600 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



against assault by having Its hive made 

 secure and the entrance such a narrow 

 pass as to enable a few workers to re- 

 pel attack there. 



Should robbers get well started before 

 being observed, the entrance of the hive 

 should be narrowed at once, and wet grass 

 or weeds may be thrown loosely over it, 

 or a pane of glass may be stood against 

 the front of the hive in a slanting man- 

 ner to confuse the intruders. In ex- 

 treme cases the attacked colonies may be 

 removed to a cellar for a few days, plenty 

 of ventilation being given during con- 

 finement, and a new location, apart from 

 other colonies, selected, on which they 

 are to be placed just at nightfall: or. in- 

 stead of putting them in the cellar, they 

 may be taken a mile or more away and 

 returned only when the danger has passed. 

 With these precautions, little loss is to be 

 feared on this score. 



In general, the intelligent owner who 

 gives careful attention to certain impor- 

 tant points in bee management finds that 

 he very rarely has disease to contend 

 with, and that the reduction of profits 

 through the depredations of bee enemies 

 is not. in most parts of the Union, a seri- 

 ous discouragement. Altogether it seems 

 to the writer that the risks in these di- 

 rections are even less in bee keeping than 

 those usually met in the keeping of other 

 animals, which, like bees, are legitimate- 

 ly made to contribute to the wealth of 

 the individual and of the nation. 



Journals Treating of .tpiciiltiire 



As a matter of general information, the 

 following list of journals relating to api- 

 culture is given. It comprises all those 

 published in this country at the present 

 time. 



The American Bee Journal, Chicago. 111. 



Gleanings in Bee Culture, Medina, Ohio. 



The Bee Keepers' Review. Flint, Mich. 



The American Bee Keeper, Falconer, 

 N. Y. 



The Progressive Bee Keeper. Higgins- 

 vllle. Mo. 



Western Bee Journal, Kingsburg, Cal. 



The Rural Bee Keeper, River Falls. Wis. 



Beets 



The beet is used as a garden vegetable, 

 for feeding stock, and making sugar. 

 There are about 40 varieties of the beet 

 in cultivation in the United States rang- 

 ing in color from deep red to white. 



The Sngar Beel 



The cultivation of the sugar beet in the 

 United States, for the manufacture of 

 sugar, is one of the important industries. 

 The variety grown for this purpose, is 

 generally the Beta maritima. In the 

 earlier manufacture of beet sugar in 

 Europe, the beet only yielded about 4. -5 

 per cent sugar for the red variety, and 

 6.2 per cent for the white. At the pres- 

 ent time, the varieties have been so im- 

 proved by the selection of seed, by 

 manuring and the careful selection of 

 soil, that they now yield from 10 per 

 cent, to 13 per cent sugar. In some 

 parts of the country, the average weight 

 of beets per acre, has been as high as 

 26 tons, and the average percentage of 

 sugar in the juice, as high as 16 per 

 cent. After the sugar is extracted, it is 

 common to use the pulp as food for stock. 



Garden Beets 



Among the varieties of garden beets are 

 the following: 



Eclipse. — A very early, dark-red, turnip 

 shaped variety, of good quality, a favor- 

 ite with market gardeners, may be plant- 

 ed early in spring, and at almost any 

 time during the later season. 



Early Turnip Beet. Baastions. — A valu- 

 able early variety, sweet, tender, and one 

 of the best for early and late planting. 



Eoyptian. — A good variety for early 

 spring sowing. 



De wing's Improved Blood Turnip Beet. 

 — -A first class beet, for winter or sum- 

 mer use. 



Stock Beets 



These varieties are very prolific, yield 

 heavily per acre, and require a rich deep 

 soil. 



Planting 



The seed may be sown in hot beds for 

 early planting, or it may be sown in the 

 open ground and the plants removed to 



