312 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. May 15 



GROWING SWEET CLOVER. 



How to Get a Good Stand. 



FIG. 4 THE PRESS TIPPED UP ON THE HINGES TO 

 POUR OUT ALL THE WATER AND WAX. 



small tub to keep the wax from chilling until it 

 is emptied into the large can, as explained later. 



The screw should now be raised, the follower 

 lifted out, and the burlap shaken into a box near 

 by. If the piece of burlap is rubbed quickly 

 with the hands, most of the refuse can be shaken 

 out. Now place this burlap over the press-can 

 again, and repeat the process with another gallon 

 of comb just as soon as possible. There should 

 be no time wasted between one pressing and 

 another, for the can, follower, etc., are liable to 

 become cold. 



When the screw is turned down the first time 

 on the next batch of melted combs, empty the 

 hot water and wax in the shallow tub into the 

 large can near by ready for it. For convenience 

 this can should have a faucet or gate at the bot- 

 tom so that the hot water may be drawn off when 

 it gets too full, this hot waterto be used over again 

 in the next boiler of comb. It does not matter, 

 even if it is quite black and thick, for experience 

 has shown that this dark-colored water does not 

 discolor the wax. A piece of carpet should be 

 kept over the top of this large can in order that 

 the wax may not become chilled. At the end of 

 the day, or whenever the work is over, the hot 

 water may be drawn out until the wax begins to 

 come, and then thrown away. The wax may 

 then be run out into suitable molds, which, if 

 made of metal, should be soaped on the inside 

 with soapsuds to prevent the wax from sticking. 



The department of Questions and Answers, in 

 the American Bee Journal, by Dr. C. C. Miller, 

 is a strong and valuable feature of that journal. 

 It is especially helpful to beginners. 



BY FRANK COVERDALE. 



[Mr. Coverdale has had several years of experience in growing 

 sweet clover for feed, and he is in position to know its value al- 

 so tor stock and for bees. See the Feb. 15th issue for 1908, page 

 220. His statements here, in regard to the growing of this clo- 

 ver, are'of especialiinterest because of his long experience. — Ed .] 



If one wishes to grow sweet clover for the seed 

 alone he will find that it is not profitable, for this 

 plant must be grown for all there is in it. Sweet 

 clover differs from all other clovers, and requires 

 entirely different handling. A good stand for 

 seed can not be secured on poor land in this lo- 

 cality; and even if it could, one would miss every 

 other year, as this plant is a sure biennial. Fur- 

 thermore, supposing it were possible to get a 

 good stand, and the field were run for seed only 

 for ten years, there would be only half a stand 

 each year, as the old crop, if it were sufficiently 

 thick, would smother the young plants and make 

 the field very spotted. With fairly rich land 

 there should be little if any trouble in getting a 

 stand; but to grow sweet clover profitably, the 

 field must be grazed during the early part of the 

 season, until July 1st at least. After the stock 

 is taken off, the clover will grow very rapidly, so 

 that a fine crop of seed may be harvested. When 

 the seed is sufficiently ripe, the field should be 

 mown 12 to 14 inches from the ground, so there 

 will be a heavy fall feed for stock after cutting. 

 This is not true of either the red or alsike clovers. 

 Stock thrive on sweet clover better than on any 

 other legume that I have tried, and I have now 

 had six years' experience. 



The worst drawback is the difficulty in getting 

 a good stand, as it takes two or three years before 

 a field reaches its best, and during this time it 

 seems like pulling teeth to plow it under, because 

 it is worth too much to plow. However, in 

 managing a field as outlined above, a crop of 

 seed averaging two bushels to the acre can be se- 

 cured each year, which, with the very excellent 

 pasturage one gets, pays to an extent fully equal 

 to a crop of corn, and there is much less labor. 

 At the Iowa Experiment Station, last year, five 

 acres were sown to sweet clover in May, and a 

 good stand was secured. The field was mown 

 five inches above the ground, and it yielded 1% 

 tons of hay per acre. After this, sheep were pas- 

 tured on it until winter set in. 



This clover should be sown with timothy with- 

 out a nurse crop. Cattle should be pastured on 

 the field all summer, but not too heavily. The 

 white sweet clover is apt to come up well, and 

 then later get yellow or sick-looking in places. 

 Perhaps one patch ten feet wide will do well, 

 while another a short distance away gets sick, 

 making the field look spotted. If one does not 

 care to keep cattle of his own, stock belonging to 

 some one else might be taken in. If no seed is 

 wanted, the cattle can be allowed to run over it 

 the whole season; and if bees are kept, a honey 

 harvest will begin July 5th and continue until 

 frost. The bees work on the field like one great 

 swarm from early morning until late at night, 

 and every one who gets a taste of the sweet-clo- 

 ver honey wants more of it. 



