652 



TKB MMMMICMlf B.EE JQ'^RK«I,. 



and orchards, and are the homes of the 

 bee-masters of a land litterally " flow- 

 ing with honey." 



Bee-farming in California bears little 

 resemblance to the same industry else- 

 where, on account of the novel differ- 

 ence in the seasons. Instead of mak- 

 ing provision for long and cold winters, 

 the bees are able here to gather nectar 

 from New Year's Day to Christmas, 

 and the bee-master takes out honey 

 during eight months of the year. 

 During January, February and March 

 the orange and lemon trees of the val- 

 ley orchards, and the wild aracia and 

 eucalyptus (Australian blue-gum) are 

 all in bloom, and furnish a fair quan- 

 tity of nectar, but the larger part of 

 this is consumed by the bees, and it is 

 not the custom to take this from the 

 hives. The so-called " orange-blossom 

 honey " sometimes seen on the market, 

 is not made from orange-blossom nec- 

 tar at all, and is so labeled with intent 

 to deceive. 



Early in February the native sheep- 

 grass, alfllerilla, furnishes an abund- 

 ance of bloom, which makes a good 

 honey of amber color, but not so good 

 as that made from black sage, which 

 blossoms later in the same month. 

 This sage grows in the lowest valleys, 

 and on the side of the mountain ranges 

 in all parts of California, and is the 

 best plant for bees, because its nectar 

 gives them heart and vitality at a sea- 

 son when they most need it. The 

 honey from it is of a fine color and 

 strong body. 



Early in June appears tbe best of all 

 honey-produoing plants — the white and 

 silver sages. No flower in the world 

 produces a clearer white, pure nectar 

 than California silver sage. Eastern 

 white clover and basswood (American 

 linden) are splendid honey-producers, 

 but both are inferior to the silver sage 

 in making an article of delicious flavor, 

 good body, and clear as pure water. 

 These sages bloom usually during the 

 entire month of June, and then comes 

 the wild buckwheat, which has a blos- 

 som resembling the cultivated plant, 

 and furuishes a honey of good quality 

 and rich, amber color. 



Early in July the wild alfalfa appears, 

 and soon after the wild sumac opens its 

 large clusters of creamy-white flowers, 

 and both are exceedingly rich in a 

 delicious nectar. The wild mignonette 

 is in bloom during the same period, 

 and the bees never seem to tire of hov- 

 ering over its perfumed flowers during 

 their short period of bloom. 



The golden rod throws up its bril- 

 liant yellow flower spikes in July and 

 and August, and continues in blossom 

 until Christmas. It is similar to the 

 plant of tbe same name growing in the 

 Eastern States, and is one of the most 

 valuable of California's long list of 

 honey-producing plants. 



This list includes nearly 200 plants, 

 but many of them bloom for only a 

 short period, every fortnight showing a 

 new combination of colors on the hill- 

 sides. The nectar gathered from all 

 the different flowers is not separated 

 by the bee-master. The aim is only to 

 keep the light, silver-sage honey apart 

 from that of darker color gathered 

 earlier in the season from the alfllerilla 



and black sage, and afterward again 

 from the amber honey of the wild buck- 

 wheat, sumac and golden-rod. 



The process of preventing the mixing 

 of the honey by the bees is very simple, 

 the bee-master watching the season of 

 the different flavors, and taking the 

 honey from the combs as the season 

 progresses. 



California liquid honey, as it leaves 

 the bee-master, is always pure. Sugar, 

 glucose, and all other possible adul- 

 terations cost more per pound than the 

 pure honey is worth on the ranch. 



TIERING-UP. 



Results of the Season — Doubling 

 Vp Swarms. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 

 BY H. C. GIFFORD. 



I will now give a statement of my 

 summer's work and the results. About 

 July 1 my 20 colonies of bees had not 

 5 pounds of honey to the hive. I have 

 practiced the tiering up plan, some of 

 them 3 tiers high, making 81 one-pound 

 sections per hive. I have taken off 

 1,350 pounds of honey, and have about 

 450 or 500 pounds yet to take off, or 

 about 1,800 pounds from 20 colonies, 

 besides increasing them to 27 colonies. 

 At the present time all are in good con- 

 dition, and the hives well filled with 

 honey. I have doubled up some 

 swarms, returned some second swarms, 

 and have had no trouble with their 

 coming out the second time. 



My bees never did as well as they 

 have since July 5. I have read very 

 many big stories in the Bee Journal, 

 and some of them I rather doubted, so 

 I need not be surprised if some doubt 

 what I may say about one of my new 

 swarms; but it is true, and I think it 

 has been of great benefit to me, for I 

 intend to practice it next summer, if I 

 live. 



Experience ATttli .Ttvo Swarms. 



About Aug. .5, a large swarm came 

 out, and settled on the grape-vines near 

 the hives. 1 hived them, but when 

 about three-fourths of them were in 

 the hive, another swarm issued, and 

 came right to the hive where I was 

 working. I let it stay until about one- 

 half of them had settled in my new 

 hive, which I immediately carried to a 

 stand ; the rest flew around awhile, and 

 then went back to their old home. 



It seemed that all the bees could not 

 get into the hive, so I put 48 sections 

 on top, and they all went in. After 

 awhile I put on 24 more sections, and 

 on Sept. 15, I took off the three tiers, 

 which weighed 78 pounds, and the hive 

 is now full from top to bottom, which 

 cannot be less than 60 pounds, and per- 

 haps 80. This was all stored in about 

 40 days. 



The above statements are facts, and 

 I intend after this to put two swarms 

 together whenever I can. One strong 

 colony is worth three small ones, and is 

 not so much trouble or expense. 



My neighbors call me an " expert " 

 I in the bee-business, but this summer's 



experience teaches me that I am only 

 in my A B C's. What 1 have learned 

 I have gotten from the American 

 Bee Journal. My neighbors have 

 no honey to speak of, except Wm. 

 Johnson, who works by the same 

 method that I do. I sell my honey at 

 the stores, at 18 cents per pound, and I 

 tell them to sell it at 20 cents. I will 

 have no trouble to sell my crop, al- 

 though some who have a little honey 

 bring it in and sell it for what they can 

 get, which ranges from 12J^ to 16 cents 

 per pound. 



I send my membership fee for the 

 " Union." It would look selfish to me 

 not to belong to the Bee-Keepers' 

 Union, when I have received so much 

 benefit from the experience of those 

 who do belong to it ; but I have such 

 good luck with wiotering my bees on 

 the summer stands, that I shall not try 

 the cellar yet. I box up the hives and 

 pack them with straw, leaving an open- 

 ing in front 6 inches long and 3 inches 

 high, which I can close up at any time. 

 I pack the caps with straw, and cover 

 them well on top to keep them dry. 



Morris, Ills., Sept. 24, 1888, 



■We Club the American Bee Journal 



for a year, with any of the following papers 



or books, at the prices quoted iu the I.ASX 



column. The regular price of botli is given 



in tlie first column. One year's subscription 



for the American Bee Journal must be sent 



with each order for another paper or book: 



. Price of both. Club 

 The American Bee Journal 1 00 . . . 



and Gleanings in Bee-Culture 2 00 — 1 75 



Bee-Keepers'Magazine 1 50 — 1 40 



Bee-Keepers' Guide 150 — 140 



Bee-Keepers' Review 150 — 140 



The Apiculturist 1 75.... 1 60 



Canadian Bee Journal 2 00 — 1 80 



Canadian Honey Producer... 1 40 — 130 



The 8 above-named papers 5 65 — 5 00 



and Cook's Manual 2 25 ... . 2 00 



Bees and Honey (Newman)... 2 00 — 175 

 Binder for Am. Bee Journal . . 1 60 . . . . 1 50 

 Dzierzon's Bee-Book(cloth)...300.... 2 00 

 Root's A BCof Bee-Culture. .225.... 2 10 



Farmer's Account Book 4 00. . . . 2 20 



Western World Guide 150.... 130 



Heddon's book, "Success,".. 1 50.. 1 40 



A Year Among the Bees 1 75 1 50 



Convention Hand-Book 1 50 1 30 



Weekly Inter-Ocean 2 00 175 



Iowa Homestead 200.... 190 



How to Propagate Fruit 150 125 



History of National Society.. 1 50 125 



Can You l>o AiiylUiuK' that will do 

 more to advance and defend the pursuit of 

 bee-keeping, than to aid its Weekly Ex- 

 ponent and Defender ? The Amkiucak 

 Bee Journal is the pioneer bee-paper of 

 America, aud is lully entitled to the active 

 support of every progressive apiarist, for it 

 works constantly and faithfully for tlie best 

 interests ot the pursuit. We therefore 

 specially request all our readers to use tlieir 

 influence to double our subscription list 

 during the eoniiiig autumn. Header, will 

 you please send us a new subscription with 

 your renewal or before that time ? A good 

 weekly at one dollar a year is surely cheap 

 enough to command patronage. 



