GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 15. 



You think it looks nice, and you regard it with 

 great favor. After you have fully tried it, 

 your word will be worth more, whether your 

 decision is adverse or favorable. And until 

 you have tried it you want all the light you 

 can get. I've tried something a little like it, 

 foundation with a base of paper or tin foil. I'm 

 pretty sure, you'd want to know how that suc- 

 ceeded, and those who have tried any thing of 

 that kind, and failed with it. ought hardly to 

 be censured for telling of the failure. 



But you say, " There are new things that are 

 good; why not give a level-headed judgment 

 always, and tell us in advance what things are 

 worthless and what are worth a trial ? " Dear 

 me! who knows enough ? 



Marengo, 111. 



[Yes, it is true that most new things are not 

 what they seem to be at first. Another in- 

 stance is the Langdon non-swarmer device. 

 On paper it looked like a "big thing." but in 

 the practice of bee-keepers generally it did not 

 prove to be such. Reversing of brood-frames 

 and hives was another new fad that rose and 

 died again. Contraction of the brood next had 

 its day. and now is gone largely into disuse, 

 and so I might go on and name a lot of others. 

 But bee-escapes, among the mor ' modern " new 

 things." especially the Porter, stands out as a 

 brilliant exception. 



Your friend refers to wood-base foundation 

 as something new. Why. that is, I was about 

 to say. one of the very old "new things," if I 

 may use such language. It had its day years 

 ago. Now the question is, shall it have anoth- 

 er? The fixed-frames idea was an old fad, and 

 came near being left out the catalog of modern 

 appliances altogether. But experience has 

 shown that it was condemned too hastily, and 

 that because of their real merit they were 

 bound to come up again and stay up. I hardly 

 think this experience will be duplicated in the 

 case of wood-base foundation.— Ed.] 



ITALIAN OR CRIMSON CLOVER. 



TBIFOLIUM INCARNATUM, ETC. : AN OLD HON- 

 EY-PLANT IN ENGLAND. 



By Samuel Simmins. 



Editor Oleanings:—\ have been interested in 

 your experimental trials with this clover, and 

 notice your request in Gleanings for August 1. 

 You appear to consider it. or its honey-yielding 

 qualities, assomethingonly recently discovered. 

 You will find it mentioned in "Modern Bee 

 Farm," 1887 edition, and on page 5.') in the later 

 issue, of which I had the pleasure of forward- 

 ing you a copy. The plant has been known to 

 and appreciated by bee-keepers here for many 

 years. Around our large towns it is sown in 

 extensive areas, being cut for green food and 

 sold to owners of town stables, as well as great- 

 ly valued for home use. ]>ees simply roar on 

 it, and store heavily for the few days it is in 

 flower. That time is short, as it is usually cut 

 before reaching full bloom. If allowed to stand 

 for seed, however, the bees have access to it 

 for from six to eight weeks at a stretch, and in 

 good weather there is a continuous hum over 



the field. The honey is light in color, and of 

 fair flavor. There is also a white variety, but I 

 am not aware that it is as useful for honey. 

 Like most clovers, the seed can be sown to make 

 a profitable crop only in the autumn for the fol- 

 lowing year's use. 



I have .'■own this summer (July) buckwheat, 

 trifolium, and melllot clover on the same piece 

 of five acres. The buckwheat has come in 

 bloom within one month from sowing. The 

 mixed clovers are coming up nicely, so that for 

 hay the crimson clover will be cut in ordinary 

 course early next June, with a tender growth 

 of melilot not in flower. Alone, the crimson 

 clover makes poor hay, or, at least, it lacks 

 scent, which the melilot supplies, and that one 

 of the most fragrant kind. By cutting at that 

 date, the flowering sweet clover to follow does 

 not become so coarse as otherwise would be the 

 case, and therefore is of more use as hay. 



After once cutting, the scarlet clover is of no 

 further value, though a few heads may again 

 appear. Another piece of ground I shall have 

 clear next spring, I propose to treat in a simi- 

 lar manner, except that in March, or earlier, 

 mustard will be sown to come into flower from 

 the middle of April, to be plowed in just as the 

 final blooming is over. Buckwheat put in in 

 June, harrowed and rolled, waiting for a wet 

 season, any time up to September, before sowing 

 the mixed clovers, as before; with no harrowing 

 or rolling, as the buckwheat will be up and in 

 flower. 



It should never be forgotten that all clovers 

 germinate best— in fact, only perfectly— when 

 scattered on the very surface of the ground; 

 therefore wait for a wet time if possible before 

 sowing, and in three days the ground will be 

 smothered with the new - born plants. Of 

 course, the ground is to be got down fine and 

 firm in the first place; and in dry weather, 

 with no other crop up, it may be rolled after 

 seeding, to advantage; but never rsike ov har- 

 row after sowing clovers of any kind. Many a 

 farmer has lost a crop— and a season— through 

 sowing fine seeds previous to harrowing, and 

 before rolling at all. thus setting it too deep for 

 germination. Never omit to do both some time 

 before; roll again after sowing if dry, but do 

 neither after if a wet season can be waited for. 

 Above all. never omit to roll down as hard as 

 possible the following spring, as soon as the 

 frosts are over, or the plants may fail to root 

 properly again after the usual loosening of the 

 soil — the result of the freezing. 



Apart from its duration if left for seed, a 

 succession of bloom may be had by cutting a 

 part of the crop of trifolium before flowering at 

 all, when, of course, that portion will come for- 

 ward again, to bloom freely after that left 

 standing has declined. 



You may naturally ask, " Can not a succes- 

 sion be had by sowing at different times? or 



