Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  "1 
March,  1888.  / 
Honey  Production  in  California. 
127 
a  suitable  location,  plenty  of  bee-feed  "  and  convenient  water.  The 
apiaries,  or  bee-ranches/^  as  they  are  commonly  called,  are  mostly 
located  in  canyons  of  the  Coast  Range  Mountains,  whose  slopes  are, 
in  many  places,  densely  covered  with  several  varieties  of  wild  sage  and 
other  honey-bearing  shrubs  and  trees.  In  addition  to  these  sources  of 
honey  supply,  the  so-called  grasses  commonly  known  as  wild  alfalfa 
(Medicago  sativa,  Linne)  and  alfilaria  or  pin  grass  (Erodium  cicuta- 
rium,  L  'Ileritier)^  are  much  utihzed  by  the  bees  in  gathering  in  their 
supplies.  Usually  from  one  hundred  to  three  hundred  colonies  are 
kept  in  one  place,  the  number  depending  chiefly  upon  the  extent  of 
the  range.  The  hives  are  made  in  two  compartments,  the  upper  one, 
called  a  super,  being  removable. 
The  usual  size  is  fourteen  by  nineteen"  inches,  inside  measurement, 
and  ten  inches  deep,  the  size  of  the  super  being  the  same.  Each  com- 
partment is  supplied  with  eight  or  ten  frames  placed  longitudinally, 
and  supported  upon  the  rabbeted  upper  edge.  A  movable  horizontal 
partition  separates  the  two  compartments,  by  which  the  bees  are  con- 
fined to  the  lower  part  of  the  hive,  which  is  often  necessary.  The 
season  opens  usually  about  the  beginning  of  March,  and  continues 
until  the  close  of  July.  When  fully  at  work  a  large  apiary  presents 
a  scene  of  activity  not  often  seen  elsewhere,  for  in  addition  to  the 
storing  of  honey,  swarming  occurs  frequently  to  the  extent  of  fifty 
swarms  a  day.  In  a  good  season  it  is  not  uncommon  for  the  number 
of  colonies  to  be  doubled.  The  method  of  extracting  honey,  while 
familiar  to  many,  may  not  be  without  interest.  The  frames  contain- 
ing the  filled  combs  are  taken  to  the  extracting  room,  where  the  ends 
of  the  cells  are  sliced  oW  with  a  long  flat-bladed  knife.  The  frames 
are  then  placed  in  the  extractor,  which  consists  of  an  upright  tank 
with  a  vertical  shaft  and  from  four  to  eight  radial  arms,  supporting 
hinged  wire  cages  of  sufficient  size  to  admit  the  frames  and  support 
the  combs.  By  means  of  a  simple  or  geared  crank  the  shaft  is  rap- 
idly revolved  alternately  to  the  right  and  to  the  left,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  the  contents  of  the  comb  are  thrown  out  against  the  sides  of 
the  tank  and  collect  at  the  bottom,  whence  the  honey  is  drawn  off  into 
storage  tanks,  to  be  kept  until  canned  and  shipped.  The  emptied 
combs  are  then  replaced  in  the  hives  to  be  refilled,  which  process  is  re- 
peated a  number  of  times  with  the  same  comb,  being  continued  until 
the  comb  is  destroyed.  When  it  is  understood  that  the  amount  of 
bee  energy  required  for  one  pound  of  wax  will  produce  twenty  pounds 
