1909 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



347 



are in the air that have secured a taste of honey 

 from some source, and they are watching for a 

 chance to secure more. If any one were to light 

 a smoker and go into the yard with the air full of 

 robbers, such robbers would very liicely be at- 

 tracted, especially if the guards at the entrances 

 of the weak colonies were smoked so that the 

 blocks could be adjusted. Therefore, if any 

 change must be made with such weak colonies it 

 should be made at night, when the bees are 

 through flying for the day, so that all will be 

 quiet the next morning. 



Of course, when the honey season opens later 

 on, such trouble with robbing quickly disappears, 

 for bees do not rob each other to any extent when 

 they can get nectar from natural sources. 



Remus, Mich. 



[Elsewhere we have commented on the value of 

 this article — in fact, the whole series of articles 

 written by Mr. Townsend. We desire to call 

 attention to the advice that the colonies be put 

 in prime condition in the fall; that is, they should 

 be supplied with an abundance of stores so they 

 will not require to be fed or equalized the follow- 

 ing spring. A large amount of testimony was 

 brought to bear on this matter some six months 

 ago; and it was surprising to see how so many 

 veterans agreed on the proposition. It was urged 

 to feed in the spring if you ha'-ve to; but get in- 

 to the habit of feeding enough in the fall, if the 

 bees are not already supplied, so they will have 

 enough and to spare until the main honey flow 

 next season. 



We believe it is good policy sometimes to al- 

 low robbers to finish up their job when once they 

 get agoing on a weak colony; but some late ex- 

 perience has suggested to us a much better policy; 

 and that is, to take the robbed colony and put it 

 down cellar and keep it thtre for twj days. On 

 the stand from which th« colony is removed we 

 place a robber-trap, consisting of a regular bee- 

 hive like those used in the bee-yard, having a 

 bee-escape leading into the entrance — that is, so 

 placed that bees can go in but not out of the 

 hive. This robber-trap should be placed on the 

 stand just as soon as the other hive is taken away. 

 In the course of an hour it will have caught all 

 the robbers, and the yard will be just as quiet as 

 if nothing had happened; for experience shows 

 there are but few bees involved in the robbing 

 business, and those mostly from one colony. 

 Take the trapped robbers and put them down 

 cellar, or, better still, carry them to an outyard, 

 then put the robbed colony on the top of anoth- 

 er strong colony, and allow them to work out 

 their own salvation. 



The trouble with ordinary robbing is that, 

 when it once gets started in a yard, the apiarist is 

 almost sure to be annoyed day after day unless 

 he catches them in a trap, as here explained, and 

 carries them to an outyard where thi conditions 

 and environments are ditferent. In some cases 

 we advise brimstoning the robbers outright. If 

 they are "old offenders" the apiarist will be 

 money ahead to do so.. 



The prevention of robbing is better than the 

 cure, and the beginner can not he too careful in 

 following the above very wise directions. Weak 

 co'onies with plenty of stores in hives with large 

 entranecesare perpetual temptations to bees in- 

 clined to rob. — Ed.] 



BUCKWHEAT-GROWING. 



Some Questions Answered in Regard to it. 



BY H. B. HARRINGTON. 



So many letters with questions have come to 

 me since my article on page 317 appeared that I 

 thought best to answer them all through Glean- 

 ings. We have raised four varieties — the old 

 black, the gray, the silverhull, and the Japanese. 

 The berry of the black is large and rough, and 

 the hull thick and hard. The flour is dark- 

 colored, but made very good cakes and biscuits 

 when I was a boy. The straw is large with long 

 branches. 



p_The gray (or calico) buckwheat has still larger 

 straw, and we have harvested our largest yields 

 of grain from this variety. The first crop of 

 this variety we raised from less than one peck of 

 seed sown broadcast by hand on one acre of very 

 rich river-bottom land. We harvested 42 bush- 

 els of very fine grain. 



The silverhull grows with a smaller straw; the 

 berry grows nearer to the stalk in compact tufts, 

 or bunches; the hull is thin and the flour light- 

 colored. We like to raise it because it looks so 

 pretty as it comes from the thrashing-machine. 



The Japanese is a quick grower, bound to get 

 ripe, no matter how late it is sown, It grows 

 more like the silverhull, and the flour is also very 

 light-colored. 



The most buckwheat we ever harvested from 

 one acre was 45 bushels. That is good for Ohio, 

 but not much of a crop for Northern Michigan 

 or Wisconsin. 



One can raise a big crop of buckwheat after 

 plowing under a crop of clover, but the roller 

 must be used to pack the ground and make a 

 fine seed-bed for the young plants. There is no 

 land too rich or too poor to raise buckwheat. 

 On rich land, for early sowing, one peck per acre 

 is enough; on thin poor land two or three pecks 

 should be sown. On the rich land the gray va- 

 riety branches out wonderfully. Late in the sea- 

 son more seed is necessary. As late as August 

 1, silverhull or Japanese might require four pecks 

 per acre. We should expect a five-peck seeding 

 as early as July 15, on any decent land, to lodge, 

 fall down, and go to nothing. 



Phosphate stiffens buckwheat straw. It is not 

 so apt to lodge where commercial fertilizer is 

 used. 



Our best crops of honey have been gathered 

 from the varieties with the larger straw, but we 

 have had good crops from all varieties. 



Of course, plant potatoes in June or as late as 

 the first of July. If rye is to be plowed under, 

 let it get as large a growth as possible. I prefer 

 to plant in the first half of June. 



The American farmer must learn to feed his 

 land better. Nature has fitted rye to grow 

 in the fall, winter, and early spring, when 

 no land should be left bare to wash, leach, and 

 waste. Potato-fields, corn-stubble, and all va- 

 cant fields that have been tilled should be sown 

 to rye in the fall. It pays big, even if the land 

 is plowed in the latter part of May for a summer 

 crop; but it will pay a bee-keeper muchfbetter to 

 let It standand get a big growth then plow un- 

 der for buckwheat. F"or the best possible honey 



