oo 
SIM I. TRo/’R ’ (\ I LI FORM. f. 
^piarg Tleprtmcnt. 
kv v iK\ EKi3t«. 
There are several important, points to lie 
observed li_v (lie novice in bee-keeping: 
1 Do not hibIi unadvisedly into the 
l)Dttines.s like a burse into liatlle, and pint 
your way through blindly. 
- Let your motto lie, “That which in 
worth doing is worth doing well." 
il. Acquaint you we If with tho nature 
nn<J habits of the linn, by reading home 
good work mi bees; Langal rot h , Cook, ot 
other reliable boo literature, 
•1. Get two or three colonic* of Italian 
bees, and manipulate them in accordance 
with the given rules. 
fi, \\ hen von hare learned to liandh 
these successfully, yon make take charge 
of more. 
(1. Always bear in mind that the key of 
success is in strong eoluiiifH. 
swuatim. 
In writing upon this subject we address 
ourselves especially to the inexperienced 
bee-keeper. 
Owing to the weak condition of bees, 
natural swarming will not Commence this 
season ns early ns usual, Artificial swarm¬ 
ing is now general among nearly all pine 
lie/il iiniansts. It i* urged, by some, how¬ 
ever that bees know lu st when to swarm, 
and that natural swarms arc stronger, and 
consequently more reliable. 
Hut when permitted to swarm n.l tUnlum, 
bees require constant watching, else swarms 
may abnoimd, and leave the apiarist to 
sigh over his loss as they gu glimmering. 
Artificial swarming, when properly done, I 
is as reliable and much safer than natural 
swarming, ns it prevents the loss of swarms 
b% absconding, We have not adopted the I 
method usually practiced in this country, I 
of making two colonies out. of one. This I 
leaves both colonies quite w • uk; and if ; 
any calamity should b.-l«ll the forage, and ! 
supplies be cut short, the bees will be 1 
found too weak to bn sclf-st, rt lining. 
W. would advise the making of one 
swarm from live; or if v ,,n lm\o not that 
"limy, from wlint you have. If five, take 
two or three framos ountainiui brood ami 
eggs with the be. s adhering, from eunb of 
bun- loves, and place them in vour new 
hive, b. ing careful (hat you do not get the 
mWei's, or more than omi. Then remove, he 
dill hive (whu h should be the aLtotlg one) 
iftecm twenty feet away. Dotlll- about 
the middle of the day, when tin. been wo 
nt work, and plaew tin i„w colony where 
it Stood. When the bees return tlmy will 
be sum.) wh.it d.seonemled by the rf.angn 
"f domicile, but after Hying anmiid, and 
m and out a few times they accept the 
vibration and go to work | r , tm.kmg th. 
^iiini from ,„ 0 l( , f our of „,,, c<J||||m 
should contain honey, be placed at . 
each end of (lie hive with those that coti- 
not gtvnu them they will rerun. fVm„ ,|J 
egg,., Now you have a eulonv that for 
any emu-genoy is us good us n'r, old 
less the queen. Ah fust t |„. fr| , , t _ 
frames that replaced llin full ones taken 
onl are tilled, swarming may be repeated. 
THfc BEK MKrmo. 
W <• have received letters from npinrist- 
, ut a distance, requesting a report of the 
proceedings ot (bo meeting on February 
-I III reply we will y tllld II copious 
. ,u "> l' 1 ; 1 ‘i ide I any utten.lance, and d.mbt- 
l.'-v did the honey inter- Is more good 
I h.in tin me. Iing r could possibly have done. 
W •• IU‘ glad to sen ho much interest taken 
in matters pertaining to tin) improvement 
among the fraternity. Another meeting 
was held the third Saturday m March, loo 
lale fora report of proceedings to appear 
in this issue, but will give it next month. 
When been me eoen running about the 
entrance of the hive in the cu eniug, in a 
disturbed condition, you can mark Hint 
hive ns qUeeuU'hK, and give it your imme¬ 
diate attention. 
heap is burned, any crop in that place will 
be a total failure. Tld* i* one of the 
strongest evidence* I can present to farm¬ 
ers in KiipjM.rt of the rtion that alkali, 
ton certain amount, is a fertilizer; in ex- 
ce»s of that amount, is preventive of 
growth. 
Aa further proof that alkali and gyp¬ 
sum “iisloin the fertility of the ami, I can 
hou places where the’top of the ground 
tins lie on cut off for twenty feet; this sur¬ 
face, exposed to Mini and air for two or 
three yearn, will produce as wrli as anv 
ntlmr land. 1 can also *bow pile* .if 
gravel and saml taken from a well fifty 
feet deep, which will produce anything 
that grows here. 
J. W. Pom. 
ALKALI LANDS. 
Editor Si Mi-Tnmue Camfoumx: I said 
in a form pi letter in one of our city papers, 
that our lands here would never wear out; 
and in support of that assertion, stated (be 
fuel that there rue lands here which have 
been cultivated for nearly ono hundred 
years, and have never been fertilized, that 
produce as good mips now as fresh hind. 
1 Since IVtiling that article, 1 have been 
frequently asked to give some reason for 
the lum-exhntistioli of our anil by years of 
continual cultivation, ns other soil* [ u 
other places 1/ any one can tell me why 
oilier lands do went out, I might bo able 
to say satisfactorily why these do not 
1 have thought sometimes that the Great 
Architect left California out of the list 
when lie ruined the earth fur mau'a sins, 
and told him Unit, it should henceforth nut 
yield unto him .In full strength; and that 
lie left in California soil the fertilizing 
prop. I iy which He extracted from tho rest 
J of the earth. 
This fertilizing property in thought, by 
| some very eminent cliemifit*, to bo the 
alkid. that, is found in all our hind, both 
lull nml valley. 
Alkali hind is considered Worthless, nml 
is. if alkali is in oxcoah of aecttain amount, 
lint w. have no land of I hi* kind, tinoopl 
it be in a basin, or ho nearly level that tlm 
aider can not run oft In Hu. eu-.-, t| l0 
water evaporates and lr*av. the alkali If 
Uu-.n Same lamb, were drained, tlmv would 
prod nun us well a., or belter than, any 
ot lie t' land* wo have. 
1 "'imlos the. alkaline piopertv in our 
soil, llni* nr" large quamiin - of gypsum 
di.lnbiited all ll.i.iitgli th" hills, and tht* 
is continually undergoing decomposition 
und being di-liibiito.l over H,e v.db v», and 
p vps.im Is one of Urn boat feitlll«u* kuown 
lo mail, ns tl . I.utain*. 7u per rent of 
Sulphite of lime. 
I' is well known by farmers m F.aetorn 
Nlule*, when soils nro said to become ex 
linilMled by cultivation, that on any of the 
clay hill laud*, where the >.d i*'wa*|j.J 
awi.v, if a small brush heap or « (. w coin 
■ talks an- Imine.l, a good erop i« insured 
for the next year, while if a large log 
HOW SHALL WE IRRIGATE f 
I N’ the irrigation of an orange grove, 
. vineyard, orclinr.l, or plantation of 
| small fruit, the question of tir.t itoport- 
| auci is; Can water l e ha.l for inigstion ? 
If settled iti the affirmative, the Utltque*- 
tiou is: 11 * ".v .shall we iriign'.- our laud • 
hhall we follow the old - 1 *t»u, of period 
ically doodiug the entire wurfaee in mid¬ 
summer, when nil the climatic condition* 
ridiel against Uie proe*---, or shall wt do 
just what nature dx.r* win ,, «,■ | *v, i, / 
year—apply the water abundantly in win¬ 
ter and store it in thr sod to com* to the 
surf,me by capillary attraction. But some 
, (? 0 ®d .soil* will uni retain enough of the 
moisture deposited during the winter to 
supply what is needed during th'- long 
diy summer. If wo flood such *.uU, xxe 
know that the moisture Mow I* mg ex¬ 
hausted, the roots seek it near the surf a. c 
where, hi a few day s, they will be , n ,/ r ■ 
ground again, the tree wither*, and xxe 
imiHl flood tiijuin ; so xxe have a succession 
nf Ff nM# /uni fftTljiiif-N. 
Now, If we can find tn.nie way of «n- 
veymg inoistiir. to th. - ..I b. low' tl.. 
face, never allowing am wat, r o.i the 
sitrfare except tho lain, k.rptog the sur- 
fiice dry all summer long, Mo know Urn 
Ij-mperelun? of th- u,„| , Sll j ll( . ,,, eo . 
that it will not Istko, but remain !.*•**, m» 
Hie root a mav go deep in *e ,ro|, of plant 
food, that much I.-* xvatvr will tw n- 
q in rod, u. norm, or v.rj little. w,tl !«■ lost 
by evaporation, lba» the labor of . aldxa 
lion will be lev.en.d, that, the wit being 
diy t.x till' dl'ptb of three or four inches, 
the wi ld* mil not grow. 
I’hi* is sub-irrigation, and i* worthy our 
thoughtful conxideration. Kvi lentlx, xxe 
h»*«. tn adopt mmio better o! irn- 
gntiou 11 1 ail tile old one. xx hu h hu* nearly 
luiiivd «on»c of our older orchard*. *b 
Uimi^h a ii»rt: of the damage d.ibe may lw 
because of tin- nA.-.«-of siinace iiii.auon, 
jf"'. im.i'A water hating I . mi u— l Still 
I the questi. n eonm* up fs it Urn pi.ip.xr 
I way to irrigate T 
i In mill. |sut...n« of S, nthern Caiif uioa 
We have not whIpi euo.igb for mil s Ivc# 
and Uie thoiiMxnd* w ho an M.rv t - come to 
j -'"Joy om genial oho,ate, and will want to 
help us plant tin s.' thousands of now 
I waste a.a i * 
•Soma of our very boat Und* lay far 
_ 
