128  Honey  Production  in  California.  {^"M^^ch.fm''"" 
of  honey,  the  object  of  the  above  mentioned  process  will  be  apparent. 
^^Comb  foundation'^  is  largely  used  in  order  to  save  unprofitable  en- 
ergy. It  is  made  by  passing  thin  sheets  of  wax  between  metal  rollers 
whose  surfaces  are  so  arranged  as  to  produce  an  exact  reproduction  of 
the  central  partition  of  a  honey  comb.  This  is  fastened  into  the  frame 
with  a  little  melted  wax,  and  the  bees  build  out  the  cells  just  as  if 
they  had  made  the  entire  comb. 
The  refuse  combs,  fragments  of  combs,  scraps,  etc.,  are  put  into  the 
sun-extractor,''  in  which,  by  exposure  to  the  sun's  rays,  the  honey 
is  rendered  less  viscid  and  slowly  drains  off.  This  product  is  of 
course  inferior,  and  is  not  mixed  with  the  centrifugally  extracted 
honey,  being  reserved  for  the  bees  to  forestall  a  possible  honey-famine, 
which,  owing  to  unfavorable  seasons  and  improvident  extraction, 
sometimes  occurs. 
It  is  said  that  glucose  is  used  not  only  to  feed  bees  but  also  to 
adulterate  honey.  I  do  not  know  to  what  extent  this  practice  ob- 
tains elsewhere,  but  a  long  residence  in  the  honey  districts  of  Cali- 
fornia, and  frequent  visits  to  a  large  number  of  apiaries,  confirms  me 
in  the  belief  that  glucose  is  not  used  for  either  of  these  purposes  there. 
I  have  never  seen  any  glucose  at  an  apiary,  and  the  fact  that  it  would 
be  quite  as  expensive  as  the  honey  itself,  would  preclude  its  use. 
California  honey  is  usually  very  light  colored,  which  fact  leads  many 
people  to  believe  that  it  is  not  pure,  but  to  those  who  thoroughly  un- 
derstand the  circumstances  under  which  it  is  produced  this  seems  to  be 
an  entirely  unfounded  prejudice.  The  amount  of  honey  turned  out 
in  a  single  apiary  seems  to  those  unaccustomed  to  such  things,  enor- 
mous. Thirty  tons  of  extracted  honey  have  been  produced  in  a  sin- 
gle season  in  an  apiary  of  three  hundred  colonies.  Indeed,  three 
hundred  pounds  per  colony  is  not  uncommon,  a  super  oflen  being 
filled  once  in  seven  days.  This  large  yield  depends  to  some 
extent  upon  the  assistance  given  the  bees  by  the  apiarist,  but 
chiefly  upon  the  season.  If  the  preceding  winter  has  been  dry,  or  if 
there  is  much  fog  during  the  period  of  honey  production,  the  yield 
will  be  greatly  lessened,  and  sometimes  is  barely  sufficient  to  tide  the 
bees  over  until  the  next  season.  Formerly  much  loss  was  occasioned 
in  this  way,  but  now  a  sufficient  portion  of  honey  is  always  held  in  re- 
serve to  keep  the  colonies  in  a  strong  healthy  condition. 
The  bulk  of  California  honey  is  shipped  in  cans  varying  in  size  from 
twelve  to  sixty  pounds.  It  can  also  be  obtained  in  smaller  cans  and  glass 
