ALFALFA, 



ANATOMY OF THE BEE. 



truly, is the harvest of both rancher and 

 bee-keeper. 



No time is lost. The rancher is eager to 

 sj^et the whole cut as .soon as possible. The 

 bee-keeper, on the other liand, hopes that 

 his rancher co-laborer may make as slow 

 work as possible ; for as the mowing-ma- 

 chines go through the ti' id, the bee-keeper 

 sees a gradual decrease in the ttowot' nectar. 

 At the rate the mowers are progressing he 

 can tell to a day when the hay will all be 

 cut, and when the honey or the nectar will 

 cease to flow. In producing con. b honey he 

 supplies his colony with just enough sections 

 so the bees may fill every one of them at the 

 close of the honey-llow which he knows in 

 advance to a day. When the hay is all cut, 

 then he awaits the new growth, the new 

 bloom, and then, again, there is a scramble 

 for honey on the jiart of the bee-keepei- and 

 the bees, and another scramble to get the 

 hay down before it grows to be too old or 

 out of bloom. 



There is a growing tendency of late for 

 the ranchman in some localities to cut the 

 hay before it comes into l)loom. It is claim- 

 ed that the early cutting makes a better 

 quality of hay. However that may be, if 

 the i)ractice should become universal one of 

 the greatest honey-plants of the world will 

 be cut off from the bees. In any case, 

 fortunate is that bee keeper who is located 

 in the vicinity of those alfalfa-fields devoted 

 to the growing of alfalfa seed; for all such 

 have the benefit of the entire blooming imtil 

 the flower fades and the seed-pod takes its 

 place. It is in these regions especially that 

 a large number of colonies per yard can be 

 supported. 



Most of the best alfalfa-fields in the West 

 have been taken by bee-keepers; and unless 

 one can take a range vacated by another by 

 death or otherwise, or get it by purchase, it 

 is a matter of common honor that the new 

 comer, should keep out; still, theie are some 

 who will squeeze in just a few colonies and 

 gradually encroach upon the territory until 

 there is not much in it for any one. 



APPEARANCE OF THE ALFALFA. 



To one who is unacquainted with the plant, 

 alfalfa looks a good deal like sweet clover; 

 and when the two plants are young it takes 

 even an expert to detect the difference; but 

 as they grow older the alfalfa, assumes moie 

 of a heavy bushy character; and the other, 

 sweet cliiver, takes on more the appearance 

 of a treelike weed. 



CULTIVATION OF ALFALFA. 



While it seems to grow best in the raid 

 regions watered by irrigation ditches, it also 

 grows in localities where there is not too 

 much rainfall or tlie soil is not too wet. It 

 seems to do best on a light sandy soil with a 

 loose or porous subsoil, and the roots run 

 for 4 to 12 feet down— on the average per- 

 haps 5 or 6 feet. The seed may be sown 

 broadcast or in drills about 12 inches apart. 

 The amount ]ier acre varies greatly. Some 

 think that 10 lbs. is sufficient, while others 

 argue in favor of 30 lbs. The average 

 amount seems to be from 15 to 20 lbs. If too 

 small an amount of seed is sown, the plants 

 grow large and coarse; whereas if a larger 

 amount is used, a larger number of plants 

 result in smaller stems and better hay. 



Alfalfa is what is called a perennial— tliat 

 is, it lives on from year to year, and the 

 great difficulty of growing it in the East is 

 to get it to make a stand. If it can be once 

 started it will grow on from year to year 

 with very little trouble. 



The average life of the plants under ordi- 

 nary conditicais seems to be about twelve 

 years, although some claim they will live as 

 long as fifty years; but good authorities 

 seem to doubt the statement. 



Of late J ears the culture of alfalfa has 

 been taken up in the Central, Southern, and 

 Eastern States to a considerable extent, and 

 with some success. It ought to be under- 

 stood, however, it is most useful where 

 "soiling" is practiced. European farmers 

 who live in a similar climate prefer sainfoin 

 to alfalfa, claiming it produces a finer hay, 

 and is otherwise more suitable. For South- 

 ern Europe soola is prefured. All three 

 are similar in habit and culture, but alfalfa 

 IS the rankest grower. See Sainfoin. 



For some of the data just given, and for 

 the half-tone illustration shown on page 8, 

 we are indebted to Bulletin No. 35, entitled 

 "Alfalfa," from the State Agricultural Col- 

 lege, Fort Collins, Col., by Dr. ^Y. P. Head- 

 den, Chemist. 



ANATOMY OF THE BEE. For the 



main* facts of this article we are indebted 

 to "The Honey-Bee," a scientific work by 

 Thos. Wm. Cowan, editor of the BriUsh Bte 

 Journal. Material gathered from other 

 sources is duly acknowledged. 



We will first call attention to the alimen- 

 tary canal— that is, tlie organs of digestion 

 andassimilation. What is digestion? Cow- 

 an says, " It is the separation of the nutrient 

 part of food from the non-nutrient, and the 



