1896. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



521 



clover. I shall give my preference to the red clovers — crim- 

 son second place." 



The above was printed in The Rural Newr- Yorker for 

 June 6, 1896, to which that paper adds this sentence : " Our 

 opinion is that some of our friends who plowed up the clover 

 in disgust, a month ago, would have had a similar statement 

 to make if they had let it alone." 



Crimson clover is a success in Indiana also, as shown by 

 this letter, which also appeared in Gleanings, with Mr. Root's 

 comments following it : 



We can grow the choicest crimson clover in Indiana. 

 September IS, 1895, I sowed a small patch lOxSJ-a rods. I 

 pastured it when it was 6 inches high, and kept it pastured 

 down all the fall and this spring, and then left it for seed. I 

 got 1% bushels of seed, and the ground is a perfect mat to- 

 day, without plowing or harrowing, and, oh, how the bees 

 work on it ! They just hum from morning till night. It was 

 in bloom 17 days. I had 9 colonies, spring count; now 14, 

 and about 75 pounds of honey, while most of them around 

 here have nothing. Samuel Rickel. 



Fulton, Ind., July 20. 



The above certainly gives encouragement for sowing this 

 plant later than we had supposed advisable. If it was pas- 

 tured down during both fall and spring, then the report is 

 still more astonishing. I cannot make out whether the abun- 

 dant rain caused the old stalks to send up another growth 

 after the seed was cut and sown, or whether the seed rattled 

 off enough to make the lot green again by the 20th of July, 

 the day on which the letter was written. 



While on the subject of crimson clover, permit me to call 

 attention to a bulletin issued by the United States Department 

 of Agriculture. This utters a warning to farmers and others, 

 that it is unsafe to feed crimson clover to horses after the 

 blossoms are matured ; and still more unsafe to let them have 

 access to the irimson-clover straw from which the seed has 

 been thrashed. Quite a number of valuable hors*s have been 

 killed by the formation of balls in the intestines. These balls 

 proved to be made up of hairs or spines of the head of the 

 mature plant of the clover. Where hay properly made by 

 cutting the clover when it is just in full bloom (not later) is 

 fed to horses, no harm results. It is only necessary to beware 

 of letting them get hold of the over-ripe plant, either before or 

 after the seed has been thrashed out. 



Minnesota State Fair, Etc.— Minnesota will be 

 "at home" to all the people of her sister States during the 

 week commencing Monday, Aug. 31, and ending Saturday, 

 Sept. 5. During this time, the National Encampment of the 

 Grand Army of the Republic will occur in St. Paul, an En- 

 campment of the Knights of Pythias will be held in Minne- 

 apolis, and upon the grounds of the State Agricultural Society, 

 midway .between these cities, the State Fair will provide en- 

 tertainment for everybody. Low passenger rates, available 

 for every one, are announced upon all railways, and the num- 

 ber of visitors is expected to be very large. For this reason 

 the scope of the Fair is being materially wideced. Not only 

 will the products of Minnesota be lavishly displayed, but 

 Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and the Dakotas will 

 make comprehensive exhibits of their agricultural, forestry 

 and mineral wealth as well. Visitors will be richly enter- 

 tained, and will find spread out before them for inspection 

 there, sources of this wonderful section of the country. 



Dark Honey and Home Market.— The Cali- 

 fornia " Skylark " — who " picks " things " by the way," for 

 Gleanings — has several " picks " at us in the last number of 

 that paper. One is in reference to this sentence of ours, 

 which appeared in the Bee Journal some time ago : 



"If at all possible, dispose of all dark grades of honey in 

 the home market." 



Now, we are willing to leave it to any sensible city com- 

 mission man, if our advice wasn't good, though Skylark seems 

 to enjoy poking fun at it. When in nearly all the markets 

 white honey, both comb and extracted, is slow sale, it is almost 

 impossible to dispose of dark grades at all. But in the home 



market many customers will just as soon have the dark as the 

 white honey, and, in fact, some prefer it. Especially comb 

 honey is sold upon its appearance, in cities, and the whiter 

 and neater the better ; but dark comb honey (which we had 

 more in mind at the time of writing the above quoted sentence) 

 often must go a-begging for buyers, and sometimes Dnds it a 

 hopeless task. 



We see no reason to change our former advice. 



"By the way," may be Skylark's honey is all dark, bence 

 his " pick." Very likely so "dark" this year that he can't 

 see any of it at all ! 



4 



PERSONAL MENTION. 



4 

 f 



4 



♦ 



f 



Mr. Allen Ppingle, we have just learned (Aug. 5), 

 passed away July 22nd. We received the following letter 

 from his daughter, who affectionately tells of the circum- 

 stances attending her father's unexpected death : 



Selby, Ont., Canada, Aug. 1, 1896. 



Deak Mr. York. — I received to-night a list of queries 

 addressed to father, showing me that you have not yet heard 

 of the terrible, terrible loss my mother and myself have sus- 

 tained by the death of my dear father. Oh, Mr. York, it all 

 seems a terrible dream ; it seems that I must awaken and find 

 dear father with us as of old. When I see his letters and 

 papers and all the work he had to do, and was so interested 

 in, I cannot realize that he is gone, gone. Oh, what a dreary 

 world this is when Death steps in and snatches from us a 

 beloved one. 



Father had not a strong constitution, and although he 

 took remarkable care of himself, he was too energetic, too 

 ambitious, for his strength. Night and day he toiled, sitting 

 up till 12, 1 and 2 o'clock, many and many a night — writing 

 on some important question of the day. 



About two months ago father had a severe attack of the 

 grippe — it affected his eyes so that he was nearly blind for 

 about two weeks. When recovering he would go out and 

 work in the bee-yard as he felt able, but was overcome with 

 the heat, and then the same old trouble — couldn't eat. He 

 could not take any nourishment, excepting half a teaspoonful 

 of the thinnest gruel every other day or so. Of course he be- 

 came very weak, and was taken to his bed on July 10. The 

 following week he seemed about the same, so mother and I 

 did not think seriously of his case, because he had been sub- 

 ject to them for the past four or five years, ever since he had 

 the sunstroke, and had always treated himself successfully. 

 On Monday, July 20, he was taken with cramps, and suffered 

 dreadfully. Tijesday he was easier, and we hoped there was 

 a change for the better, but Wednesday he was not so well, 

 and in the afternoon, at 1:30 o'clock, he passed away as 

 peacefully as a little child going to sleep. 



It is a terrible blow for mother and me — there were just 

 the three of us — and father had worked so hard, and was just 

 getting things in a shape so he could take it easier. But 

 Death claimed him early, he being but 55 years old. Hard as 

 it is, I shall try to take comfort in doing the work and busi- 

 ness which has fallen upon me, in such a manner as I think 

 would have met the approval of my dear father. 



Yours sincerely, Grace Pringle. 



Realizing the emptiness of mere words at such a time as 

 this, we feel that we can only extend to the bereaved ones our 

 sympathy, and assure them they have that of the whole bee- 

 keeping fraternity, of which Mr. Pringle was an honored and 

 helpful member. 



In a near issue of the Bee Journal we hope to have some- 

 thing in regard to Mr. Pringle's life and labors, particularly 

 in the line of apiculture. 



Editor Hutchinson, of the Review, will tell 

 Secure Comb Honey," at the Lincoln convention. 



How to 



