THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



189 



that will yield these flowers longest and secrete 

 the greatest amount of saccharine matter within 

 the reach of the bee." 



E. Kretchmer, in his valuable ''■Bee-keepers' 

 Guide Book,' 1 ' 1 says — "Able writers are con- 

 stantly encouraging the cultivation of trees,) 

 and we must join them in their effort." Speak- 

 ing of the Alsike clover, he says — "Yet its 

 greatest advantage for bee pastuiage is an 

 equally valuable one, and no bee-keeper should 

 hesitate to obtain a package of seed. Kidder 

 says of it — "This perennial plant, which is 

 being cultivated to some extent in different parts 

 of the country, is considered valuable for cattle, 

 sheep, and horses, and makes excellent bee pas- 

 turage. 



Quinby says — "A honey-producing country 

 may be like a grazing region. One field may 

 pasture ten times as many cattle as another ; 

 and the same difference may be true of pastur- 

 age for bees." And speaking of the clover, 

 buckwheat, and basswood sources of honey, he 

 says — "Where all three are abundant, there is 

 the true Eldorado of the apiarian." 



We have in the American Agriculturist for 1868, 

 page 18, the following communication from one 

 of the Bidwell Bros. He says — " We found 

 only six apiaries where natural forage was 

 abundant throughout the season, and this was 

 in small apiaries in isolated districts. Adjacent 

 to thirty-two apiaries flowers were sown to 

 cover deficiences, and these were by far the most 

 successful apiaries we visited, making double 

 the surplus honey, compared with the others 

 taken as a whole. Were this branch of bee- 

 culture properly understood, the yield of sur- 

 plus honey might be increased several hundred- 

 fold. 



Dr. Blumhof says — "And in unfavorable 

 years, he [the bee keeper] may have the morti- 

 fication of seeing the bees perish with hunger, 

 unless he considerately and seasonably makes 

 provision for their wauts." Langstroth says — 

 " Doubtless, in these districts, where honey is 

 so largely produced, great attention is paid to 

 the cultivation of crops which, while in them- 

 selves profitable, afford abundant pasturage for 

 bees." 



Attentively examining the above quotations, 

 we find the prevailing sentiment of the best 

 apiarians is, that we must cultivate pasturage 

 for bees, if we would make it a profitable busi- 

 ness and do away with the " common failures" 

 now so often to be found, extending over such 

 a wide range of country. The best crops for 

 bees should be cultivated, yielding both honey 

 and pollen. And it will be good policy to cul- 

 tivate those crops which would also be service- 

 able for grain, and pasturage or hay for stock ; 

 as that would be an important consideration 

 for all concerned, and a great gain. 



I am in, *,hen, for improvement in the right 

 direction. 



Jewell Davis. 

 Charleston, Ills. 



— u i 



As a general rule, place your hives where 

 they will be least exposed to the wind, and 

 where, though shaded, they will enjoy as much 

 of the influence of the sun as possible. 



[For the American Bee Journal. ] 



Bee Pasturage. 

 Alsike and Melilot. 



The attention of bee-keepers is being directed 

 to the cultivation of honey producing plants, to 

 enable bees to store a winter's supply in ex- 

 tremely poor seasons, and add largely to their 

 stores in more favorable ones. Among the 

 plants recommended are the Alsike and Melilot 

 clovers. I have but little experience in the 

 cultivation of either of these plants, and 

 shall not say much iu relation to them. My 

 object in writing is more for the purpose of giv- 

 ing credit where credit is due in the sale of seed. 

 Last spring I sowed four acres to Alsike clover. 

 I was determined to get the genuine article, if 

 it was to be obtained, and purchased seed of five 

 different parties. By far the cheapest and (per- 

 haps with one exception) the best and cleanest 

 — that is, the most free seeds that are foreign to 

 it, such as timothy, red and white clover, &c. — 

 that I pui chased, was procured from Mr. H. M. 

 Thomas, of Brooklin, Ontario, Cauada West. 

 Mr. Thomas was prompt too in filling orders, 

 and the seed was put up in stout linen bags, and 

 received in good condition ; while some of that 

 sent by other parties was put up in paper pack- 

 ages, which had broken open and part of the 

 seed sown along "Uncle Sam's" mail route, 

 where by me at least it was not wanted ; and 

 where, if it germinates and my bees are to work 

 on the blossoms, they will be obliged to fly far- 

 ther than even the Italians were ever yet known 

 to do. 



In the summer of 1867, I procured a small 

 package of Melilot clover seed of Mr. Baldridge. 

 I found the plant to be identical with one grow- 

 ing here and called by some Dutch clover, by 

 others sweet clover. 



From what has been published in relation to 

 these plants, I must say that so far I have been 

 somewhat disappointed in them both. The Al- 

 sike has exceeded my expectations. The seed 

 was sown late, four pounds to the acre, on sandy 

 soil (where it is represented as not doing well) 

 in wheat, and dragged in. Notwithstanding 

 the dryness of the season, and the fact that the 

 wheat would retard its growth, it has been in 

 been in blossom so that my bees have worked 

 on it, and it is now quite as large as red clover 

 sown at the same time in adjoining fields. It 

 promises now, with me, to be equal if not supe- 

 rior to red clover for hay and pasture ; and it 

 will without doubt prove valuable for bees. 

 The Melilot clover commenced blossoming early 

 in July, and continued in bloom until Septem- 

 ber. But few bees could be found on it at any 

 time, with the exception of about two weeks 

 after a rain, during which time it was literally 

 alive with them. I have never seen one-tenth 

 part of the number at work on the same sur- 

 face, on any other honey-producing plant. It 

 was quite as much affected, however, by the 

 drought as the white clover, buckwheat, and 

 other flowers ; and, during the dry weather, 

 but little honey was collected from it. 



J. A. Townlet. 

 Tompkins, Mich. 



