1910 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



151 



I make them of rough lumber. They last as 

 well unpainted as painted. 



It would be an improvement, and enhance 

 the lasting qualities of the hive-stand, as 

 well as make things very neat ana tidy, if 

 a cement slab were put down first and the 

 stand placed on it. I am planning to lay out 

 my home yard carefully, making exa t meas- 

 urements; dig the sod off for a space 2 '/a to 3 

 inches larger all around than the stand will 

 occupy, filling the space with cement even 

 with the la v n. It is a very pleasing sight to 

 have nicely painted white hives stand out on 

 a well-kept green lawn. I want the lawn at 

 all hazards, but have found that it requires a 

 good deal of handwork to keep the grass 

 down next to the hive where the lawn-mow- 

 er does not cut. Somehow, and for good 

 reasons, the stools of grass make their heavi- 

 est growth right here where only the pocket- 

 kniie or shears can be applied. This very 

 annoying feature I expect to eliminate by 

 the cement margin around the hive. A few 

 bee-keepers are situated so as to keep a few 

 sheep in their enclosed bee-yard; and, in- 

 deed, the sheep keep down all vegetable 

 growth nicely; but even this best of all meth- 

 ods is open to some objections. 



The pnoto which accompanies this shows 

 my hive-stand as it has been used on differ- 

 ent styles of hives in my yards for more than 

 25 years. The alighting-board as shown is 

 painted white in order to make a better con- 

 trast with the surrounding green grass. In 

 reality I do not paint them. If I were to use 

 paint on the smooth surface of the board I 

 would sprinkle sand on the paint while still 

 green. Even a weakened bee would then 

 never " sHp " nor lose its foothold. 



Naples, N. Y. 



[There is one point in favor of a hive- 

 stand with slanting board front which our 

 correspondent has not touched, or at least 

 only incidentally. In early spring, especial- 

 ly after long confinement, bees will often 

 venture out when the sun shines brightly, 

 notwithstanding it is a little too cool for 

 them to remain out long. They will make a 

 few circles, void their faeces, and return to 

 their hives, or attempt to do so, in a more or 

 less chilled condition. Many of them will 

 alight on the ground; and if the approach to 

 the hive is difficult or slippery, some will be 

 lost and never get into the hive; whereas an 

 easier approach, like that shown in the illus- 

 tration, will induce the bees to go into the 

 hive. 



While we do not necessarily lose bees that 

 are chilled outside, yet unless a warming 

 day comes up in the next four or five days 

 or a week, these bees will die. If a temper- 

 ature of 70 degrees with warm sunshine 

 comes on within the period named, most if 

 not all the chilled bees will "come to " and 

 enter the hive. Even then an easy approach 

 is quite important. 



Some years ago our Mr. F. J. Wardell, then 

 in charge of our home yard, called attention 

 to the fact that those colonies not supplied 

 with s'anting- front entrances showed a great- 

 er spring dwindling than those that were 



so supplied. The reason was quite obvious 

 when we began to look at the number of 

 dead in front of the hives having vertical- 

 front entrances. 



This is a matter of considerable impor- 

 tance, and our readers should take note of 

 the comparative mortality in front of their 

 hives. — Ed.] 



THE GROWING OF BUCKWHEAT TOR 

 GRAIN AND HONEY. 



How to Prepare the Soil; the Old-fash- 

 ioned Black Buckwheat Better for 

 Honey. 



BY J. H M'GOWAN. 



I send a snap shot of a buck \^ heat- field in 

 full bloom. The growing of this crop here 

 is considered by some an uncertainty, wi ile 

 others call it a "sorry crop; " that is, they 

 are sorry when it is good that they d d not 

 sow more, and sorry, when it is bad they 

 s -wed so much. But in thi.-. article 1 wil try 

 to tell how one may be almost sure of get- 

 ting plenty of bloom (what the bee-keeper 

 likes to see) and plenty of straw and grain. 



KIND OF SOIL. 



To grow this crop to its best, several things 

 must be taken into consideration. Fi st, the 

 soil. Any kind of well-drained land will 

 answer. Buckwheat will not grow on ground 

 that is wet and heavy or where the water 

 stands and gradually dries up, leaving the 

 soil in a hard, lifeless condition. It does best 

 where the land is naturally dry, or made so 

 by proper drainmg. 



PLOWING AND PREPARING THE LAND. 



Here in Butler Co. we begin to plow just 

 as soon as corn is planted — about May 25. 

 Each day's plowing is rolled or dragged 

 down in the evening. This is important, as 

 one should keep in the soil all the moisture 

 that is already there. We follow this plan 

 until plowing is all done. 



HARROWING AND SEEDING. 



Now, then, the work is only partly done, as 

 it is necessary to keep after this field with a 

 good spring-tooth harrow or disk and roller 

 alternately until seeding time, when the 

 seed-bed should be perfectly clean, fine, and 

 solid. It is now ready to drill in (never 

 broadcast), provided the proper time is at 

 hand. Here we drill from July 1 to 20. 

 Early sowing insures a large yield of straw 

 and bloom, while late sowing usually fills 

 the best, as the sun is then not nearly so 

 hot during the time of bloom. I have seen 

 fields sown early turn brown in two days on 

 account of the bot sun. 



HOW MUCH SEED TO SOW PER ACRE. 



One and a half bushels Japanese, and one 

 bushel of silverhull or little black is aboiit 

 right. In the Japanese varieij the grain is 

 larger and the stalk does not branch out so 

 much as the other two varieties mentioned. 

 This is the reason why more Japanese should 

 be sown per acre; but if honey is a consider- 



