200 



June, 1915. 



American Vee Journal 



rage, threatens now to ruin the wise and 

 patient work of centuries. By becom- 

 ing better acquainted, we shall learn 

 then to admire and esteem each other, 

 with advantage to our industry. 



Permit me to give shortly to the 

 American beekeepers more accurate 

 information about the three principal 

 honey sources of Italy, to which you 

 refer in the March number. 



The three plants in order of impor- 

 tance from the viewpoint of beekeep- 

 ing, are the sit/Za. the /«//«<•//«, the crba 

 medi'ca. The sulla {I/t'dysaritm coron- 

 (ir/K/n— don't confuse it with the sain- 

 foin), with its Bowers bright purple 

 colored, wants strictly a clay soil. It 

 is a hay plant of first-class, and holds 

 first place in yielding honey. It grows 

 rankly and spontaneously in central, 

 meridional Italy and in Sicily. If I am 

 not mistaken, it does not withstand 

 very well temperatures below — 5 cen- 

 tigrades (23 degrees F.). The lufn'neUa 

 or croctlta {0>:o/>iyc/i/s satiTa) is noth- 

 ing more than the esparcet or sainfoin, 

 and not "a variety of the lupine," as 

 you say. (In gathering your notes 

 you fell unwittingly into error.) 



Its flowers are rosy-colored, and it is 

 the best regenerator of poor and ex- 

 hausted land, especially sandy, though 

 it seems to accommodate itself to every 

 kind of soil. It is less exigent than 

 the sulla, and better supports low 

 temperatures. Both blossom during 

 June, and yield one cut only, yearly, of 

 excellent hay, and sometime' in rainy 

 summers a second one, but much infe- 

 rior to the first. From this very best 

 hay splendid results are attained in fat- 

 ting cattle, especially if mixed with 

 alfalfa hay. 



On the other hand, in the interest of 



the beekeeper, I add without the least 

 shadow of exaggeration, that condi- 

 tions being favorable, the finest honey 

 harvested from the bloom of these two 

 valuable hay plants averages 200 pounds 

 and more per colony. 



Why can we not grow them in this 

 country? If memory does not betray 

 me, six or seven years ago, Mr. Frank 

 Benton, during his trip through Italy, 

 was offered seeds of sulla from mem- 

 bersof the Federation Apistica Italiana. 



Did Mr. Benton experiment with 

 them ? And if so. what result did he 

 get? Last year, just near Harper's 

 Ferry, Iowa, I saw growing in poor 

 sandy land, alfalfa phthisical and 

 stunted. Doubtless the test there was 

 negative. Why not introduce at least 

 the lupinella where the alfalfa gave so 

 poor results? I think the substitution 

 would be doubly profitable, to the 

 farmers and the beekeepers. The first 

 would certainly better their worthless 

 land, and would at the same time give 

 appetizing hay. The latter would add 

 to the clover one more very rich source 

 of honey. 



I will say nothing about the e>-ba 

 mcdica i^Medicago sath'a). It is noth- 

 ing more than the alfalfa. In passing 

 let me recall a circumstance worthy of 

 note. The alfalfa was introduced into 

 Italy not many years ago, and because 

 of its undoubted value it is grown now 

 all over the peninsula. During the first 

 years it was of no aid to the beekeep- 

 ers. Its bloom did not yield honey at 

 all. A few years since, however, it was 

 noted that the bees were going oftener 

 on its flowers, and in some regions 

 with encouraging results. 



Why? 



These three hay plants, the cham- 



pions of the leguminous, receive the 

 best care from the Italian farmers. In- 

 deed, they owe to them not only the 

 regeneration of their fields, exhausted 

 by a culture of many centuries, but the 

 development of the cattle industry, 

 wonderfully growing year by year. 

 They employ them for rotation, restor- 

 ing the nitrogen to the soil. One year 

 wheat, one year corn, two years one of 

 the hay plants. 

 New York, N. Y. 



[In the description of the hedysarum, 

 we were led astray by the Larousse 

 Dictionary and the Bonnier "Nouvelle 

 Flore." Both range this plant under 

 the popular name of sainfoin. Larousse 

 calls the sulla "sainfoin a bouquets." 



Many thanks for the correction.— Ed.] 



^^^^ — — 



No. 6.— The Honey-Producing 

 Plants 



BY FRANK C. PELLETT. 

 (PhotosraPhs bv thf aiit/ior.) 



A LOCATION that furnishes an 

 abundance of early pollen, and 

 some nectar for spring brood- 

 rearing, is greatly to be desired. If the 

 beekeeper finds it necessary to resort 

 to meal or similar substitutes for pol- 

 len, he is at a great disadvantage, to say 

 the least. During my early experience 

 I was much puzzled by the discussions 

 of the various substitutes for pollen, 

 for in my locality there is natural pol- 

 len to be had almost as soon as the 

 days are warm enough for the bees to 

 fly, in spring. This season, the bees 

 only had about two good flights, ahead 



PART OK A COTSWOLD OUTAPIARY 



