Nov. 5, 1903. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



713 



Bee-keeping has been taken up as a side-line, and has 

 been found to interefere very little with our regular poultry- 

 work. The chickens are allowed to run among the hives, to 

 the mutal benefit, we believe, of both bees and chickens. 

 From the fact that the poultry frequent the neighborhood 

 of the bee-hives so much, and we seem to have so little 

 trouble from the bee-moth, we judge they catch many of 

 the millers, and I am quite sure they catch a great many 

 drones, although manifesting a wholesome fear of the 

 workers. 



In many ways poultry and bees seem to be adapted to 

 occupying the same ground. 



The combination of poultry, fruit and bees seems to be 

 a unique one, each contributing to the well-being of the 

 other. Shade is one of the essentials on a poultry-farm, and 

 nothing furnishes any more desirable shade for poultry 

 than an orchard of plum orapple trees, while either makes a 

 most desirable location for the apiary, especially a plum 

 orchard.' The trees being of low growth, prevent swarms 

 clustering too far out of reach. In case of its being neces- 

 sary to remove the branch on which the swarm clusters, 

 plum trees are much less liable to injury from the unseason- 

 able pruning. 



It is generally known that fowls are of no small benefit 

 to the fruit-trees, not only by consuming many insect ene- 

 mies of the fruit, but by increasing the fertility of the soil 

 over which they run. 



Fruit-growers generally, I believe, recognize the value 

 of bees for fertilizing the fruit-blossoms and increasing 

 their chances of liberal yields of fruit, so it will be readily 

 conceded that the production of honej', fruit and poultry 

 products can be profitably and economically combined. 



We would not care to engage in the culture of small 

 fruits and bee-keeping together, especially the raising of 

 strawberries, for the heaviest work of picking and marketing 

 the strawberry crop comes just in the height of the swarm- 

 ing season, and both require prompt attention to be handled 

 profitably. 



Perhaps in the majority of cases where bee-keeping is 

 carried on in connection with other pursuits, it would be 

 found most convenient to run for extracted honey. One of 

 the chief difficulties with us has been the tendency to ex- 

 cessive swarming when run for comb honey, and by work- 

 ing for extracted honey this tendency seems to be materi- 

 ally lessened ; I believe this the experience of bee-keepers 

 generally. 



We had one colony, the past summer, which did not 

 swarm at all, and otherwise than the presence of consider- 

 able drone-comb in the hive, we could not see anything to 

 prevent them swarming. It was one of our best Italian colo- 

 nies, and was used to supply breeding drones for our apiary. 

 Other colonies swarmed more than usual, although the sea- 

 son has been unusually cool, but they were practically with- 

 out any drone-comb. 



By the use of modern hives and appliances, bee-keeping 

 can most certainly be made a source of pleasure and profit 

 on a poultry farm. — Read at the Minnesota State Conven- 

 tion. Chisago Co., Minn. 



The Value of Sweet Clover. 



WHILE there are many who unqualifiedly condemn 

 sweet clover (melilotus alba), also known as Bokhara 

 clover, as a noxious weed that is not to be tolerated 

 under any circumstances, there are others who claim for it 

 some good points. Without doubt the conditions have much 

 to do with the attitude of the observers. It is a very rapid 

 and vigorous grower, produces an enormous quantity of 

 seed, and is in other ways fitted to thrive under adverse cir- 

 cumstances. For these reasons it is quite nersistent in re- 

 maining where it is not wanted when once it has maintained 

 a foothold. This feature is, however, a strong point in its 

 favor under certain conditions. It enables this plant to 

 thrive where it is impossible to supply the conditions of soil 

 and treatment necessary to the successful growing of other 

 crops. As its name indicates, it is a legume, and like the 

 other members of that family, it is a great improver of the 

 soil. Prof. Duggar, of Alabama, says : 



Fields that for two years have borne sweet clover have 

 been known to produce the next year nearly twice as much 

 corn as before being sown to this leguminous plant. At 

 the Ohio Experiment Station, a number of years ago, a 

 notable increase in the yield of wheat was obtained through 

 the use of this plant as a green manure. The cane-brake 

 Experiment Station at Unioritown, Ala., has demonstrated 



not only the power of this plant to add nitrogen and vege- 

 table matter, but also to assist in the drainage of the heavy 

 calcareous clay soils of that part of the State, through the 

 channels made when the large roots decay. 



It should not be grown as a crop on soils where the 

 other more common legumes will thrive ; for while this 

 plant is very easily grown, and an enormous yielder, it is not 

 relished by stock either as pasture or hay. It is nutritious 



Courtesy Prairie Farmer. 



when properly handled, and stock will do fairly well on it 

 when they can get no other roughage, and become accus- 

 tomed to it. 



Its value as a honey-plant is quite generally recognized. 

 Its chief redeeming feature, however, is its ability to flourish 

 on soils that are in their present state almost barren. 

 Where it once gets a start it will crowd out almost any other 

 kind of vegetation. 



The accompanying illustration represents a spot in a 

 large area of idle land where the native grasses and weeds 

 have been almost exterminated by the encroachment of 

 sweet clover. Two fence-posts of ordinary height are in the 

 center of this view, but are hidden by the clover, which will 

 give an idea of its height. In the foreground is a patch of 

 young clover just coming from the seed that ripened and 

 shattered off last year. — Prairie Farmer. 



[ Our Bce-Heepin§ Sisters J 



Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. 



Cell-Cutting- to Control Swarming'. 



I wonder if Mr. Hasty is "meekly ready to be informed 

 and corrected by the " woman, as well as the ;«a«, '" who has 

 run 50 colonies through the season that way." Page 665. 



I have run more than 50 colonies through more than 

 one season that way. Yes, it is a good bit of work, and not 

 always pleasant, bill it gives the honey. 



A Sister's Impressions of the Los Ang-eles 

 Convention. 



Mrs. A. L. Amos, who was perhaps the sole representa- 

 tive of Nebraska bee-keepers at the Los Angeles conven- 

 tion, writes : 



" I find that while I was holiday-making my bees were 

 not. I have not yet removed all of the honey crop, but 

 enough to make sure that I have every reason to be satis- 

 fied. Nebraska is not California, but to me it is literally 

 'a land flowing with milk and honey.' 



" Being only a little fish rather than a whale among 

 the bee-keepers, I don't often indulge in a convention, and 



