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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Aug. 1 



GLEANINGS FROM OUR 

 EXCHANGES 



By W. K. Morrison, Me- ina, O. 



The English Court of Appeals has recently- 

 decided a very peculiar case that may affect 

 pure-food laws in this country. A Mrs. Jack- 

 son bought of a grocer a can of salmon, 

 which, on eating, caused her death by pto- 

 maine poisoning. Her husband brought ac- 

 tion against the grocer and won his case, 

 the court allowing $1000 for the loss of her 

 services, $20 for medical fees, and $150 fu- 

 neral expenses. There are some foods sold 

 in this country, of very doubtful character. 

 Honey is not one of them. 



DR. WILEY VINDICATED. 

 The American Medical Association, with a 

 membership of 65,000, at its recent annual 

 convention passed a resolution strongly con- 

 demning the action of the United States gov- 

 ernment in allowing the use of benzoate of 

 soda as a preservative of human food This 

 is an overwhelming blow for President 

 Roosevelt's commission of chemists, and a 

 signal vindication for Dr. Wiley. 



THE UNCOMPAGHRE IRRIGATION PROJECT. 



The great Gunnison tunnel was completed 

 July 5, when the gangs from both sides of 

 tlie mountain met in the middle. The work 

 lias been an arduous task, even for so ex- 

 perienced a man as Uncle Sam. as the total 

 length of the tunnel is six miles, and large 

 enough to transfer a good-sized river through 

 to another watershed. President Taft will 

 formally open the project in September. 

 ■4/>- 

 MORE IRRIGATION. 



A plan is on foot to ask Congress for a loan 

 of $25,000,000, to be used in assisting more 

 irrigation projects managed by the federal 

 government. At present the funds derived 

 from the sale of lands is not sufficient to fi- 

 nance all the projects for which there is a 

 demand. In comparison with the enormous 

 sums spent on the army and navy this is a 

 small sum, and it ought to be voted without 

 argument. It ought to be understood that 

 the money is returned to the government in 

 ten years, to be used again and again. 



THE BEE FLORA OF SPAIN. 



The writer has found the book by Senor 

 Pons Fabregues, on the bee flora of Spain, 

 very useful, and it seems clear that Ameri- 

 cans who are making a study of our honey- 

 plants would find it valuable. Perhaps it 

 would be well to give some examples. 



He mentions a species of geranium which 

 grows in the Pyrenees at an elevation of 

 5000 feet, which must be a near relative of 

 the alfilarep or alfilarella of the Southwest. 

 It seems to be a first-class honey-plant in ev- 

 ery respect, and worthy of introduction. It 

 would probably succeed on some of our 

 mountain ranges. The technical name is 



Geranium Pyrenaicum. The common name is 

 ajuja de pastor, or shepherd's needle. 



The wide variation of climates in Spain is 

 remarkable. In some parts of the country it 

 is so cool that the heather of Scotland and 

 the heaths of Northern Europe do very well. 

 The Ericas, or heaths, which are mentioned 

 as very melliferous, are as follows: E. ciliar- 

 is, E. cinerea, E. multiflora, E. scoparia, E. 

 tetralix, while E arborea, E. umbellata, and 

 E. vagans are not indicated; but I presume 

 they are not so good. The heather Calluna 

 vulgaris, he says, is very melliferous, but re- 

 marks the quality is inferior. On the coasts 

 the climate is humid, while on the interior 

 tablelands it is arid and requires irrigation. 

 On the Cordillera the winters are very cold, 

 while in the South there are no winters at 

 all, and the orange, lemon, and lime blos- 

 soms give forth in early spring an abundance 

 of nectar, producing a honey of exquisite 

 quality and delicious flavor. Really, Spain 

 has all the climates of the United States. 



A kind of fireweed is mentioned, Epilobi- 

 uni spicatum, as being very melliferous. Senor 

 Pons says it is useful in salads, so it is not 

 exactly a weed. It is a perennial, and is com- 

 mon in woods and shrubberies. Its period 

 of flowering is between June and August. 

 Evidently we could introduce this one. 



Mr. Doolittle has always sung the praises 

 of the teasel; but I doubt if he has ever heard 

 of the Dipsacus sylvcstris, or bush teasel, 

 which this auihor praises very highly. It 

 seems to be as good as the fuller's teasel. 



Borage is spoken of as very melliferous; 

 but as an offset he says the honey produces 

 dysentery in bees if wintered on it. This 

 will be news to many. 



Spain is rich in labiate plants such as pep- 

 permints, lavenders, marjorams, thymes, 

 bee balms, rosemaries, salvias, catnips, net- 

 tles, wormwoods, etc. Several species of 

 each are mentioned. A kind of carpet-weed 

 is mentioned as being good for bees, name- 

 ly, Lippia citriodora. This one ought to in- 

 terest bee-keepers in Florida and California. 



Buckwheat is mentioned as being much 

 cultivated in certain parts; but the quality of 

 the honey is classed as inferior. The date 

 palm, of which there are a number of groves 

 in Southern Spain, is classed as a fair honey- 

 yielder. In my opinion there are few better, 

 so Florida, Texas, Arizona, and California 

 ought to encourage date culture. In my 

 opinion the date will grow wherever the 

 orange grows, and where it is too arid for 

 citrus fruits. It will also stand more cold 

 than the orange. The American agave is 

 highly spoken of as a honey-plant. There 

 are few better anywhere. 



FOUL BROOD SPREAD BY CRACKER-BOX BEE-MEN. 



It win take years of hard work and thousands of 

 dollars to wipe out the foul brood that is beins spread 

 all over the southern half of our State by the cracker- 

 box and soap-box bee-keepers here. I believe I am 

 the only man in the county who keeps a hospital hive 

 and looks for the disease and tries to destroy it. A 

 thoroutrh search every week or ten days is the only 

 way I can keep my own clean, and you know that 

 takes some work. C. B. PALMER. 



Bradshaw, Neb., July 9. 



