152 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Mar. 1 



m'gowan's buckwheat in full bloom in butler CO., PA. 



Mr. McGowan, by a close study of the details, prevents failures and makes the crop a very reliable one. 



ation I would advise sowing the little black 

 or silverhull, as it blooms until cut or killed 

 by frost. 



THE USE OF FERTILIZER. 



There is another important factor in the 

 raising of this crop; and that is the use of 

 fertilizer. We never think of growing it 

 without using from 100 to 150 lbs. per acre 

 of acid fertilizer, costing from $10 00 to 

 $12.00 per ton. It just seems to make it 

 boom — makes both grain and straw, and a 

 much larger yield. Last year I sowed three 

 fields to buckwheat. The first one was 

 drilled in Ju'y 6; the straw was medium, 

 and yielded 16 bushels per acre. The sec- 

 ond was drilled in July 11; straw heavier 

 than that in the first field, and yielded 22 

 bushels per acre. The third was drilled in 

 July 19, straw like the first field, but yield- 

 ed 25 bushels per acre. As a rule, early 

 sowing gives large straw and a poor yield in 

 bushels, while late sowing is the opposite. 



Here buckwheat is grown for the follow- 

 ing reasons: It comes quick; is easily har- 

 veste-l; is a splendid bee pasture; in fact, it 

 is all we have to depend on. The straw is 

 valuable on the farm. The flour has a ready 

 sale at good prices on account of its national 

 reputation. Nothing is quite so good as 

 buckwheat for poultry; and when ground in 

 connection with corn and oats it makes the 

 best kind of feed for milch cows. 



I would urge every bee-keepar, if at all 

 possible, to put in at least a few acres for the 



bees, and to furnish some of those good 

 warm cakes which we all like for breakfast. 



Prospect, Pa. 



[We consider this article one of the best 

 and most comprehensive we have ever re- 

 ceived. Buckwheat is nearly always a pay- 

 ing crop, particularly as it enables the intel- 

 ligent farmer to secure a double investment 

 out of his land. As buckwheat pancakes are 

 becoming more and more popular, good prices 

 are usually obtained for the grain It will, 

 therefore, behoove the beekeeper farmer, 

 if he has not had much experience in grow- 

 ing this crop to give this article more than 

 a mere passing attention. 



What our correspondent says about black 

 buckwheat being better for honey seems to 

 confirm our experience. Has any one else 

 noticed the same thing? The question of 

 the kind of seed a bee keeper should sow is 

 an important one to consider, and we hope 

 our friends in York State, where so much 

 buckwheat is grown, will not be slow to re- 

 spond. — Ed.] 



♦ ■ ^ ■ ♦ 



THE LONGEVITY OF QUEENS RAISED 

 BY BREEDERS. 



BY F. DUNDAS TODD. 



In the literature of bee-keeping much space 

 is devoted to the problems that surround the 

 purchase of queens from breeders and their 

 introduction to hives in the apiary. The 



