The morning call., 1892-08-08
THE HONEY INDUSTRY.

The paper on "Bees and Bookkeeping"
by Mr. Harry Ellington Brooks. which was
published in yesterdays CALL. contains
information which is interesting and instrnc-
tive. California honey has been familiar to
lovers of sweets for more than a quarter OF
a century, but few persons are aware OF the
extension which the industry has attained
Three wears ago there were in the counties
south of Tehachap 45, 600 stands OF bees,
which produced $500 tons of honey, worth
nearly S250OO0. The increase since then is
estimated at 30 per cent An industry which
Yields S375 coo per annum without any out
lay is worth prosecuting.
In ancient times before the manufacture
of cane sugar, the production of honey was
more important than it is. and the an
cient classics abound in information con-
corning the bee. In those days bees were
regularly moved from regions where the
flowers bloomed in the spring to regions
where they doomed in the fail, and the
practice is still kept up in parts of Great
Britain. Here, in favored localities, flowers
Of one kind or an Their bloom all the year
round, and the beekeeper does not need to
move his hives. lie generally selects a
ranch in the foothills Of the southern conn
ties, being careful to choose one in which
the bees can find water. Our California
honey used to be known as white-sage
honey. though. in fsct, the sage plant is
unrel able and blossoms sparingly. The
bee of Southern California finds nectar in
the oak, sycamore, alder, willow, mama
nta, snmac. yerba santa, buckhorn. wild
plum, wild buck wheat, acacia, alfalfa, euca-
lyptus blossom. and almost all kinds OF
fruits aud flower. 1t is really troubled
Wit ,har Of AID
though the sweetest and wbiiest honey is
made by bees which feed on the white sage,
the favor of the honey produced from the
great variety OF nectar-yleldipg plants which
abound in the six southern counties is con-
sidered in the East more delicate than that
of Eastern honey, and the goods command
higher price.
An expert, starting in with a single
swarm and caring for the bees according TO
the rules laid down in the books. may have
100 hives at the end of three years. Five
hundred is as many as can DE handled on
single ranch. a hive has been known TO
yield loco pounds Of honey, worth cents
pound, 10 single season; but 200 pounds
is the customary average, and In very dry
seasons the hives Will net yield as much as
that. Something is realized by the sale Of
beeSwax.
Our present California bee is a hybrid.
The bees which were brought here in 1855
were OF the Italian breed, and since then
Scilian and other breeds have been intro
duced. But they found a wild bee here
and crossed breeds. apparently to the ad-
vantage OF the insect. Efforts are now
being made 10 Introduce other varieties
especially an Indian bee. which is said 10
be very large and great producer. Queen
bees from Cyprus and Northern Africa are
in demand at s. apiece aud upward. We
shall probably have some % them here.
Southern beekeepers complain that the
agricultural department of the University
has not paid sufficient attention to the SUBJ
jeet of bee culture. In the University of
Michigan there is a professor of bee eul-
ture, and in Germany teachers of the in
dustry travel through the country at the
Government expens2, teaching the peas
antTy how TO raise bees and to improve the
quality of the honey.
Most of the honey sent from California Is
shipped in fve-gallcN cans, which contain
each aboat sixty ponds of extracted honey.
This is drawn off by >he grocers and sold in
jars and bottles. Mr.. Brooks seems 20 cCm-
mend the practice. He is probably not
aware that in the East, and especially in
this liquid honey is constantly adultera,ed
with glucose and scid as California sage
honey. If the mar let will not take our
honey in the comb, IT it viii not keep in
that form. it would te better for the south
ern beekeepers to ut up their extracted
honey in jars Of thetJ own, with their own
! label on them. God honey would soon
| establish reputatYa for itself. and con-
sumers would insist on the product which
they had tested anGwith which they were
familiar Our middtemen in the wine trade
have pretty nearly rained the wine indus
| try by shipping in waGd and selling TO par
ties who used our pure wine as the basis of
an adulteration. The beekeepers should
take warning by their example. 1t would
be easy for large producer to have special
glass jars made for him stamped with his
name. If he made good article of honey
the jars would command steady sale.