SHIPPING BEES TO CALIFORNIA. 257 



A part of the shipment I thus prepared here and 

 the balance was prepared in the same manner at 

 Centralia, Illinois, by A. Harbison, and shipped from 

 thence to New York. Preparatory to shipping, the 

 lids were nailed down ; wire cloth was tacked over 

 the openings to ventilate properly ; oiled muslin was 

 put over the top to protect them from being injured 

 by rain or spray ; heavy twine was rove around the 

 box, about the middle of each division, and again 

 lengthwise, forming a loop or top for convenient 

 handling. Two colonies thus prepared were but 

 little larger than one ordinary sized hive, and of con- 

 venient portable shape. 



I decided to accompany this shipment, and spend 

 a few months in California, for the purpose of ob- 

 serving the effects of so great a change of climate and 

 circumstances, and increasing my knowledge of the 

 habits and peculiarity of the honey bee. Accord- 

 ingly, on the 15th of November, 1858, in company 

 with my brother, J. S. Harbison^ we started in charge 

 of our bees to New York, en route for California. 

 On reaching New York we found the steamship 

 Moses Taylor was to sail. Being quite small, and not 

 affording suitable deck room for the safety of bees, 

 we concluded to remain until the departure of the 

 next steamer, causing a delay of two weeks On the 

 6th of December, however, we sailed, and after a 

 pleasant voyage arrived at Aspinwall on the 13th. 

 Whilst in the Caribbean sea, the bees suffered con- 

 siderably from the extreme heat. We kept an awn- 

 ing suspended over them, to protect them from the 

 22* 



