268 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



August 



log or other systematic holder. The 

 set at the yard may be on cards 

 strung on a heavy string or wire, 

 which can be attached to the cart or 

 other carrier of tools in use. If 

 strung in order, this form of record 

 is simple and convenient to use, as a 

 leaf at a time is turned, like a calen- 

 dar. Some people keep a sort of rec- 

 ord of queenless colonies, yet none 

 after the colony is in good working 

 order again, while others simply mark 

 the hive so as to watch it during the 

 requeening process (if they don't for- 

 get.) 



I believe everyone who keeps rec- 

 ords has a code all his own, as every 

 little while we hear of someone who 

 has at last perfected a system of 

 quick notation which is quite the fin- 

 est thing that has ever been used. 

 There are a few signs used by every- 

 one and a code of any kind is only 

 good if it can be read after it is — 

 maybe not quite cold, but at least 

 lukewarm. 



A few of the most used terms, ab- 

 breviated, read: ex. bd. for excluder- 

 board; brd. for brood, fr. for frame or 

 frames, ql. for queenlesj, col. for col- 

 ony, div. for division or divided, ext. 

 sup. for extracting super, hv. for hive, 

 bb. for bottom board, cv. for cover, e 

 for eggs, 1 for larva?, foun for foun- 

 dation, hon for honey. Various com- 

 binations are made with the charac- 

 ters, but when put onto the final 

 card almost all words are written out 

 in full. A card in the little catalog 

 would read something like this : 



1918. Colony No. 15. 

 May 2 — Gave excluder board. Gave 2 



frames e&l to No. 6. 

 May 6 — e&l in top. Shifted bodies. 

 May 20 — 2 hatched cells in top. 



Strained bees, no queens. 

 June 30 — 8 frames of honey. 

 July 14 — 5 frames of honey. 

 July 22 — 3 frames of honey. 

 Aug. 10 — 2 frames of honey. 

 Sept. 29 — In fine shape. 

 Dr. Miller has for many years been 

 advocating and practicing the keeping 

 of exact records and in all the bee 

 world there can be no busier person 

 than our genial ever-ready help in 

 times of trouble and doubt, Dr. C. C. 

 Miller. 



These are only a very few of the 

 many arguments in favor of keeping 

 definite records, but their reasonable 

 use will appeal to all modern and pro- 

 gressive beekeepers. 



Hughson, Calif. 



Spanish Needle for Winter Stores 



Knowing thai your bees are located 

 along bottom lands, and that you, no 

 doubt, gather quite a little honey 

 from Spanish needles some seasons, 

 we are writing to ask what your ex- 

 perience has been in wintering lues 

 on this honey. 



In your opinion, about how many 

 colonies would it pay to move a dis 

 tance of 12 miles to a 60-acre field 

 covered with a very heavy growth of 

 Spanish needle? The plant an 

 about 3 feet in height now, and will 

 not bloom for some time to come. 



We are well equipped for moving 

 60 colonies at a load, including 



ers, hive-stands and alighting-boards. 

 Roads are of the best and hauling 

 is done by auto truck. 



Minnesota. 



We have never had any trouble in 

 wintering bees on Spanish-needles 

 honey. The kind we have is named 

 "bidens aristosa" by the botanists. 

 There are some 15 different kinds of 

 "bidens" described by the botanists, 

 some of which yield no honey. 



I would think that 60 colonies 

 would do well on such a field, espe- 

 cially as there would probably be 

 similar fields in the vicinity. How- 

 ever, the moving of bees is always 

 more or less trouble and it pays only 

 when there is positively no hope of 

 any crop in their home locality. We 

 have moved bees for the Spanish- 

 needle and persicaria crop and had 

 good success. We would suggest that 

 you try it on 60 colonies this season 

 and, if it pays, increase the number 

 another year. — C. P. D. 



Introduction of the Honeybee to 

 California 



By J. S. Harbison 



THE introduction of the honeybee 

 into California was an important 

 event, and engrossed a large 

 share of public attention ; wherefore, 

 it is peculiarly appropriate to pre- 

 serve as full a record of the transac- 

 tion as possible. 



The following letter from one of 

 the earliest and most successful api- 

 arists of this State, contains an au- 

 thentic account of the introduction of 

 the first bees in California, as well as 

 the success attending their first five 

 years' cultivation in San Jose Valley. 



San Jose, Jan. 11, 1860. 

 Mr. J. S. Harbison : 



Dear Sir: Yours of the 26th of 

 December, propounding certain in- 

 quiries, has been received. 



The first bees imported into Cali- 

 fornia was in March, 1853. Mr. Shel- 

 ton purchased a lot consisting of 12 

 swarms, of some person to me un- 



known, at Aspinwall. The party who 

 left New York became disgusted with 

 the experiment, and returned. All 

 the hives contained bees when landed 

 in San Francisco, but finally dwindled 

 down to one. They were brought to 

 San Jose and threw off three swarms 

 the first season. Mr. Sheiton was 

 killed soon after his arrival, by the 

 explosion of the ill-fated steamer, 

 Jenny Lind. In December, two of the 

 swarms were sold at auction to settle 

 up his estate, and were bought by 

 Major James W. Patrick, at $105 and 

 $110, respectively. 



Mr. Wm. Buck imported the second 

 lot in November, 1855. He left New 

 York with thirty-six swarms and 

 saved eighteen. I purchased a half 

 interest in them. I also, in the fall 

 of 1854, bought one swarm of Major 

 Patrick, from which I had an increase 

 of two. 



Mr. Buck returned East immedi- 

 ately, and arrived in February, 1856, 

 with forty-two swarms, of which he 

 saved but seven. Our increase in 

 1856, from the twenty-eight swarms, 

 was seventy-three. We also had 

 about 400 pounds of honey in boxes, 

 which we sold at from $1.50 to $2 per 

 pound. 



Mr. Wm. Briggs, of San Jose, 

 brought out, in the spring of 1856, 

 one swarm, from which he had an in- 

 crease of seven or eight swarms the 

 following summer. 



The above were the only importa- 

 tions I know of prior to the year 

 (spring) 1857, which covers the 

 ground of your inquiries. 



There are in our county at this 

 time about one thousand swarms. 

 Very respectfully, etc., 



F. G. APPLETGN. 



The first hive of bees ever in the 

 Sacramento Valley was brought from 

 San Jose in the summer of 1855, by 

 Mr. A. P. Smith, the eminent nursery- 

 man of Sacramento; they, however, 

 soon died, which gave the impression 

 that bees would not do well in this 

 vicinity. 



In this belief 1 did not concur, and 



I i in hone} -housi . .i sign t hat 



