New-York tribune., 1901-06-02
TRAVELLING BEEHIVES
THE UP-TO-DATE POLICY OF A CALL
FORNIA APIARIST

population is relinquishing the idea that riches
! in the Golden State must come by magic and IS
willing to expend the same industry that
other environment demands for livelihood the
number of beekeepers is increasing. The most
progressive apiarists are found along the south
ern coast. where the sagebrush hills furnish the
whitest, most delicate honey the market affords
One Of this number, c. 1. Graham. has been in
| the business for nine years and has been en-
! thusiastc in studying the habits of the bees.
! Noticing that their renascent activity de-
pended upon the coming of the spring flowers
he conceived the idea of assisting them TO set
out earlier on their yearly campaigns, The
| orchards of the Sacramento and san Joaquin
valleys burst into bloom months before the
southern sagebrush. and to them Mr.. Graham
drove wagOnload Of bee colonies late in Janu-
airy, 1896 The journey easy one. the
bees had not really aroused themselves from
| their winters Iistlessness In February the
fragrance OF trees and field stimulated them, and
they set to work, blending the nectar of mill
ions OF fruit blossoms with the ambrosia Of
| billions of wild flowers As the blossoms faded
in April Mr.. Graham turned southwark again.
1t predicted that his bees would desert him
! by the wayside, for. while bees be moved
with impunty during their quiescent winter. il
| is generally considered impossible to transport
them during their active season. Mr. Graham
however. solved the difficulty by travelling 1T
/
full colonies. honey crop of hundred pounds
| to each hive and the sagebrush season still opel
before him
! The following two years he moved two wago..-
loads of colonies. and not only Transported
/ them to the northern orchards in January. BIT
| in July, after the sagebrush had ceased bloom
ing, carried them north again to flourish on
the fragrant autumn wild flowers of the san
Joaquin Valley. This gave him three distinct
] crops OF honey. and kept the bees active during
nine months of the year.
/ The success of the experiment has been ac-
companied by an increase of capital and i
growth OF the industry. Since 1899 Mr.. Graham
has shipped by carloads from one vantage
ground L. another. He has had built from his
own designs wagon the size OF a common fiat
car and a crate that exactly fits this wagon
At night he loads colonies in the crate aboIt
/ three hundred to each. and at the railroad sta
ton slips the crate the hatCar. Then tae
wagon is taken apart and all shipped to ti.e
destination. on their arrival. araiI. under COW.
OF darkness. the crate is slipped from the car
TO the readjusted wagon. and the colonies arr
wheeled off and established in some sweet
bower before daylight Practically, no bees are
lost in the four different journeys a year. even
at the tme when they most alert.
Mr.. Graham scatters the bees around the
fruit region in the ratio Of about one hundred
colonies to an area Of five square miles AMI
pays certain ground rental for the season AS
the bees help pollenize the flowers and thus
produce a superior fruit the owner of the
orchard is reaping equal benefit with the
apiarist. If not a greater one. one raiser of
alfalfa in Southern California estimates 50
highly the help Of the bees that he invited u
beekeeper u locate permanently his farm.
AID to share in the profits Of his hay. They
have continued IN this partnership for SeveT~l
years, and both are we'll satisfied with the re-
suits. In time the fruit men Will appreciate the
value of cross-fertilizaton. and then they will
alone.
| In addition to his outfits for transporting the
bees Mr.. Graham takes with him a regular
camping wagon with all The paraphernala FOR
an outdoor life and all the apparatus for
| tracing honey from the comb In this vehicle
he moves from one group of colonies To another
keeping close supervision all He pitches
camp at one orchard for a day at a time
and attends to his bees there Then he drives
| to his next collection OF hives. His meals are
cooked on little camping stove. and eaten
with such appetite only outdoor life
provides. In bad weather he sleeps in ;ne
cred wagon. but whenever the weather permits
| his mattress Is spread under the stars
! When the combs full, the equipments for
straining placed in the camping wagon.
The honey is strained ard shipped the mar
ket from the nearest railroad station Among
the fruit blossoms ard the spring wild flowers