 

 during growth Indian corn draws thirty-six times 

 its own weight of water from the soil. 



A Connecticut Colt is said to have been found 

 getting pears to eat by rubbing himself against a 

 pear-tree until the shaking brought down the fruit, 

 which he would eat, and then return, and shake 

 the tree again. 



Vine-Pruning. — Professor H. MuUer, an emi- 

 nent botanist, says that the best time to prune 

 vines is while the grapes are ripening, and that the 

 young shoots should be selected for this purpose, 

 as they require for their development a large quan- 

 tity of sugar, to the detriment of the ripening 

 fruit. 



Cherish the Toads.- — "I honestly think," 

 says T. D. English, "that a healthy and able-bodied 

 toad, of industrious habits, will get away with and 

 digest his own weight of insects during twenty- 

 four hours. If you be of an insecticidal turn of 

 mind, turn out by daylight, and watch the toads 

 getting breakfast. It is entertaining." 



Electricity and Wine. — Recent experiments 

 in Italy give some facts which prove conclusively 

 that a weak but continuous current of electricity 

 through wine causes a deposit of albuminous sub- 

 stances, diminishes slightly the amount of alcohol, 

 whicli latter is accounted for by increase of acetic 

 acid. It gives to the wine the bouquet which is 

 otherwise only acquired by age, and without doubt 

 aids in the keeping qualities of the wine. There 

 is a hope expressed, that in time there may be a 

 method found by which sterilization will be accom- 

 plished by electricity. 



Wasps and Bees. — Bees never injure sound 

 fruit, according to Popular Gardening. Wasps will 

 puncture grapes, etc., but with bees it is a physical 

 impossibility. Their mandibles are not so con- 

 structed, nor are they strong enough to be used 

 in puncturing fruit. Numerous experiments have 

 been tried; among the rest, one of putting the hives 

 in an apartment, and talking the bees' food away, 

 and making them fast for a few days at a time, 

 and all the time exposing grapes, etc. : but the bees 

 would not do any injury, even under those condi- 

 tions. If fruit bursts, or is injured by the birds 

 or wasps or sometliing else, the bee will soon suck 

 all the juice; but that is an advantage rather than 

 an injury to the grower, as the sound fruit is apt 

 to rot by coming in contact with such, or by the 

 juice flowing over the sound fruit. 



