456 



Does it pay to Plant for Honey? 



In confirmation of the advice given 

 by the Bee Journal, we notice that 

 many are now advising to plant for 

 honey. Mrs. L. Harrison, in the Prairie 

 Farmer, says : 



Wherever the apiarist may be located, 

 he should observe the time of the year, 

 when a scarcity of honey is likely to 

 occur, and provide, if possible, for this 

 contingency, and by taking note of the 

 few nectar yielding flowers at this time, 

 will discover what could be cultivated 

 to advantage. In our dry sandy soil, 

 which is so easily affected by drouths, 

 we fail to find a better honey plant than 

 sweet clover (Melilotus alba), blooming 

 from the middle of June until late in 

 autumn. " It is mete " that we should 

 talk about these things now, for the 

 seed is ripening, and if it is scattered 

 now upon the highways, gravelly banks 

 and waste places generally, as it is self- 

 sowing and not eaten by stock, the 

 honey flow may be materially increased. 

 One honey producer furnishes this seed 

 to hands working along the railroads, 

 who carry it in their pockets at all times, 

 sowing it wherever they disturb the 

 soil. 



Sweet clover has a twin sister, known 

 among bee-keepers as the Eocky Moun- 

 tain bee plant (Cleome integrifolia) 

 whose habitat is Colorado, and that 

 region formerly known as the Great 

 American Desert. It cares not for 

 drought, but will put forth its leaves and 

 expand its pink petals "alle samee." 



Catnip ( Nepeta cataria ) furnishes nice 

 white honey, blooming during July and 

 August, and as it, and the rest of the 

 mint family, are great favorites of the. 

 busy bees, they should receive fostering 

 care by bee-keepers. 



Convention at New Boston, III.— The 

 eighth semi-annual meeting of the 

 Western Illinois and Eastern Iowa Bee- 

 Keepers' Society, will be held at New 

 Boston, Mercer Co., 111., Oct. 14 and 15, 

 1880. All are cordially invited to be 

 present. The usual programme of dis- 

 cussions, prizes, lectures, etc., will be 

 carried out as formerly. The committee 

 of reception will receive and exhibit 

 free, all articles sent by bee-keepers or 

 manufacturers, if sent to L. H. Scud- 

 der, New Boston, ill., and charges pre- 

 paid. Will. M. Kellogg, Sec. 



Bees have done tolerably well here ; I 

 have obtained 50 to 60 lbs. of comb 

 honey from 2 colonies; no extracted. 



Clyde,Kan.,Sept.8. C.M.Gaylord. 



"The Bee of the Future."— The Aus- 

 trian Bienen-Zeitung , referring to this 

 subject, remarks as follows : 



"Friend Newman names the Ameri- 

 can bee as the bee of the future ! True 

 it is, that the American apiarists have 

 gained brilliant results, but neither 

 honey nor bees do it all alone ; there 

 must be a working together of many 

 factors. If we only had America's 

 wealth of honey-plants, we certainly 

 could do as well as they can, with our 

 degenerated European bees. But we 

 do not intend to say, that nature alone 

 does all the work for the Americans, 

 without any exertions on their part. 

 No, indeed ; but they understand better 

 how to make nature subservient to their 

 purposes. Just as high as we stand in 

 theory do they stand in practice, and in 

 the latter we must try our utmost to 

 catch up with them, and, if possible, to 

 get ahead of them." 



i^The " co-operative" paper has at 

 last appeared, and it is to be hoped that 

 the few morbid individuals will now be 

 happy— at least for a time. As was gen- 

 erally expected, it overflows with false 

 assertions, distorted facts, garbled quo- 

 tations and malevolent abuse. This is 

 not only heaped upon the editor of the 

 American Bee Journal, but also 

 upon the Kev. L. L. Langstroth, Prof. 

 Cook, Rev. O. Clute, Mr. G. M. Doolit- 

 tle, Mr. T. F. Bingham, &c. For all 

 this there can be but one object, and 

 that is to advertise the " co-operative" 

 paper. In our April number we briefly 

 answered these calumnies, and do not 

 propose, by their stale repetition, to be 

 badgered into further controversy. — 

 New matter only is worth answering. 

 Those who relish abuse and vile slander 

 might take the "co-operative" paper, 

 but those who desire one devoted to 

 apiculture will certainly choose some 

 other. 



Hg^ " Always in demand and always 

 brings the highest price," is what is 

 said of nice comb honey, put up in the 

 most attractive shape. Those who pro- 

 duce comb honey in a poor and unsala- 

 ble shape only work against their own 

 interests. To aim for the best, should 

 always be our motto. 



