The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1876-10-22
TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND POUNDS OF
CALIFORNIA HONEY.
WHERE VAST TERRITORY HITHERTO AL
MOST WORTHLESS, HAS BEEN MADE MOST
VALUABLE,
IN. Y. Sun }

S. Y. Sun
Mr.. j. S HARRISON, of San Diego county
California, arrived in this city yesterday
with ten car loads of honey, each car con
| tanning On, 900 pounds. This vast aggreCa
ton of bee labor was taken from MT
HanbisOn's six apiaries on the s'Ce OF tnt
coast range OF mountains, as near 10 Tue
Mexican line as they well can he and We,
claim the protection of the stars ano
Stripes. Twenty five years ago MI Harol-
son made a stir in TIE bee world by selling
at one time two thousand pounds OF honey
the product of his apiary, near New Castle
PENNSYLVANIA. So much honey had never
before been raised by single producer,
and the saie led hundreds of staid farmers
to embark in what looked like most
profitable field Of industry. The result
was not fiattering. Short seasons ard linn
tied bee pastursge forbade profitable bee
culture. Old fashioned hives were then
the only kind known. The modern means
Of robbiDg bees without killing them hao
not then been thought of.
Having invented a hive that enabled the
cultuTst 70 obtain successive crops OF
honey from the same colony CT bees, Mr..
HARRISON b.gan to look for region that
would supply the food for the bees. He
searched for this in the eqaabie climate Of
the Pacific coast, and found il in a rarrow
strip of country in the extreme south
western corner Of the Crited States, now
known as the bee belt of California. Sheep
raising was the only industry Of the
natives found by Mr.. HARRISON when he
first visited the country. The country
inland was thought good eoca2h for sheep
pssturiug, but no one dreamed that the soil
conld be made to produce grain in paying
quantities. Ti-aber was coufOed to the
bottoms of running streams and TO the
canons. the valleys and hiilsides being
covered with q growth of stunted brush
wood from which sprang luxuIiant growth
of white sage, eumac, and other Towering
shrubs, which bloom there nine months of
the year.
Mr.. Harbison's first apiary was started on
a mountain side, twenty miles east of San
Diego. He embarked for the West with
seventy hives of bees, but these were re-
duced to sixty-two by casualties. From
them he now has six apiaries, and total
of 3 900 hives. He employs fifteen men
constantly, and is reapiDg rich profits from
many thousands of acres that must other
wise have been a barren waste. He soon
had many imitstors, and now not less than
three hundred persons are taking honey
along the "Bee Belt"
The California hee season. Mr.. HARRISON
sage, begins by February lat. In March
or April the bees swarm, and the bee cul-
turist has lively times in saving the
swarms. The science has become so
systematized now that the apiculturist
knows within day or two when given
hive may be expected to swarm, and as the
young bees always settle somewhere near
the parent hive at beast once before
collecting their new quarters, swarm is
seldom lost. The flowers are at the
height of their luxuriance in May and
June, aud the taking of honey ia begun
usually about May Goth, and the bees are
kept at work as long as the flowers last.
They cease to bloom in sufficient quantity
to more than subsist the bees in the early
part of August; but the little workers are
able to find enough to live on without con-
sumirg their stores as late "a October. 1t
will be thus seen that the harvest time IL
never longer than three months, aud is Of
ten much lees. After October begins,
like. the bees cease to work, and retire into
a semi dormant condition. Once every
. eight or ten dave a COLONY will turn out
~ midday and hy aroard for an hour OF
$50 IA the saushine. bat they never ny fal
from tie bive. aid are nsveE E~en az work
TIE food Of the bees II TIE bee bel: j.
generally the foSeT Of tie = K ssge.
p.ar; that c'csel! resemble tie gaTceE
ssg= Tia. "a rot 10 DC c2ofo1nced wiz:
.:e saT= b-1th of StTs3a &-c I tai, y he
i Of :1e worn VOID Ep-cles, AID tss 10
fanny u:;:ercess- Mex % TIE sage = IN
portsrce e De- I'D i I1e slIoac, Z s1.-'
tha: E:o-E Il California ~iiho-t PoiscLcC
fyvt:.os pa-t y ;.e De- - g. Aad Il
ho-ey e. rp-e re ep..csy s-s.-'-e= - :
make Ez..sro gTD~u ao-=y g-.-"'.2'. -.
TIE ho-ey = graded - - - 80
according 10 tie p,art t;yz- i.-s = '. g
rived. Tia: lz6e !:cta - - : ~ e's, t'-.-
cezres: aud Zoe: aIou2.-. = c.rt: - :
abe.
NJ. Ha.b.soa says that ro;~ .:,siac dir
the gres: crop that lie Las a:o1Gat 70 IN
market. he E!l! probably no: realize NOR
than 81 900 after eductIng expenses an
interest on capital. He had to dig his be
/, ranch out OF the wilderness. TIE road
:: thereto over rocky mou ntain sides and dee
canops, were built at heavy coat. III
continuous labor of fifteen men lie needle
in the care Of propagation and harvesting
The hives, boxes for shipment, an
household supplies have all to be transport
ed from San Diego, forty miles from hi
: most remote apiary. 1t costs about fou
cents, gold, to freigh; a peuEd of honey b
water TO San Francisco and by rail TO Ne1
York. Taking into consideration th
commissions and currency values realizes
here, there is 10 great margin left for prof;