260 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



pl«wed under they furnish a Mne humus, so 

 necessary to the proper fruitaiie of the 

 ti'ees. 



Dr. Cook went on to explain that the 

 vetches and animal yellow sweet clover, 

 known as Melilotus indica, are being used 

 almost exclusively in California for the 

 purpose. In this connection it is proper to 

 remember that Melilotus indica is also 

 known as the annual yellow sweet clover. 

 This is also a honey-plant, but not quite 

 the equal of the Melilotus officinalis, nor 

 yet quite the equal of the white sweet clover, 

 Melilotus alba; but the fact that the annual 

 yellow sweet clover, Melilotus indica, is one 

 of the best cover crops that can be used by 

 the orchardist, suggests that perhaps the 

 Colorado fruit-growers on the western slope 

 could use it ; if not that, they could use the 

 vetches, both of them supplying nitrogen to 

 the soil, and at the same time make an 

 excellent humus. The beekeepers of Colo- 

 rado should suggest that their friends the 

 fruit-growers try something else as a cover 

 crop that will not be prejudicial to the in- 

 terest of the beekeeper. 



Beekeeping in the Great West 



There are certainly some very fine bee 

 locations in the great West. Most of them 

 have already been taken up, and many of 

 them are ovei'stocked. There are localities 

 where new irrigation schemes are under 

 way, and alfalfa is just being grown. These 

 Avill be found in parts of Montana, Wyo- 

 ming, and northern Idaho. Most of the 

 good bee territory in southern Idaho has 

 already been taken, much of which is over- 

 stocked. About all one can do in estab- 

 lished territory is to buy out some good 

 beekeeper. The same rule practically holds 

 in Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and southern 

 California. There is some new territory not 

 taken in the northern part of the state. If 

 any one from the East desires to go into 

 beekeeping he should buy a ticket, and tour 

 the country thoroughly before he decides to 

 locate. In most cases he will have to buy 

 out some one else already on the gi'ound, 

 and probably this can be done. 



It certainly does not pay a tenderfoot to 

 go out into the western countiy and attempt 

 to squat his bees down near some resident 

 beekeeper who thoroughly knows the local- 

 ity. The newcomer is generally frozen out 

 if it is a freeze-out game. 



This is not written to discourage the 

 emigration of eastei'n people ; but it is only 

 fair that they know what they will run up 

 against in old established territory if they 

 attempt to locate without buying out a bee 



range. There seems to be a sort of unwrit- 

 ten law among the western producers to 

 stand together and protect each ntiier, and 

 we cannot blame them. 



Our Cover Picture 

 In this special Quriby number we are 

 much pleased to be able to present so in- 

 teresting an array of pictures closely asso- 

 ciated with Moses Quinby. His son-in-law, 

 Lyman C. Root, whose article appears on 

 another page, made a trip, at considerable 

 inconvenience to himself, to the old home 

 in Greene County, where Mr. Quinby wrote 

 his first book, and where he made most of 

 the investigations which have so greatly 

 influenced the whole beekeeping world. We 

 are especially glad that he secured a photo- 

 graph of the old mill where Mr. Quinby 

 earned the support of his family in his 

 early years, and where he made his hives. 

 This picture is shown on our cover. The 

 building shown is not the old mill. Some 

 of the old timbers of the latter are to be seen 

 in front of the building, by the rocks that 

 were part of the old dam. 



On another page is shown a copy of the 

 old engraving, taken from his book pub- 

 lished in 1865, showing queen, drone, and 

 workers, also worker and drone cells. Even 

 with the advanced knowledge gained in the 

 fifty years that have elaj^sed, this can be 

 considered a most faithful and perfect 

 drawing. In this connection it is interesting 

 to note that Mr. Quinby's daughter made 

 the sketch with a pencil. As Mr. L. C. 

 Root sa3's, it certainly illustrates Mr. Quin- 

 by's accuracy in whatever he undertook. 



Just as we go to press we received the 

 following from L. C. Root, which is so 

 interesting we give it a 2^1ace here. The 

 photograph of the extractor will appear in 

 our next issue. 



I have secured a picture of the first metal-can 

 extractor that Mr. Quinby made after the one I 

 described. 



I am looking forward for the Quinby number of 

 Gli;anixgs with much interest. Was he not first to 

 keep bees in large numbers in out-apiaries? first to 

 ship honey in large quantities to any market? first 

 to place beekeeping on a commercial basis with 

 other branches of agriculture? first to use the 

 honey-extractor to produce honey by the ton ? first 

 to invent a self-spacing frame? first to discover that 

 wlien bees are wintering well, they discharge their 

 feces in the dry state ? 



I have never appreciated father Quinby's life 

 work as I have since I have been visiting the differ- 

 ent places where he spent his life. Everywhere I 

 have found evidences of his unselfish life and large- 

 ness of purpose. I am just beginning to appreciate 

 some of the embarrassments he had to meet through 

 lack of appreciation. 



You will see why the coming number will be of 

 deep interest to me. 



Stamford, Ct., March 8. L. C. Root. 



