1896 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



401 



the Bordeaux mixture, they have not as yet suc- 

 ceeded in giving us a powder that would stick 

 to the foliage as well as the Bordeaux. By the 

 way, the Bordeaux mixture may be found on 

 the leaves of apple-trees and on the grass, even 

 after a tremendously heavy rain; and this is 

 the case when the rain comes the same day the 

 mixture is applied. We shall use the Bordeaux 

 mixture as a fungicide for scab; but I think 

 that, hereafter, we shall use the powdered Paris 

 green for all sorts of insects. We shall, how- 

 ever, add Paris green to the Bordeaux mixture, 

 because we can just as well put on both as only 

 one. 



A few days ago a swarm of Colorado beetles 

 alighted on our Thoroughbred potatoes. In 

 the morning there was not a bug in the patch; 

 but in the afternoon there was one on every 

 stalk, and on some of them there were half a 

 dozen bugs. In fact, they had done quite a 

 little damage in only about two hours' time. 

 We got out the Paris green; but the Thorough- 

 breds were so very valuable I could not wait 

 for the bugs to become sick. So a small boy 

 was started out with a tin basin. In about an 

 hour he had nearly a teacupful. He went right 

 over them again and caught almost half as 

 many more. In fact, they were on the wing, 

 buzzing all around. By the next morning, how- 

 ever, I found only one bug in the whole patch; 

 and I could not really say which offended the 

 bugs the more— being mashed in the road, or 

 physicked with poison. Now, here is another 

 funny thing: 



Over in the apiary there is a cold-frame warm- 

 ed by exhaust steam, perhaps 20x30 feet; and in 

 this cold-frame is the most luxuriant growth of 

 Thoroughbred potatoes that anybody ever saw 

 in the line of potato foliage. I do believe. Be- 

 fore a heavy rainstorm laid them down the vines 

 stood fully 3 ft. high, and they were as thick as 

 your thumb. As they w.Te started too early for 

 flea-beetles or Colorado bugs, every leaf in the 

 whole patch is bright, clean, and perfect. Now, 

 there has never been a bug on these at all. Has 

 the rank growth something to do with it, or is it 

 because they have not found the patch? Those 

 I have spoken of. where the bugs went at them 

 so viciously, had recently been transplanted 

 from the greenhouse, and the growth was com- 

 paratively feeble, for they had not yet got well 

 started. 



Later. — I have just made another examina- 

 tion, and there is not a live bug in the whole po- 

 tato-patch, although I found a good many dead 

 ones on the vines, and a good many more on the 

 ground. Paris-green powder did it, without 

 question; and yet the amount used was so small 

 that one could scarcely see it at all as it came 

 from the gun. Another thing: T have always 

 been prejudiced against liquid Paris green, for 

 it is so liable to injure the foliage, especially if 

 It is used too strong. This almost impercepti- 

 bly fine dust could scarcely injure the most del- 

 icate plant. I am sure, however, the Leggett 

 guns are too expensive. While the mechanism 

 is rather nice, a machine that will do the same 

 work ought to be afforded for a great deal less 

 money. There is no need of adding any flour, 

 lime, or any other dust, to the Paris green. The 

 manufacturer of the guns says distinctly that 

 pure Paris green properly applied is better than 

 any admixture with any thing else. 



DWARF Jessex'rape.'^:' 

 So much inquiry continues to come in in re- 

 gard to this plant that we give place to the fol- 

 lowing which we clip from a recent issue of the 

 American Agriculturist: 



On moderately good land, in this State, one can 

 raise an excellent crop of Dwarf Essex rape, which 

 can be used as forage to feed in the stables, or it 



can be pastured with as good, if not better, results. 

 We liave grown it at this station the past two years, 

 and have secured at the first cutting from 8 to 13 

 tons per acre 90 days after planting. We plant in 

 rows 28 to 30 inches apart, and cultivate, giving only 

 siirf ace or shallow cultivation. It may be sown broad- 

 cast, l)Ut the weeds in that case are likely to make 

 the yield per acre less than by the other method. 

 We have allowed it to reach from tliree to four feet 

 in height t)efore cutting the first time, and even 

 then the sheep have eaten stalk and all, not leaving 

 any part of it. It is necessary to starve tlie sheep 

 to eating it at first. Tliey will, if turned into the 

 rape patch, eat dry grass before they will touch the 

 rape; but if kept there about two days they will 

 take to it, and from tliat time on no trouble will be 

 experienced, unless it is to keep them from eating 

 too much, I know of no crop that is so easily raised 

 that will furnish more or better sheep feed to the 

 acre than the rape. It may be sown in May, and 

 will be ready for pasturing in July and August. Or 

 it may be sown in June, or even up to the latter 

 part of July, and this last seeding will furnish, vin- 

 der moderately favorable circumstances, a large 

 amount of pasture or fodder. On Ohio soil it may 

 be sown after taking off a crop of early potatoes, or 

 after harvesting the wheat. Our e.xperience justi- 

 fies the remark that the latter seeding grows much 

 more rapidly than the earlier, indicating that it is 

 well that the ground should be pretty warm before 

 seeding in the spring. After the first cutting or 

 eating off', it will start a second growth and will con- 

 tinue to grow until after the ground has been frozen 

 several times in the fall. We have had it growing on 

 the station grounds as late as the middle of Decem- 

 ber, Rape possesses remarkable fattening proper- 

 ties. The nutritive ratio of green rape as given by 

 Wolfe is nearly one to three, while that of red 

 clover in blossom is hardly one to six. 



The other side of the rape question is found 

 in part, at least, in the following interesting facts: 

 When sheep are first turned in on rape, or, 

 rather, after they have got to eating it nicely, it 

 is necessary to guard against turning them into the 

 rape patch when they are very hungry, as they may 

 overeat and suffer from indigestion, or they may 

 die from bloating. There is also danger or liability 

 of purging at first. If the sheep have access to an 

 old grass pasture when first turned on rape, it will 

 be very effective in preventing scours, as well as 

 other disorders likely to arise from impaired diges- 

 tion. If the first few days are passed without trou- 

 ble, it is not necessary to remove the sheep from the 

 rape patch, but it will always be judicious to look 

 after them frequently. The greatest olijection I find 

 to the rape plant is that no crop depletes the soil 

 more rapidly. It is stated that lambs fed upon rape 

 gain from seven to twelve pounds per head month- 

 ly, and that an acre of it will feed over thirty sheep 

 for two months. 



LATER FROM OUR CRIMSON CLOVER. 



At this date. May 12. it is in full bloom, and 

 we are at work plowing it under.* The bees are 

 making quite a roaring upon it, and especially 

 the bumble-bees, I think I never saw so many 

 bumble bees on a small area before; and I nev- 

 er saw as many Italians on the same area of red 

 clover, although I think I have seen more on a 

 good stand of alsike. I told our apiarist that 

 honey was coming in. for I could smell it at the 

 entrances. He thought not ; but next morning 

 he said I was right — the bees were getting a 

 good deal of honey. It does not follow, howev- 

 er, that the honey comes from the crimson clo- 

 ver, for we have not more than an acre that is 

 a good stand. Up in the swamp garden is a 

 piece of asparagus that has never b^en cut, as 

 we thought it was not old enough. The conse- 

 quence is, it is as high as your head, and in full 

 bloom ; and I think there are more Italian bees 

 on that asparagus — that is, more bees to the 

 ■' square inch " — than I ever saw before. The 



* There is no question but that crimson clover 

 mellows up the groiuid and furnishes a nice rich 

 soft seed-bed, for potatoes or any other crop, fully 

 equal to a heavy growth of red clover. To get a red- 

 clover stand it takes a part of two years; but to get 

 an equally heavy growth — root, branch, and all— of 

 crimson clover, it takes only a part of one year. 



