1909 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



67 



the alsike clover was dead, but it is ojreening up 

 somewhat. Red clover is all right; but 1 am 

 afraid the white is dead. 



My bees were run down in numbers, and short 

 of honey; but I doubled up and prepared 16 

 stands for winter. I tried the paper plan in unit- 

 ing automatically, and found it works well. I 

 moved colonies from anywhere in the yard, and 

 never lost a bee. This was during the first of 

 October, when it was very warm. 



R*LFiGH Thompson. 



Underwood, Ind., Dec. 7. 



[We think you will find the white as much 

 alive as the other clovers next spring. — Ed.] 



SUMMER DROUTH, NOT FALL, KILLING CLOVER; 

 "not much ROOM TO COMPLAIN." 



I notice in your Christmas issue that you de- 

 sire to get more reports as to whether drouth in 

 the tall kills clover. Mr. J. B. Hall, of Wood- 

 stock, Ont. (who, I am sorry to learn, has suffer- 

 ed a paralytic stroke, and may not be able to re- 

 ply to your request), has always been looked up- 

 on as one of our best Canadian authorities on 

 bees or any thing pertaining thereto, and I heard 

 him state at a convention that " it is in August 

 that clover is killed through drouth." The last 

 rain that we had of any account was during Au- 

 gust (I mean in Stratford district). We had a 

 terribly dry fall, but the clover looked fresh and 

 green, although very short. As to my own judg- 

 ment, I dont think that white clover will either 

 winter or spring kill; but both alsike and red will 

 spring-kill if the ground is bare and the weather 

 sunny with frosty nights. In the day time the 

 sun melts the frozen ground, and it falls lower 

 in the roots of the clover; the frost at night 

 hardens it up again, and, swelling as it freezes, it 

 takes a Iresh litt at the clover and holds it there. 

 Next day and following night the process is re- 

 peated, and so on until finally it is sticking up 

 beyond hope. In the absence of snow this danger 

 could be prevented by a slight sprinkling of straw. 



A JOKE ON A. I. R 



That's a good picture of the Detroit conven- 

 tion, but your father reminds me of a man who 

 was riding in a street-car, when two very fleshy 

 women came in and planted themselves, one on 

 either side of him. Presently the conductorcame 

 along, and, happening to know the gentleman in 

 question, queried, " Hello, Jack! how are you 

 getting along.'" Jack glanced to the one side, 

 then to the other, and finally replied, "Well, I 

 haven't much room to complain." 



Poole, Ont., Dec. 31. David Chalmer. 



DROUTHS KILL GRASSES, ETC., THAT TEND TO 

 CHOKE WHITE CLOVER. 



White clover grows in old pastures and fence- 

 corners in competition with red-top, June grass, 

 and the like, and its prosperity depends on what 

 helps or hinders it in getting ahead of these oth- 

 er plants. If a great fall drouth like the present 

 killed a large per cent of both kinds of plants and 

 prevented the grasses from starting from seed in 

 the autumn, they would start anew in their rivalry 

 in the spring. But every one knows that the do- 

 ers have the grasses " skinned a mile "when it 

 comes to sprouting and growing in the spring 



from seed. In a field of ours I think I can no- 

 tice a decided gain of the grass, due to the two 

 successive wet falls in the past; while dry weath- 

 er late in the season, some years before, tended 

 to help the clover. 



The white clover I find under the snow to-day 

 seems as mucK alive as one could expect it to be; 

 and I do not believe it could be whipped out ex- 

 cept by a great midsummer drouth followed by 

 heavy rains in September, giving the grass a 

 chance to sprout and pre-empt the ground in the 

 fall. Ben P. Edgerton. 



Hicksville, Ohio, Dec. 4. 



freezing and THAWING LIFTS CLOVER OUT BY 

 THE ROOTS. 



We had a drouth this fall, but it will not hurt 

 the clover as much as wet ground would, com- 

 bined with no snow and cold. The freezing and 

 thawing is what lifts the clover out by the roots. 

 During a dry spell the freezing does not hurt the 

 plants so much I am looking for a good clover 

 crop in the spring. The alsike clover looks very 

 well now. I am farming 140 acres. 



Middletown, Pa. D. J. Eshleman. 



CLOVER FOR NEXT YEAR DOUBTFUL. 



It has been real dry here. The new seedingjs 

 pretty slim. I was talking with a neighbor a 

 few days ago, and he said he paid out over $150 

 for seed last spring, and he would not risk it for 

 a hay crop. He said he would mow his old 

 meadow for hay next year. 



Norman McLeod. 



Ionia, Mich., Dec. 7,1908. 



what is MEANT BY WINTER - KILLING OF CLO- 

 VER. 



On page 1488, Dec. 15, a question is asked in 

 regard to the winter-killing of clover. If we have 

 much freezing and thawing during the winter, it 

 heaves the clover up, yes, sometimes pulls it clear 

 on top of the ground. This is very hurtful to 

 clover. And then sometimes a drouth in April 

 or May does much damage to clover when it is 

 pulled up during winter. Harry Lipp. 



Defiance, O., Dec. 28. 



DROUTH KILLED WHITE CLOVER. 



The drouth has killed our prospects of white- 

 clover honey for next year. I expect to ship'my 

 bees to mountains about 40 miles away. 



Corbin, Ky., Dec. 10. O. R. Weaver. 



SAN FRANCISCO QUOTATIONS TOO HIGH. 



I noticed in an article on page 1426, Dec. 1, 

 you ask for opinions of California bee-keepers 

 on the San Francisco quotations. In reply I 

 will say that they are too high. I have just re- 

 turned from Stockton, which is 80 miles from 

 San Francisco, and connected by a waterway, 

 thereby having cheap transportation; and while 

 there I saw large quantities of choice comb honey 

 retailing at 3 sections for 25 cents. I have sold 

 about 600 lbs. here at the same price, and that is 

 about the average price to the producer, instead 

 of 17 cts , as you have quoted. 



Orosi, Cal., Dec. 8. Roy Stevens. 



