512 



GLEANINGS IN KEE CULTURE. 



June 15. 



ever. Every road here has its accompanying 

 ditch, and they are lined with the nuisance. 

 It is of no benefit to anybody, except for honey, 

 and it grows 6 to 8 ft. high, and half an inch in 

 ^ diameter. It goes to seed, and remains stand- 

 ing all winter, looking very unsightly, like a 

 dense growth of underbrush. It will occupy 

 any uncultivated land, and is a nuisance in 

 general. 



If you wish I will describe my winter cases 

 made at a cost of 10 cents each besides a little 

 work. M. C. DiMiCK. 



Bowling Green, O., May 7. 



[Ye.s, we should like to have the description. 



— Ed,] 



sweet clovrk on new ground. 



Will sweet clover grow in new ground that 

 has not been broken? I have been thinking 

 that I would try some. G. W. Ghimes. 



Porters, Del., May 14. 



[I presume likely sweet clover would grow on 

 any kind of ground when started. I notice this 

 spring it is coming up with great luxuriance all 

 along the banks and cuts in the hard clay soil of 

 our new railroad. Where no other plant has 

 thought of growing for the past four years, this 

 is pushing ahead right in the hard ground with 

 wonderful luxuriance, and it is getting to be so 

 thick that the railroad men have to mow it off 

 and dig it out to keep it from catching fire dur- 

 ing a dry time and burning the ties. By the 

 way, I suppose it is well known that bee-keep- 

 ers are accused almost everywhere of sowing 

 the seed of sweet clover on railroad ground, as 

 on other places. I have never heard of a bee- 

 keeper doing it in our vicinity: but I think the 

 truth is, it spems to take specially to new ground 

 —particularly that which is brought up from a 

 considerable depth. I do not believe there is 

 any need of manuring at all, nor any kind of fer- 

 tilizing, for sweet clover. Alfalfa and other 

 plants that grow down so deen would probably 

 come under the same rule. This new pea, La- 

 thyrus sylvestris. seems to be ahead in this line 

 of forage^plants, from the fact that the tops re- 

 main uninjurpd during our severest winters. 

 Sweet clover always dies down to the ground. I 

 do not believe I would think of putting sweet 

 clover on any ground that is good for other 

 crops— at least, not as a rule.— Ed.] 



THE VALUE OF HONEY FOR CHILDREN. 



[Dr. Bohm, a physician of Schweinfurth, Ger- 

 many, who has made a special study of the dis- 

 eases of children, writes in substance as follows 

 in regard to the value of pure honey for chil- 

 dren. The matter was furnished us by.our Mr 

 Mathey.— Ed.] 



Childr(>n which grow fast, and, in consequence, 

 look pale and weak, have special need of sweets. 

 The trouble arises from a lack of proper nutri- 

 tive elements in the blood whereby to replenish 

 the waste of the body. Here the use of saccha- 

 rine matter becomes nece.ssary, as it supplies 

 fuel, so to speak, to the animal frame. Nature 

 now calls for a pure sweet— one containing a 

 large per cent of grape-sugar, but one which is 

 almost entirely lacking in nitrogen- that is. 

 honey. Hence children should have honey free- 

 ly, and as often as possible. Especially is the 

 use of milk sweetened with honey, and eaten 

 with good home-made bread, to be recommend- 



ed. That is the most healthful, savory, and di- 

 gestible breakfast; and especially in winter can 

 nothing be tound more conducive to the health 

 of children than such food. While milk and 

 good bread nourish children very well, the hon- 

 ey warms the body and strengthens the organs 

 of respiration. The idea that honey is indigest- 

 ible, and "remains in the stomach," as many 

 believe, is a mere prejudice. Honey is indigest- 

 ible only when taken in large quantities not 

 combined with nitrogenous food. But good 

 home-made bread, spread with honey, is more 

 nutritious for children than whole boxes of bis- 

 cuits, extracts, and other artificial products. 



K. R. M. 



^ -mTcntas- '""'^'^^a;-?— _3Si*v5i?.2 PER YEARj 



Receive my inslrucHon. and not sUver; and knowledge rath- 

 er than ctioice gold.— Phov. 8: 10. 



We are entirely caught up on orders, and 

 have now discontinued our night force. The 

 past week or ten days of cool wet weather cut 

 down the number and size of the orders. 



A SERIES of lessons in practical apiculture, 

 for beginners, prepared by Mrs. Jennie Atch- 

 ley, is now running in the American Bee Jour- 

 nal. So far as we have glanced over them, 

 they are interesting and practical. 



R. L. Taylor has reported, in the last Re- 

 view, a set of interesting experiments on 34 col- 

 onies, half of which were fed sugar syrup, and 

 half honey. The result shows that " the aver- 

 age consumption of sugar stores was but 33< 

 lbs., while that of honey was i'iJ4 lbs., or more 

 than twice as much." Then Mr. Taylor goes 

 on to say, "This has added importance when 

 we remember what has been well established, 

 that granulated-sugar syrup is fully equal to 

 the best of honey as winter food for bees, and 

 far safer for that purpose than any inferior 

 honey." 



The jRcrVcfc- or, rather, its editor — says he 

 finds the Carniolans are great breeders — espe- 

 cially so in the spring ; yet they " will rear 

 brood, and swarm, so long as there is a drop of 

 honey in the hive," and "it makes no difference 

 if honey is coming in." That is quite in line 

 with our experience. They will build up faster, 

 and then swarm. It would be desirable, as Mr. 

 Hutchinson says, to combine these traits with 

 the " sense and thrift of the Italians," for these 

 latter seem to be more provident, and more 

 watchful for the future, than any other known 

 race. Possibly a cross would be desirable; but 

 how are we to distinguish them from ordinary 

 hybrids? 



