106 



THE BEE-KEt:PERS' REVIEW, 



under the most favorable conditions, a fair 

 crop of seed might be obtained the iirst 

 season ; but the second season is the one 

 depended upon for the main crop, under or- 

 dinary circumstances. In the autumn and 

 early spring the field may be lightly pastured, 

 preferably by sheep, but care should be taken 

 to remove the stock before damage is done. 

 By early June the clover-tield should be a 

 sheet of vivid green, with no earth visible. 

 Later, the pink and white blossoms appear, 

 borne at the ends of the main stalk and 

 branches. This is the bloom which will 

 furnish the largest and best part of the seed 

 crop. Keep watch of them, for they soon 

 disappear under a set of somewhat smaller 

 blossoms, which in turn give w ay to another, 

 the bloom continuing sever al weeks. During 

 this time the bee does double duty in im- 

 proving the yield of seed by cross-fertiliza- 

 tion and in gathering the nectar with which 

 the florets are abundantly stored. Mr. M., 

 realizing the value of its labors, purchased 

 ten colonies, and feels that they paid for 

 themselves in the Iirst season by increasing 

 the yield of clover seed, to say nothing of 

 their gathering 300 lbs. of the finest honey in 

 the world. Had he been an experienced bee 

 keeper, instead of the beginner that he was, 

 the honey crop would have been twice as 

 great. A week or more of bloom passed 

 before the boxes were put on at all. 



To go back to those first clover-blossoms — 

 they will have become a rich brown in color, 

 and nearly dry. Now is the time to cut it. 

 Just here is where a day's delay means 

 partial if not total failure. Waiting for the 

 later and inferior heads to ripen, the earlier 

 and more valuable ones, becoming entirely 

 dry, burst their pods and scatter the seed 

 upon the ground. When cut at the proper 

 stage, a large part of the foliage is green and 

 tender, and, with the immature heads, fur- 

 nishes a hay equal if not superior to that 

 from the first growth of red clover. 



After it is cut, moisture does not injure 

 alsike as, readily as it does other hay. To 

 avoid scattering the seed, the hay should be 

 handled as little as possible during the curing, 

 and then only when there is moisture enough 

 in the atmosphere to keep the stems pliable 

 —never iu the heat of the day. This is the 

 second point of extreme importance. Draw- 

 ing should be done during the earlier part of 

 the day, after the dew is off, and again in the 

 afternoon. Subsequent operations need no 

 comrnent until the seed is ready for the 

 cleaning process. In order to command the 

 highest price in the market, the seed must 

 be perfectly clean ; but as it is so much 

 smaller than any other seed which the farmer 

 handles, the fanning-raill requires finer 

 screens than those ordinarily used, and the 

 blast controlled so that seed is not blown off 

 in the chaff. Though it requires skill and a 

 good machine to perfectly clean seed without 

 waste, care and ingenuity will often accom- 

 plish the desired result with slight expense, 

 and add many dollars to the value of the 

 crop. 



The first seeding may be allowed to remain 

 on the ground during the third and fourth 

 seasons, and possibly fair crops may be had ; 

 but, on the whole, it is probably better to 



turn it under after the first cutting, and use 

 the ground for some other crop — potatoes 

 for instance. 



The past season was an exceedingly poor 

 one for clover in this locality ; but alsike 

 yielded double the amount of seed obtained 

 from red clover when the latter was worth 

 the cutting. Many did not cut it at all. 



Emily E. West. 



Flint, Mich., Feb. 15, 1892." 



AD VE RTISEMENTS 



IF you wish to advertise anything anywhere at 

 any time write to GEO. P. EOWELL & CO.. 

 No 10 Spruce St , N. Y. 



I DO NOT ADVERTISE 



A specialty but a full line of everything used in 

 au apiary. Send for circular. ('. E. LUKEN8, 

 19 N. 2nd. St. Philadelphia, Pa. 4-92-lt 



Do You Want 



Good, gentle and prolific bees ? Then get an Al- 

 bino or white - banded Italian queen of A. L. 

 KILDOW, Sheffield, lU. Catalog free. 3-92-tf 



Honey -Extractor, 



Square Glass Honey-Jars, Tin Buckets, 



Bee-Hives, Honey-Sections, &c., &c. 



Perfection Cold-Blast Smokers. 



Apply to CHAS. F. MUTH & SON, 



Cincinnati, O. 

 P. S.— Send 10-cent stamp for "Practical Hints 



to 



-tf. 



Pleas 



it ion the Reuiew. 



i Dovetailed Hive | 



I J No. 1, eight thick-top-bar 'frames, divis- 



(J iou board, super, section holders, foUow- 



'M er, wedge, tin separators, sections, foun- 



(3 dation starters, flat cover, painted, $1.50. 



d Five hives, in the flat, no inside furniture, 



i $3.a5. 



O fllCE UXKITE SECTIOflS 



- At $3.50 per 1000; cream sections, $3.00; 

 No . 2 , $2.00. 



BEES FOI? SfliiE. 

 50 colonies of Italian bees for sale at 

 $5.50 per colony ; or $5.00 each if ten or 

 more colonies are taken. Tested Italian f) 

 queens in May, $1.50 ; in June $1.25. C 



1-91-tf J. M. KINSIE, Rochester, Mich, © 



