I8y7. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



165 



the ends, and I hope they may succeed. The idea of using 

 drawn-out combs is a good one, and will be a big advantage to 

 bee-keopers, but the cutting off the ends of the frames — well, 

 I shall wait and see what the outcome will be, before adopting 

 the plan. From what I can gather from the idea, I don't be- 

 lieve it is just what Mr. Root thinks it is. Perhaps I may try 

 a few frames in my own apiary this season, merely to test the 

 idea. 



Tall Sections. — The idea of Introducing tall sections is 

 undoubtedly a good one, from the fact that they look much 

 handsomer and neater when filled than a -tKx4'4' section. 

 The bees will fill them quicker than a square section. Years 

 ago 1 used what is called the " 2-pouud prize section," '1 

 inches wide, with a 12-inch case. It did not take the bees 

 any longer, apparently, to fill a case of 2-pound sections than 

 a case of 12 or 2+ one-pound sections; but as soon as the 

 square sections came into use, I laid them aside just because I 

 only wanted one size section to handle in my apiary. I still 

 have some of these same 2-pound sections lying around my 

 shop ; and to try them again, I think I will fix up a few cases 

 of them next summer, just to see how an old idea will work 

 along side the improvements of to-day. Now, if we can get 

 just one pound in the tall sections, or near it, they will be all 

 right. Everybody has become so used to buying honey in one- 

 pound cakes that if we introduce anything that will hold more 

 than a pound they will kick. A section 4x5x13-4 or by 1»<, 

 may make just one pound, or be the right size. If these sec- 

 tions go over a pound the bee-keeper will be the loser, and 

 the consumer the gainer. But, then, the greatest drawback 

 to tall sections is that of having to change all our cases, and 

 what to do with the ones we already have. 



Cass Co., Nebr., Feb. 24. 



The Eastern Iowa Bee-Keepers' Couveatioa. 



BY W. A. HAY. 



r~ The Eastern Iowa Bee-Keepers' Association met at 

 Anamosa, Feb. 10 and 11, ISy", and was called to order by 

 Pres. F. JI. Merritt. Secretary Keeler being absent, W. A. 

 Hay was appointed Secretary pro tern. The Secretary's and 

 Treasurer's reports were read and approved. 



On motion of T. O. Hincs, the President was given the 

 power to appoint an experimental staff. 



QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 



QuES. — "Shall we requeen in the fall or spring?" Ans. — 

 It is the expression of this convention that we should requeen 

 about the time of fruit-bloom, or as early as the weather will 

 permit. 



QoES — " Is It profitable to rear more than one race of 

 bees ? If so, what kinds ?" Ans. — We believe that it is 

 profitable to infuse new blood into our stock; and until we 

 get a better bee by trial, we will hold to the Italians. 



QuES. — " What is the best method of keeping extracting- 

 oinbs over from one year to another?" T. O. Hines replied : 

 ■ When I extract the boney from the combs, I would let the 

 bees clean them up. I would replace them in the supers, two 

 combs less than when there was honey in them, and divide 

 that space equally so that the combs will hang apart as much 

 possible ; and stack the supers away in the bee-house, or hang 

 them away with nails driven in the rafters in the bee-house, 

 where they will keep equally as well. I also think it impos- 

 sible to keep combs with pollen in, without sulphuring them." 

 Mr. Coverdale objected, and said that they are profitable for 

 him to keep for breeding purposes. 



QuES. — " What should be the condition of a colony in 

 feeding back, to give the best results on nnfinisht sections? ' 

 Mr. Coverdale said the condition of the colony must bo good, 

 and the bees put in condition that they will be forced to carry 

 honey fed to them into the sections. And it is the opinion of 

 this convention that it is not profitable to feed back. 



QuES. — "Is It best to increase by natural swarming or 

 nuclei to secure the best results ?" Mr. Hines desires Increase 



for the best results by natural swarming. Mr. Coverdale said : 

 "If I want both increase and honey, by nuclei." D. Benton 

 pre.fers natural swarming. Pres. Merritt, for the best results, 

 would increase after the honey season. 



QiiES.— "Is it best to spread the brood?" Ans.— It is, if 

 you know how and when, and if it is done with great caution. 



QuES. — " Does it pay to use full sheets of foundation in 

 brood-frames?" Ans.— All things considered, the convention 

 thought not. 



The following paper was read by Mr. Frank Coverdale, 

 entitled, 



ALSIKE CLOVER AS A FODDER FOR STOCK AND AS A HONEY- 

 PLANT. 



In writing this paper I will endeavor to give plain facts 

 from my own farm. I harvested my first crop of Alsike in 

 1892, cut it for seed as soon as ripe enough, and it yielded, 

 from 8 acres, 32 bushels of nice, clean seed (which I sold for 

 $10 per bushel), and as nearly as I could tell, about one ton 

 per acre of very good cattle hay, which was 8 tons, worth So 

 per ton, or S40, to which add .S32i), and we have .S360. Take 

 off $32 for hulling,' and we have a net income of §328, which 

 is §41 per acre — a better income than I ever obtained from 

 any other crop on the farm. 



Alsike will yield at least 3 bushels of seed per acre, and I 

 have obtained (the 4 years that I have grown it) an average 

 of $6.75 per bushel for the seed ; 75 cents ofif for hulling, 

 leaves $6 clear. The value of one ton of good hay per acre is 

 $5, making a net income of .$23 per acre, saying nothing 

 about labor of harvesting and threshing. 



Let us compare results with the corn-grower, or, in fact, 

 any other crop. The average price of corn is about 82 cents 

 per bushel, and about 35 bushels per acre is nearly the aver- 

 age — 40 bushels most ; sold at 32 cents will net $12.80 per 

 acre. Count the stalks at $1 per acre as feed, leaves $13.80 

 net, saying nothing about the very much increast labor of 

 caring for and harvesting. Corn or oats runs the land down, 

 while Alsike builds it up. 



In considering the above, we might well add $5 more to 

 the real worth of the ground for another crop after it has 

 grown Alsike. If we should put it at .$13.80, net income for 

 one acre of corn, and $28 net for one acre of Alsike, we 

 would have, in my opinion, a very correct statement, which 

 will leave most decidedly $14.20 as the net value of Alsike 

 over the average corn crop. 



Alsike hay cannot be beaten as a cattle food. They thrive 

 well whenever they get it. The hay is nice and green, even 

 after being hulled. Here is where Alsike gets the start of red 

 clover; the latter turns mostly black before the seed ripens. 

 Seed and hay can't be had at the same cutting. 



Labor has gotten to be a big item on the farm. It takes 

 but little labor to handle a crop of Alsike for hay and seed. It 

 is done all at once, and at a time when it seldom rains — just 

 before oat harvest. This nice, well-cured, green clover can 

 easily be gotten up. 



Alsike prefers low ground, but will do very well on hills, 

 if the ground is in a good state of cultivation. It is inclined 

 to grow too short on high, worn-out land. It does well where 

 the soil is loose. It should not be sown on clay hills, unless 

 manured. It will grow 4 or 5 feet high in a wet slough, right 

 among slough grass, and will run out the grass. Alsike is a 

 short perennial. I have a field 4 years old, and it is now 

 thicker than ever. It is grown north of us because of its 

 ability to stand the long, hard winters. 



It is needless for me to say that this variety ranks well as 

 a nectar-yielder. I would place our honey-yielding flora in 

 the following order : Gray willow, heart's-ease, sweet clover, 

 Alsike, white clover, buckwheat, red clover, Spanish-needle, 

 wild sunflower, and a blue flower that grows along bottom 

 lands. 



I might say mi ch more, but this paper is already long 

 enough. However, I will add that Alsike, like white clover, 

 refuses to a great degree to yield honey during a very dry 

 season. In 1894 I secured 2,00O pounds of comb honey, 

 nearly all, I think, from Alsike. There was over 100 acres 

 close to my bees, and they workt scarcely any on white clover. 

 One bee-keeper, who had about the same number of colonies 

 as I, and in about the same condition, secured scarcely any 

 surplus at all. He was not within reach of the Alsike fields. 



Again, the honey from the above source was hardly as 

 light in color as that from white clover, but lackt nothing in 

 flavor. Frank Coverdale. 



PRESIDENT MERRITTS ADDRESS. 



It gives me pleasure to meet you again. These gatherings 

 are for the purpose of exchanging views and thoughts, and 



