SHIPPING BEES TO CALIFORNIA. 249 



our country affords. Whilst our politicians and 

 statesmen are wrangling about slavery and protective 

 tariffs, this source of national wealth, which in the 

 aggregate is scarcely of secondary importance to 

 either of them, is neglected or overlooked by the 

 great mass of the people. 



NO BEES IN CALIFORNIA PRIOR TO ITS CONQUEST AND 

 SETTLEMENT BY THE AMERICANS. 



Many persons have inquired of me if there were 

 honey bees in California prior to its conquest and 

 settlement by the Americans, and the discovery of 

 gold. It is pretty well known to have been settled 

 under the direction of Franciscan monks ; large 

 missionary establishments were organized at many 

 of the most prominent points in Upper California, 

 nearly one hundred years ago; yet the discovery of 

 gold and the introduction of bees was reserved for 

 the Americans in the nineteenth century. 



I can only conjecture what are the reasons why 

 no bees were found there until recently. In the first 

 place, the honey bee is not indigenous to the Amer- 

 ican continent, but was imported from Europe by the 

 colonists who settled near the Atlantic coasts, at an 

 early period in the history of America. Those early 

 imported colonies increased very rapidly. Many 

 swarms would doubtless fly off and locate in some 

 hollow tree in the forest ; these in turn would send 

 out swarms, and thus they would increase in geome- 

 trical progression, spreading over the country in every 

 direction, generally keeping in advance of civiliza- 



