1918 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



405 



hound is again coming into bloom 

 and is plentiful in places, and so are 

 several varieties of dandelions and 

 thistles. 



I notice that these rains have 

 boosted wild alfalfa and many other 

 honey-plants into new life, all of 

 which will be beneficial for next 

 year's honeyflow. 



Bees are doing well. 



W. A. PRYAL. 



One of Judge West's ; 



from his former location at Mathis, 

 in Southwest Texas, because of the 

 continued drought in his former 

 place. 



Murry is a giant, physically, and 

 gives one the impression of being as 

 big in heart and soul as in body. 



To meet a lot of beekeepers like 

 those at Roxton, and then have it 

 rain, so that it is impossible to get to 

 the apiaries and see how they do 

 things, is quite a disappointment. But 

 after the dreary drought of other 

 sections which had so recently been 

 visited, rain seemed like a most de- 

 sirable vioitor, after all. 



ber give the grass that starts the 

 first of October a decided set-back, 

 usually. This happy early starting of 

 the cow feed also gives an impetus 

 to the bee forage plants. In a few 

 places I have already seen alfilaria in 

 bloom this week; there will be a 

 plenty of it in bloom in a week or 

 two. The blue-gum (eucalyptus glob- 

 ulus) is showing a heavy crop of 

 flower buds. Some red-gums are still 

 in bloom and they may start a sec- 

 ond crop right on the heels of the 

 present inflorescence. White clover, 

 which has been introduced here and 

 is rapidly spreading, is making a fine 

 growth and blooming. Goldenrod 

 and asters are in bloom, and hore- 



A Letter From New Zealand 



Our winter season is just over and 

 at Canterbury it has been the most 

 severe winter for 25 years. As far 

 as I can ascertain, the bees around 

 Christchurch have wintered well, ex- 

 cepting neglected colonies short of 

 stores. 



For the past two years we have 

 had poor crops, but this year a good 

 season is predicted. Already the wil- 

 lows are yielding well, which will 

 help brood-rearing. Our main flow 

 comes in December from white clo- 

 ver. So far, sweet clover, of which 

 we read so much in the American 

 journals, has not made its appear- 

 ance in this country. 



The honey market is booming in 

 New Zealand, prices are high, while 

 beeswax is very dear and scarce. Ex- 

 tracted honey brings 24 to 30 cents 

 per pound at retail, while sections 

 bring 24 to 36 cents. 



E. WELSFORD, 

 Linwood, Christchurch, New Zealand. 



California Weather and Prospects 



It is now Columbus Day, or, as we 

 call it this year, Liberty Loan Day, 

 and the weather is unusually hot for 

 the season, it being 78 degrees as I 

 write this, in the coolest room in this 

 modern cement-covered house. I 

 presume it is nigh 90 degrees with- 

 out. 



Since my previous letter, we have 

 had great growing weather, with but 

 one or two light sprinkles of rain, 

 really not what we should have had 

 for best results, But as it is yet 

 early, it is likely that seasonable 

 showers will come to boost the grow- 

 ing grass and other herbage. 



The early rains have started rather 

 abnormal conditions in the vegetable 

 world. Too many fruit trees of vari- 

 ous sorts, as well as some deciduous 

 flowering plants, have been bursting 

 into bloom thus early; they should 

 not, ordinarily, until spring. This ab- 

 normal condition may be detrimental 

 to next year's fruit crop. 



Grass is higher at this time than 

 it was early in March. With more 

 rain soon, there will be fine pastur- 

 age for stock all through the winter, 

 something that does not happen 

 often, as the early frosts of Novem- 



Black Bees Short of Stores 



Those little German Black bees will 

 all starve this winter, while the Ital- 

 ian bees will have plenty. I never 

 saw so much difference. Men with 

 black bees are all howling for sugar, 

 while my bees have SO to 100 pounds 

 for each colony to winter on. It was 

 of rather poor quality, so I left it on 

 the hives. J. F. DIEMER, 



Liberty, Mo. 



nptu field meet at a Waco apiary. 



