THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



April 



es in his section, which he will almost 

 always be able to do, so that if possi- 

 ble he may rejoice in a bountiful 

 honey harvest each season. Let us 

 consider what may be wisely attempt- 

 ed in this direction. 



It is well if the bee-keeper has so 

 wisely located that he will be content 

 to make his location his permanent 

 home. Then he can fix up his apiary 

 so that it will be his pride, and the 

 pride of his section. This will make 

 his bee-keeping more than a mere 

 business, it will become his pleasure, 

 and he will mingle poetry with the 

 prose of life. Once permanently lo- 

 cated, and the bee-keeper may set to 

 work to make his locality all that it 

 is possible to make it. By proper 

 thought and wise management this 

 may be easily and cheaply done. 



In the first place, let me urge, that 

 it will not pay to plant good land 

 with bee plants exclusively for honey. 

 My own experiments, extensively car- 

 ried on for a series of years, at the 

 Michigan Experiment Station, as also 

 private experiments by others, makes 

 this more than mere opinion — make 

 it really demonstrated fact. But it 

 will pay oftentimes to scatter seeds of 

 the mints, sweet clover, viper's bugloss, 

 great willow-herb, etc., on all waste 

 places near by the apiary. It will 

 pay to line the roadside with tulip, 

 linden and other nectar-producing 

 trees, and get our neighbors to do the 

 same, even if we have to pay some- 

 thing towaidrt the purchase of these 

 trees. Mr. D. A. Jones did very much 

 of such work about his home at Bee- 

 ton, Out. Mr. Root planted out many 

 basswoods at Medina, and now is reap- 

 ing the advantage which must swell 

 with the years. To raise buckwheat 



and Alsike, and induce one's neigh- 

 bors to do so, may be very wise. All 

 this, the tree-planting, and buckwheat 

 and Alsike growing pays, aside from 

 the bees axd honey, and should re- 

 ceive most thoughtful attention by all 

 our bee-keepers. I believe that bee- 

 keepers of the East may well adopt 

 these suggestions. With little ex- 

 pense, they may add materially to 

 their income by just such planting or 

 tree-setting. 



Sometimes by moving bees the bee- 

 keeper can keep in the range of bee- 

 forage. Many bee-keepers have ad- 

 ded greatly to their incomes by mov- 

 ing bees to regions of basswood bloom 

 or fall flowers. 



Mr. Haibison told at a recent Farm- 

 ers' Institute at San Diego, Calif., how 

 he secured a large growth of ball-sage, 

 by planting, and how it increased the 

 value of his location very materially. 

 This was on waste hill land, and so all 

 clear gain. There are great areas of 

 such tracts along the mountains and 

 in the canyons of this favored region, 

 and Mr. Harbison's suggestion may 

 well receive thoughtful attention. 



Another bee-tree — or bee-trees, for 

 there are, it is said, more than one 

 hundred species — which California 

 should observe and study with the 

 greatest care, is the eucalyptus. It is 

 destined to become the greatest shade- 

 tree of this State. It blossoms from 

 September to April, depending upon 

 the species ; is a favorite with the bees 

 whenever in bloom, and seems to fur- 

 nish much and excellent honey. Some 

 of the trees are woudrously beautiful, 

 and the tassel-like bloom, white, buff 

 or crimson, with the curious caps to 

 the flower-buds is not only woudrous- 

 ly beautiful, but exceedingly interest- 



