242 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



April 16, 



work in the sections, and this is the only time that I would 

 contract the brood-nest, unless it might be in trying to force 

 a rather weak colony to begin work in the sections. By plac- 

 ing the swarm upon the old stand it will be seen that the field- 

 bees are thrown into the swarm, which would not be the case 

 if it were hived upon a new stand. 



Many go still further in angmenting the force in the 

 newly-hived swarm. This is by practicing what is termed the 

 " Heddon method " of preventing after-swarming. The old 

 hive is set to one side of the new one, with the entrance 

 turned to one side at an angle of nearly 45^. Each day the 

 entrance of the old hive is slightly turned towards the new 

 hive. At the end of a week the two hives will stand side by 

 side. The old hive is now moved to a new stand. This 

 throws another "dose" of bees into the new hive, and robs 

 the old hive just at a time when the young queens are hatch- 

 ing. Losing so many bees just at this critical time usually 

 causes the old colony to give up swarming. As a rule, no sur- 

 plus is obtained from the old colony, but it has a young queen, 

 plenty of stores, all of its combs, and builds up into a splendid 

 colony for wintering. 



As a rule, the swarm is not in the best condition for win- 

 tering. It has an old queen, its workers have " used them- 

 selves up" in storing honey, and the contraction of the brood- 

 nest has restricted the production of brood. There is also a 

 lack of stores for winter. A good plan is to unite such colo- 

 nies as soon as possible after the supers are off. Don't wait 

 until fall, as bees need some little time to get their stores and 

 things in shape for winter. Decide, if you can, which of two 

 queens is less desirable, and destroy her. About two days 

 later the queenless colony may be united with the one having 

 the better queen. Simply set the queenless colony over the 

 one having the queen, and in a day or two the best combs may 

 be set together in one hive. 



In my next I will have something to say of the use and 

 non-use of comb foundation. Flint, Mich. 



Is the '• UHion " on the " Down Grade ?" 



BY THOMAS G. NEWMAN. 



In the Bee Journal for April 2, I notice that Dr. Miller (on 

 page 211) does not appreciate " unkind flings," and yet in 

 the same article, which is only of about one-half a column in 

 length, he speaks of the National Bee-Keepers' Union thus : 



"I was one of the first members of the Union, and have 

 always been loyal to it. I want to see it continue and in- 

 crease. As matters stand, at present, the prospect is that it 

 will go out of existence. There's no use blinking the fact that 

 it is now on the down-grade, as to members." 



While Dr. Miller may not have intended this as an " un- 

 kind fling," it will certainly be so taken by many who read it. 

 It is a fact that the Union is not increasing In membership, 

 but who could expect it to increase when bee-keepers have 

 had four or five failures in the honey crop, year after year, 

 which has had the effect of discouraging thousands, driving 

 out of the business all who could see their way clear to im- 

 prove their condition, by abandoning it and embarking in 

 something else promising more lucrative returns. Ask the 

 publishers of the different bee-periodicals whether they have 

 increased their circulation lately ; nay, more, ask them if they 

 have not lost from 20 to 30 per cent, of their subscribers dur- 

 ing the past few years, and I think, without doubt, the 

 answer will be that they have done so, and that it has been 

 consequent upon the cause I have just mentioned. Yet the 

 National Bee-Keepers' Union has kept its membership far be- 

 yond my most sanguine expectations under these untoward 

 conditions. — [No, we do not thliik that any of the best bee- 

 papers have lost even 10 per cent, of their subscribers the 

 past four years. At least the Bee Journal has not. — Ed.J 



Last year its decrease was only 20 per cent., which I 

 think Is less than the percentage of loss in the best bee-period- 

 ical in existence ! 



In addition to the failures in the honey crop, the business 

 of the country, during the past four or five years, has been 

 paralyzed, and money has been almost impossible to get; all 

 kinds of business in every locality in the United States has 

 suffered in consequence. When these circumstances are also 

 taken into account as factors in the career of the Union, it is 

 Indeed surprising that it has retained so many of its members. 



Still another cause for loss of membership is the fact that 

 during the past few years when the bees have gathered only a 

 partial crop of honey, envious neighbors have not been suffi- 

 ciently wrought upon by jealousy to prosecute, and hence 

 there have been fewer lawsuits, and less trouble generally in 

 communities where bees have been kept ; as a result, many 



bee-keepers have become apathetic, and it is wonderful that 

 the Union should not have lost more members than it has, if 

 the latter is taken into account. 



Dr. Miller wrote his item, evidently, without sufficient 

 thought, but no one will say it was with " malice afore- 

 thought." The Doctor is too good a man for that, but his lan- 

 guage is misleading and unreasonable, when he says : "There's 

 no use blinking the fact that it is now on the down-grade as 

 to members." The Union is no more on the "down-grade " 

 than are multitudes of other institutions that are not now 

 prosperous, all over the whole country. She has held her own 

 better — much better — than ber most sanguine friends could 

 have hoped for or expected. 



If "amalgamation" is to be effected, its friends must pre- 

 sent the strongest arguments in favor of its accomplishment, 

 showing the benefits to be obtained, rather than to disparage 

 either of the institutions sought to be united. I believe in 

 building up — not tearing down ! 



Let our zeal be "according to knowledge," not tempered 

 with suspicion, envy or jealousy. We should commend the 

 good work and efficiency of both institutions. 



Chicago, 111., April 2. 



^ 



Sweet Clover — Harvesting It for the Seed. 



BY JOHN M'AKTHUR. 



In the March 26th number of the American Bee Journal 

 I read an appeal from the editor, asking for more information 

 about sweet clover. When one begins to write about this — 

 the queen of honey-plants — he scarcely knows where to begin 

 or where to end. I have always written favorably of it as a 

 forage and honey-plant, having had lo years' experence in 

 cultivating, harvesting and marketing the seed. If my ex- 

 perience will be any benefit, it will be given freely. 



Before going into details, allow me to say a few words 

 about an editorial that appeared in the Canadian Bee Journal 

 for Jan. 18, 1896, page 699. The editor said : " Some put 

 great stock in ' sweet clover.' It may be a matter of locality, 

 but we think it is sometimes a matter of careful observation ;" 

 and winds up by saying, " It is an injury, making the bees 

 restless, and consume more stores than they gather." This 

 has never been my experience. Perhaps he will wait till some 

 one more enthusiastic than himself does the seeding, and he 

 share the benefit. I would advise the use of a little more 

 seed. It can be had .handy, and at reasonable figures; by 

 doing so he would be helping himself, also his neighbors, and 

 that Is our mission here, I believe. 



Mr. Wm. Stolley gave us a grand description of sweet 

 clover in the Bee Journal of Dec. 19, 1895. Then we had 

 another view of it in the Bee Journal of Jan. 30, 1896, dis- 

 cussed by the Illinois State Bee-Keepers' convention, and a 

 really practical reading by that veteran — Mr. M. M. Baldridge, 

 of St. Charles, 111. Just look up those back journals and 

 read them over and over, until you master the facts. Then 

 get some seed, and commence the good work, and help your- 

 self. If you do that, you will help your neighbors, and be 

 none the poorer. You will aid the sportsman, because it Is a 

 fine cover for game. Several declared to me when harvesting, 

 that rabbits and other game had become very numerous in the 

 past few years, attributing it to the amount of sweet clover 

 growing in this locality, being food and cover for them. 



Another very important point not touched upon, is sweet 

 clover from an ornithological point of view. While harvest- 

 ing, we were very much surprised at the unusual amount of 

 bird's-nests found among its many branches, and singularly 

 reminded one of the parable of the mustard seed — Matthew 

 xiii, 31 and 32. The season was too far gone to find eggs 

 to identify the species ; however, I brought the matter before 

 our Natural History Society, and it will be looked into next 

 season. This certainly is a very valuable addition to its other 

 good qualities. Since our forests have disappeared birds have 

 disappeared also. If we commence to cover those barren hill- 

 sides, rough and inaccessible places, that have been denuded 

 of its timber, we can have a growth of sweet clover in two 

 years that will bring back, and very much increase, our in- 

 sectivorous friends, which will be very much appreciated by 

 orchardists, fruit-growers and farmers, in fact, all will be 

 benefited. All who love Nature should gain in helping for- 

 ward the wood work. Seed is cheap, and may be procured 

 anywhere. 



The question of harvesting will now be considered. The 

 method adopted by the writer may not be the right way, but 

 has been found the most convenient, although entailing con- 

 siderable labor. As to whether the first or second crop should 

 be taken for seed depends upon whether you are merely grow- 



