1HE WEST SHORE.
125
allowed to starve will generally come
through all right wintered on their
'summer stands. Second, in the pro-
Ruction of surplus honey I am of the
opinion that we cannot compete with
I California, New York, Ohio and some
other states favored with a greater va
riety of honey-producing plants and
trees. Our main reliance in this vicinity
is the white clover, which comes into
bloom the last of May, and continues
until the middle of July, and sometimes
later. Now, should the weather be
favorable during this period, that is, dry
and warm the most of the time, we are
certain of a fair crop of very choice
honey, a good average during a favor
able season being about. 50 pounds per
hive, some swarms collecting as much
as 100 pounds. The present season
promises to be one of unusual abun
dance. I have swarms in my own
apiary, hived but two weeks, that have
filled their hives and stored 15 pounds
surplus in section boxes above. I doubt
if this can be excelled in any country.
A great injury was done the state of
Oregon when bees were first introduced
here. Those brought were in box
hives and they had the germs of that
fell disease, foul brood. People
wondered that their bees "did well for
a few seasons and then all died off," and
they generally came to the conclusion
that it must be the climate and that
Oregon was no place for bees. The
late introduction of healthy bees has
proven that it was not the climate, and
that bees can and do thrive here, and
with proper care and attention will re.
turn a fair income on the investment, .
A great many articles have been writ'
ten on the honey bee, and we have been
told how they swarm, how to divide a
swarm, how to transfer from box hives,
etc., but upon the more important topic,
how to secure the best results in surplus
honey, little has been said. For the
benefit of those who keep bees and ob
tain plenty of swarms but little or no
honey, I will give the methods I have
adopted and those I think best adapted
to this country. I am very well satis
fied that the plans used to obtain
honey in southern California will not
work well here. A difference in cli
mate demands a difference in treatment.
Those 'who have' obtained the Italian
bees are no doubt very much perplexed
by the pertinacity with which they
swarm, when they should be engaged
in storing honey. I remedy this in two
ways: if early in the season, I hive the
new swarm and then from the old stand
I take about half the brood combs, care
fully cutting out the queen cells, and re
move them to the new hive. Thi.
will build up the new swarm so strone
ll . - o
uiai a iair supply ot surplus honey can
be expected from them during the
season. L,ater in the season I cut out
all queen cells and remove all the brood
combs to the new hive which I place
on the old stand. The honey boxes
are then placed in the new hive. I use
the Harbison section honev box. Care
should be taken that comb-starters are
placed in each frame of these boxes if
even work is desired. And now a
word in regard to hives. Many persons
suppose that a large hive will prevent
Dees irom swarming by giving them
plenty of room. This is a mistake; bees
will swarm from a hive when it is not
more than half full. My own experience
is that a large hive and brood chamber
is required if you wish to raise bees.
but a small brood chamber if you desire
honey, the object beintf to force the
bees to occupy all their combs below
with brood and to come into the boxes
to store honey. This is the plan
adopted by our most successful bee
keepers in the east. The time I place
ft
on the honey boxes is when white clover
is in bloom and the bees are bringing
in honey freely. This occurs usually
about the hrst or lune. though some
times as early as the middle of May
0
No boxes should be placed on a hive
that is not full of bees. Having de
cided that the swarm is strone enough
give them one box on trial, it they fill
v -
.1 a. :.l 1 tu. ... .I....
mat Willi ucca, JJ'vs mem aiiumci , in
fact give them all they will fill with
bees and no mere.
Watch your bees carefully; as soon as
the honey in a box is sealed up, it should
be taken off and replaced with an empty
one. . By removing the honey as soon
as sealed we prevent the bees from soil
ing the same, and the comb being nice
and clean is much more salable if for
market and more palatable when on
the table.
One matter I had nearly forgotten;
while on the hive the boxes should be
well protected by means of mats, pieces
of old carpet, etc. This is very esen-
tial in our variable climate, and it will
make quite a difference in the quantity
of honeyj obtained. One noted bee
1 1 a . a. a a -..
Keeper declares this to be one great
secret of his success. Many persons
have hastily decided that bees will not
pay when the fault was in a lack of
attention on their own part. No indus
try will pay that is not carefully looked
after; this is particularly true of bee
keeping. Even in those states where this
industry is followed for a living, there
can be found those who cannot make
it pay.
What the future of bee-keepimr in
Oregon is to be, is an unsolved ques- .
tion; I will, however, predict that with
the development of the country and
the introduction of a greater variety of
honey-producing plants, we shall yet
see practical bee-keepers who will be .
able to demonstrate that bee-keeping
will pay even in Orecon. In rrar1 tn
locality I consider the southern portion
of the state as much the best, and it is
from there we may reasonably expect
to hear of the first great success. East
ern Oregon is an untried field, and it
would seem that from its unlimited
fields of sage great quantities of honey
could be gathered. Among the foot.
hills of the Cascade mountains are to
be found places where bees have
gathered immense Quantities of verv
- , . - j
fine flavored honey. The Hon. . A. T.
" w
Dufur speaks of a honey belt, cut
from Oregon City.where the bees stored
honey in the open air on rails not
having room in their hives. He attrib
utes the source of this honey to a honey
aew said to fall copiously in that Sec
tion. T am InMinosI Iiaiuu. . .l.
opinion that the greater portion is
gathered from the tire-weed which ia
also found in that locality and which is
known to yield honey in great abun.
dance. Branches from trees and bushes
have been shown coated with a sweet
substance resembling honey, the source
of which is unknown unless it be
veritable honey dew falling like manna
from heaven With advantages like
these there would seem to be enough
inducement to tempt the practical bee
keeper to Oregon and with his advent,
and a fair trial, the production of honey
may yet become one of the important
a . ......
inenans county is attracting a good
deal of attention. Parties from abroad
seeking land there are numerous, and
it seems likely that that fertile district
of Western Washington will soon be
well peopled,