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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL-. 



"We do not extract that kind of stuff, 

 and it is not fit to eat if it is extracted." 

 He said, " Well, if it cannot be extracted 

 I am out just that much." I said, "Well, 

 you are out just that much, but I hate 

 to see you lose all of it. I will tell you 

 what to do with it. Get the wax out of 

 it, and then what honey is left take it 

 down to some tobacconist and ask him 

 if he does not want something to spoil 

 dirty tobacco with, and maybe he will 

 give you a few cents for it !" 



The regular program was then taken 

 up, and in the absence of the author, the 

 following essay, by Mr. S. E. Miller, of 

 Bluflton, Mo., was read by Dr. C. C. 

 Miller : 



Honey-Resources of the Future. 



As civilization advances, the forest 

 falls before the woodman's ax, and much 

 of the unused land that produces 

 flowers is turned under by the farmer's 

 plow, while barbed wire is making the 

 old-fashioned rail fence of our fathers a 

 relic of the past ; hence the fence-cor- 

 ners where grew white clover and other 

 honey-producing plants are no longer 

 there. 



As land becomes more valuable it is 

 more thoroughly tilled, and less of it is 

 allowed to lie idle, and in a number of 

 other ways, land that once supported a 

 multitude of nectar-yielding plants and 

 trees, is turned to the production of 

 corn, wheat, and other crops that yield 

 little, if any, nectar. Every basswood 

 that is felled within a certain radius of 

 our apiaries, must mean that our bees 

 have access to a certain number of 

 pounds less of nectar than they had 

 while that tree was standing. Every 

 white clover field that is turned under 

 within the same radius means that our 

 bees are curtailed to a certain extent. 



Considering this, what will be our re- 

 sources in the future ? What is to take 

 the place of the flora that has been so 

 bountifully disseminated by a loving 

 Creator, when that flora has fallen be- 

 fore the hand of civilization ? True, we 

 might pack up our bees and move to a 

 new and unoccupied field, but even this 

 cannot last always. The sage-bush of 

 the wild West is being rooted up to give 

 place to orchards and vineyards. Even 

 if it were always practical to secure 

 good pasturage by frequently moving, 

 this course is not suited to the taste of 

 a bee-keeper, for if I mistake not he is 

 one who loves to have a home, and loves 

 that home more than any other spot on 

 earth. What, then, can we grow to take 

 the place of these native plant«». so that 



we may be reasonably sure of having 

 something from which our bees can 

 gather nectar in sufficient quantities to 

 give us a crop of honey that will pay for 

 our time, labor and money expended, 

 and leave us at least a small profit? 



I for one believe that we cannot urge 

 too forcibly the prudence of taking care 

 of that which we have. Often land that 

 is too uneven to admit of cultivation 

 may be devoted to pastures, and here is 

 where we may spare such trees as bass- 

 wood, maple and others that produce 

 nectar and pollen. No doubt many bee- 

 keepers are owners of tracts of wood- 

 land, and when clearing up the land for 

 pasture, if all nice basswood trees are 

 left standing, they will be no hindrance 

 to the grass that grows beneath them, 

 but often a benefit by keeping the 

 ground cool and moist beneath them, 

 while the ground where no trees are 

 standing, will be hot and dry, and the 

 grass parched. 



The maples, while they do not produce 

 any of the surplus honey, contribute in 

 an indirect way toward it, as they pro- 

 duce an abundance of pollen, and (ac- 

 cording to my observations) some nec- 

 tar, just at a time when most needed. 

 These two, then, should be spared when- 

 ever practical, for if we speak of the 

 sugar-maple alone, it is a producer of 

 another sweet that in the opinion, or on 

 the palate of many, surpasses even 

 honey, and in this way may be an addi- 

 tional source of revenue to the owner of 

 the land ; besides, both the maple and 

 basswood are elegant and noble shade 

 trees. What 1 have said about these 

 two applies to my own part of the coun- 

 try. To what trees the above sugges- 

 tions will apply in other parts of the 

 country, each one must know for him- 

 self. 



Before leaving this point, I might add 

 that those bee-keepers living in or near 

 a town would do well to exert themselves 

 in inducing the town's-people to plant 

 basswood trees in preference to other 

 kinds, and I believe one could well af- 

 ford to furnish the trees at his own ex- 

 pense if he intends to continue in the 

 bee-business for a number of years. To 

 what extent the planting of basswood 

 trees is practical on the treeless wastes 

 of the far West, I am not prepared to 

 say, as I do not know whether they will 

 live and thrive there, but to those who 

 live there it may be well worth consid- 

 ering. 



In every way possible we should use 

 our influence to prevent the destruction 

 of basswood trees. Often a neighbor 

 might, by a little solicitation, be pre- 



