756 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Nov. 26, 1903. 



frosts it gradually mellows the soil of unproductive clay, and makes it 

 fit for cultivation. 



It is a biennial. The shoots of the first year's growth are tender, 

 and are valued in the South as fodder for stock, but those of the sec- 

 ond year are tough, fibrous, and branching, and bear the flowers 

 which are very attractive to honey-bees. Id some districts sweet 

 clover is grown extensively by apiculturists. The number of seeds 

 produced every year by each plant is very large. Experience shows 

 that sweet clover is not difficult to control. It grows altogether from 

 the seed. If seeding is prevented by cutting down the plants at blos- 

 soming time, very few plants will make their appearance the following 

 season. 



__ Although a fodder-plant in the South, sweet clover is not relished 

 by stock in Ontario. On account of the tough, fibrous structure of 

 the second year's growth, there is a possibility that the plant may in 

 a few years be grown for the manufacture of binder-twine, etc. 



Should it be proven that sweet clover can be profitably used for 

 making twine, surely here will be something that has long been looked 

 for by bee-keepers — a plant that has value aside from the nectar which 

 it yields. 



If we remember correctly, sweet clover seed is valuable for certain 

 purposes. 



Who knows but the much-despised sweet clover will yet win its 

 way to power and fame! 



Pick Out Youp Breeders Now. 



"Breed from the best "is a pretty safe motto," and it maybe 

 better now than later to decide which the best are. If you have made 

 no definite record of the performance of each colony, by the time you 

 want to start queen-rearing next year you may have only a hazy re- 

 membrance of it. So it is better to defer your decision no longer, and 

 after having made the decision you should put it down in black and 

 white, or else mark in some way the hive that contains your best 

 queen. Also mark several others of the next best. Something may 

 happen to your best queen, so that you will want to use the next best, 

 and in any case you will want to know several of your best colonies 

 which are to be encouraged to rear drones, drone-rearing being dis- 

 couraged in other colonies. 



Weighing Colonies. 



If you want to weigh your colonies before leaving them to their 

 winter's repose, you can do it by means of a platform scale, but it is a 

 quicker job to use a spring balance. Suppose you have decided that 

 before going into the cellar each 8-frame hive with its contents, cover, 

 and bottom-board must weigh at least 40 pounds. A rope is slipped 

 over the hive in some way — if you have cleats on the ends an endless 

 rope is passed under each cleat — the hook of the spring balance sup- 

 ports the rope, and a tough stick used as a lever supports the spring 

 balance, the short arm of the lever resting on a light frame-work of 

 sufficient elevation. 



It may not be necessary to weigh all the hives. Hefting may an- 

 swer for most of them. Practice will help to decide by hefting when 

 a hive weighs considerably more than 40 pounds, and such a hive does 

 not need to be weighed. 



The use of a little more strength, however, will enable one 

 actually to weigh all and do it expeditiously. Have the spring bal- 

 ance supported by a broad strap about the neck, and you can lift the 

 hive by the spring balance just about as easily as you can heft it. 

 Have an assistant to call off the weight. Lift slowly, and whenever 

 the index of the balance passes the 40-pound mark, the assistant calls 

 out " Stop," thus saving unnecessary lifting. Of course, the same 

 principles will apply if some other weight than 40 be the limit. When 

 thus weighing, it may be convenient to use a long staff or stick to 

 help balance or support one. 



Selecting Colonies for Next Year's Breeding. 



Not a colony, but colonies ; for it is not safe to depend upon a 

 single queen — she may die — and several colonies are wanted for drone- 

 rearing. At first thought it may seem a very simple thing to make 

 the selection : Suppose No. 17 stored the past season the most sur- 

 plus, 200 pounds; No. 33 stored 180 pounds; Nos. 85, 64, 94 stored, 

 respectively, 176, 173, and 160 pounds; these being the best in the 

 apiary, so why not rear queens next year from No. 17, and drones from 

 the others? Well, it isn't so simple a matter as that. In spite of the 

 superior yield of No. 17, it may be that it would be better to rear 

 queens from either of the other four. It may be that No. 17 super, 

 seded its queen late in the season, and that the new queen has met a 

 very inferior drone, so that next year the colony may do only mediocre 

 work. You may as well take some time to the matter. Sit down one 



of these long evenings with your memoranda before you, and give the 

 matter the attention which its importance merits. 



First, make a list of colonies giving the largest yields, putting 

 them in the order of their superiority. If one of them has changed 

 (|ueens during the season, that throws it out of the count, although if 

 the change was made very early in the season the colony may be en- 

 titled to some consideration. It may be that one giving an extra 

 yield had in some way an extra chance, as by having brood or bees 

 given to it. It may be that brood or bees were taken from it, for 

 which allowance should be made. The record of previous years should 

 be noted. A colony with a good record for two seasons is better than 

 one with a record for only one season, always supposing that the same 

 queen has run through the two seasons. 



If comb honey is the object, it is worth while to note whether a 

 colony has done good work in finishing up sections that are nice and 

 white in every respect. 



All these things should be carefully considered along with gentle- 

 ness, inclination to swarm, etc., and the choice made accordingly ; and 

 it is better to make that choice now than later. 



Zinc for Hive-Covers. 



This is favored by some. More expensive at the start, but it lasts, 

 and there is no question as to its being rain-proof. If itwilllasta 

 goodly number of years without paint; it may in the long run be the 

 cheapest thing that can be satisfactorily used. 





Miscellaneous Items 





Mrs. Blorrill Dunn, of Chicago, read a short paper on bees at 

 her residence on Nov. 5, to a group of young women who had formed 

 a literary and social club. Through the kindness of Mr. Whitney (of 

 Brookside Apiary, in Wisconsin), and a Chicago friend, she was en- 

 abled to show a complete hive, several combs, and a queen-bee with 

 attendant workers. The properties were very interesting, and helped 

 those who had read Maeterlinck's book to place things; and awoke 

 great interest in those who had not a faint understanding of the won- 

 derful system belonging to the most marvelous little creatures the 

 world has to show. 



The Minnesota Convention, which meets Dec. 2 and 3, in the 



First Unitarian Church, cor. 8th St. and Mary Place, Minneapolis, has 

 a most excellent program. Every bee-keeper of that great State should 

 " get there," if at all possible. Among the papers and subjects to be 

 read and discussed are these : 



Wintering Bees Outdoors in Manitoba — Dr. C. M. Vanstone. 



What is the Best Way of Extracting to Prevent Increase and to 

 Get the Largest Amount of Comb Honey? — N. P. Aspinwall. 



Pickling with Honey-Vinegar and Honey — Miss Mary Moeser. 



Out-Apiaries and " Shook " Swarms — F. A. Gray. 



Co-operation Among Bee-Keepers — Walter R. Ansell and S. Lin- 

 dersmith. 



A Ramble on the Pacific Coast with a Little About Bees and Bee- 

 Keepers' Conventions— Mrs. H. G. Acklin. 



Some Reminiscences in Bee-Keeping — J. P. West. 



Bee-Keeping from a Woman's Standpoint — Mrs. W. 8. Wingate. 



Queen-Rearing — G. R. Frye and F. A. Crowell. 



Honey Exhibit at the Minnesota State Fair— N. S. Gordon, Supt. 



How to Produce a Fancy Grade of Comb Honey — Dr. E. K. Jaques. 



Anatomy of the Honey- Bee, andBeeandFire Blight (Pear Blight) — 

 F. L. Washburn, State Entomologist. 



Bee-Keeping as a Side-Line — Geo. A. Forgerson. 



Transferring Bees from Logs to Modern Hives, and Getting Rid 

 of Kobber-Bees — Wm. Cairncross. 



Pour-Piece Sections are advocated by Editor Hutchinson, 

 and he thinks the time now ripe for some one to make a specialty of 

 their manufacture, and push them. 



California Bee-Keeping is thus commented upon by our 

 good friend, Mr. W. A. Pryal, of San Francisco Co., Calif., in a letter 

 dated Nov. 11 : 



Dear Mr. York: — The reports of the Los Angeles convention, as 

 given in the American Bee .Journal, have been interesting me of late. 

 Last week I read that part devoted to the talk by " I'ncle Amos," and 

 this week I was an attentive reader of the reminiscences of Mr. Harbi- 



