1908 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



415 



statements be given their full weight. But 

 the comb-honey canard never had the con- 

 tinuous circulation over in England that it 

 has had here. In this country it has been 

 the one thing that has kept down the price 

 of comb honey, because the public were sus- 

 picious of all honey in the comb and would 

 not buy. Now that this hoary canard has 

 all but died a natural death it would seem 

 as if we might be taking long chances to put 

 out a style of section that would give even 

 the faintest suggestion of the so-called "man- 

 ufactured comb honey." It is our honest 

 conviction that it would be very wise to go 

 slow, especially as it now appears that we 

 can put in full sheets of foundation cut to 

 fit in regular sections. 



SPLIT SECTIONS OLD. 



We find by our orders in the manufactur- 

 ing department that the sale of split sections 

 in England is beginning to ease up. Wheth- 

 er other manufacturers are having an in- 

 creased trade we are not able to say. We 

 also find that the sale of split sections, as 

 compared with all other kinds, is only about 

 25 per cent of the total number sold in Great 

 Britain. The great majority, apparently, in 

 the mother country at least, favor solid sec- 

 tions and using one or more of the different 

 methods of fastening foundation to the wood. 

 When it is remembered that the split section 

 was first illustrated and described by Mr. 

 Samuel Simmins, in his book "A Modern 

 Bee Farm," in 1887, and then further de- 

 scribed in subsequent editions of his book, 

 1893 and 1904, it would appear by this time 

 that they should have had a larger propor- 

 tionate sale. 



Later. — Just as we go to press, it is, per- 

 haps, proper for us to say that we have been 

 looking over several supers of split sections, 

 in which foundation was put in on the J. E. 

 Hand method some months ago. We were 

 surprised to note that the foundation had 

 buckled in many of the sections. Then we 

 looked over some regular sections, in which 

 foundation had been fastened on all four 

 sides. These were buckled also. In both 

 cases extra-thin foundation was used. Pos- 

 sibly the buckling would not have occurred 

 if we had used the grade called ' ' thin su- 

 per. ' ' 



If the Yoder plan of fastening to the top, 

 and part way down the sides, with a gap of 

 I inch at the bottom, will prevent this buck- 

 ling, the problem is solved. 



BEE-KEEPERS FURNISHING ALSIKE-CLOVER 

 SEED TO LOCAL FARMERS. 



A YEAR ago we furnished alsike-clover 

 seed free of charge to all farmers within a 

 half or three-fourths of a mile of any of our 

 bee-yards. We did this to get it more gen- 

 erally introduced in our vicinity; but we did 

 not then anticipate that so many of them 

 would jump at the chance as thev did. 

 Having made a general offer we stood by it, 

 even though it took over $150 worth of seed 

 to supply the call for it. Well, the result is 

 that alsike-clover seed has been pretty gen- 



erally scattered all over the territory within 

 a mile of our bee-yards. 



This year we expect there will be just 

 about as much alsike distributed, in spite of 

 the fact that we do not furnish it free, but 

 charge half price. 



During the last few years farmers have 

 been learning the value of alsike as a forage- 

 plant, and many of them are sowing it with 

 their timothy to increase the food value of 

 the hay. In a trip about a year ago through 

 the heart of Michigan we noticed that tne 

 farmers there were sowing alsike with timo- 

 thy; for every field of timothy that we could 

 see had alsike growing with it. 



In favor of alsike it may be said that it 

 takes only half the amount of seed to cover a 

 given area that red clover does ; it has a 

 higher feeding value, and, what is more, it 

 will stay in the ground for three or four 

 years, while red clover will run out in a sin- 

 gle year. 



It has been observed by bee-keepers that 

 white clover, owing to intensive farming, has 

 been gradually running out ; but to offset 

 this, alsike is taking its place ; and when 

 farmers come to know its real value, and 

 that it costs only half as much to sow an 

 acre of it, it will be grown more largely than 

 at present. 



Every bee-keeper in this country, where 

 alsike will grow, should make arrangement 

 to furnish seed, either at half price or at 

 cost. He should take pains to go among his 

 farmer friends and explain its advantages, 

 and urge them to grow it. If he continues 

 this policy a few years he will have a locali- 

 ty that will be one of the best for honey. 

 This is not mere theory, for we have plenty 

 of facts to prove it. 



The efforts that have been thus far made 

 to increase the length of the tongues of our 

 bees have not accomplished a great deal as 

 yet. One reason for this is the difficulty of 

 controlling the male parentage, with a view 

 of accentuating increase of tongue-length. 

 But if we can substitute alsike for red clover 

 we can solve the whole proposition. 



Alsike-clover hay mixed is beginning to 

 have a special market value. For race 

 Jiorses it is considered the best hay obtain- 

 able. If it is good for this class of animals 

 it ought to be good for others. Dairymen 

 who have tested it have learned that it in- 

 creases materially the quality and quantity 

 of milk. 



Bee-keepers everywhere should now get 

 busy to see that a supply of seed is obtained, 

 and furnish it at cost or half price. We 

 furnish it free of cost in case it is to be sown 

 where a field abuts our apiaries, or at least 

 comes within a hundred yards or so of them. 

 But where seed is given away it should be 

 plainly stijjulated that it be sow7i in the reg- 

 ular way, on cultivated ground, and not 

 thrown broadcast on the top of the ground 

 of regular meadow land. While much of 

 the seed will spring up, much of it will be 

 lost. Where one pays naif price for his seed 

 we may rest assured he will not waste any 

 in that way. 



