1430 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 1 



nourishing, and at the same time very palatable, 

 causing it to be well received by the digestive 

 system. It is not spoiled in cooking as many 

 good foods are. 



SWEET CLOVER COMPARED WITH OTHER CLOVERS 

 FOR FEEDING STOCK. 



That great journal, Hoard's Dairyman, of Ft. 

 Atkinson, Wis., in its issue for Nov. 13, con- 

 tains a striking editorial on sweet clover. Brief- 

 ly, it is a resume of what had formerly appeared 

 in that journal by Prof. Ira M. Buell, of Beloit 

 College, Wisconsin. 



The editors say there is a close connection be- 

 tween clover, alfalfa, and sweet clover, not only 

 botanically but chemically, as an analysis taken 

 from the " International Encyclopdia " will show. 

 Here it is: 



In the green growth. 

 CLOVER. SWEET CLQVER. ALFALFA. 



Water . . . 70.8 76.5 71.8 



Protein ... 4.4 2.8 4.8 



Fat . . . . 1.1 0.4 1.0 



Nitrogen, free extract 13.06 12.1 12.8 



Crude fiber . . .8.1 6.6 1.4 



Ash . . . . 2.1 1.6 2.7 



In the dried state. 



Protein . . . 14.9 12.0 13.7 



Fat .... 3.8 1.7 3.6 



Nitrogen, free extract 44.3 51.4 46.2 



Crude fiber . . . 27.1 28.9 26.7 



Ash . . . . 7.1 6.8 9.7 



In these tables the sweet clover comes off as 

 slightly better than either clover or alfalfa as to 

 food value. As a matter of fact, its rank taste is 

 largely due to an excess of nitrogen as compared 

 with its fat and ash content. 



RELISHED BY STOCK. 



Hoard's Dairyman is fair, however, and says 

 that the young growth is quite palatable, and re- 

 sembles asparagus. The taste depends largely 

 on condition and seasonableness; that is to say, 

 it must be cut at the proper season — a rule which 

 applies to other crops as well. It also says, how- 

 ever, that sweet clover is somewhat repellent at 

 first, especially to cows, but is usually easily 

 overcome, so that it is greatly relished. Horses 

 are said to be especially fond of it. 



ITS DISTRIBUTION AND HISTORY. 



As to its distribution and history, the Dairy- 

 man's knowledge is very full. Its native home 

 is Central Asia, so that its cradle is the same as 

 that of the human race. Homer, the great poet, 

 noted it growing on the plains of Greece and 

 Asia Minor, and he tells us that the horses of the 

 Greeks were fed on it at the siege of Troy. It is 

 said to be still raised in the East, being grown in 

 the same manner as alfalfa — by irrigation — and 

 used for the same purposes. The name, " meli- 

 lotus," means " honey-blossom," and is common 

 to both the Latin and Greek languages. Pliny 

 wrote very accurate accounts of it, telling of its 

 uses and distribution, and gave a more extended 

 description of it than most of our botanies. In 

 his day it was highly esteemed as a honey-plant 

 and as a medicine, and even now it is highly val- 

 ued as such by Europeans. 



OTHER SPECIES. 



Other species of melilot are also prized in Cen- 

 tral and Southern Europe. In Switzerland the 

 fine flavor of the dairy products is largely due to 

 jhe presence of sweet clover in their pastures. 



Long ago Asa Gray showed that, in its new 

 home, sweet clover showed a striking increase in 

 strength and vigor. This shows its adaptability 

 to new conditions. 



As regards its use as a fertilizer, the editor 

 closes with this significant paragraph: 



The use of the bacteria-supporting legumes for the mainte- 

 nance of the fertility of our farms is one of the most promising 

 fields for agricultural experiment. It is well to know that we 

 have right at our own doors the most hardy, rank-growing mem- 

 bers of this class, and one that promises the largest increment of 

 fertilizing matter from its growth. 



Now where are the people who say sweet clo- 

 ver is a lueed ? 



BEE-KEEPING AMONG 

 THE ROCKIES. 



By Wesley Foster. 



Mr. Scholl, you say in the Oct. 15th issue that 

 comb honey goes at double-first-class freight 

 rate. Comb honey takes the first-class rate when 

 the glass is protected. Tack a separator over the 

 glass. 



* 



LOCATING AN APIARY. 



A dry knoll covered with buffalo grass, and 

 above irrigating-ditches, is my favorite choice for 

 a bee-yard. There are no weeds to cut, nor is 

 there any danger of being drowned out by some 

 careless irrigator. The swarms usually alight on 

 one of the fence-posts, and are quickly seen. 

 There is one serious objection to a knoll; it gets 

 all the wind, and we have tvind out here in the 

 winter. When the farmers burn the grass along 

 the ditches the fire often gets away from them, 

 but there is little danger if the apiary is on a buf- 

 falo-grass plot, for there isn't enough grass to set 

 a hive on fire, ordinarily. 

 * 



RETAIL PRICES OF HONEY IN COLORADO, ESPECIAL- 

 LY DENVER. 



No. 1 white comb honey retails at 20 cts. per 

 section, or 2 for 35 cts. ; No. 2 and poorly grad- 

 ed goods bring 15 cts. Some cull honey sells at 

 12/4. Extracted honey in glasses holding from 

 5 to 8 oz. sells at 10 cts.; ^-pint jars bring 15 to 

 20; pint jars retail at 25 to 30. There is consid- 

 erable honey in 1-lb. jars (some with a piece of 

 comb inserted in the honey), selling at 25. Seven 

 or eight carloads of comb and extracted have 

 been brought into Denver, and I think the mar- 

 ket here is very well supplied. 



COLORADO STATE BEE CONVENTION. 



The Colorado State Bee-keepers' Association 

 is to hold a convention, "a round-up," and a lot 

 of new honey-money-making ideas are to be 

 roped, tied, branded, and taken home to be put 

 into practical operation by any who can fall 

 into the fellowship feeling of a round-up, and 

 can tell a young unbroken well-bred bee idea 

 when they see one. We will meet at the Ameri- 

 can House, Denver, Dec. 8, 9. This convention 

 will not be quite as long as usual, but there will 

 be less chance for good ideas to take to tall tim- 

 ber between sessions, All are asked to send in 



