2tb7. 



YHE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



489 



quarters on July 22, consulting with the Department of Ex- 

 hibits reKarding apiary exhibits. Mr. Hervey stated that the 

 apiarian interests of Nebraska are rapidly increasing, and 

 will soon compare favorably with any State in the Union. He 

 said there are now about 1,000 bee-keepers in Nebraska, and 

 they have been remarkably successful in increasing their 

 stock of bees, owing partly to the fact that the entire section 

 has been singularly free from the diseases which usually at- 

 tack the industrious little insects. The recent scourge which 

 swept across the section immediately contiguous to Omaha, 

 Mr. Hervey stated, was confined almost entirely to Omaha 

 and a small section adjacent ; aside from this he said there 

 had been no general disease among the bees of that State. He 

 also said that Nebraska has a larger variety of honey-plants 

 than any other State in the Union, and these conditions will 

 undoubtedly result in a very large increase in the apiarian in- 

 terests in the near future. 



It is generally believed among bee-men that Hon. E. Whit- 

 comb, of Friend, will be appointed by the Nebraska Exposi- 

 tion commission to have charge of the apiary section of 

 Nebraska's exhibit. Mr. Whitcomb was President of the 

 Nebraska State Bee-Keepers' Association for a long time, and 

 was in charge of the State's apiarian exhibit at the World's 

 Fair. Mr. Whitcomb is also Vice-President of the United 

 States Bee-Keepers' Union, and a member of the Board of 

 Directors. 



The Department of Exhibits authorizes the official an- 

 nouncement that it contemplates erecting the cases for in- 

 stalling the exhibits in the apiary building, and will charge 

 exhibitors .Si. 50 per square foot for floor space in these 

 cases. This is regarded as a most reasonable charge, and the 

 announcement is made to correct a rumor which had been cir- 

 culated among bee-men to the effect that a rate of SIO per 

 foot was to be charged them for space. 



Still Figftiting- S'weet Clover.— In Gleanings 

 for July 15, we find a letter from an Illinois farmer who, with 

 his neighbors, are doing their best to exterminate sweet 

 clover, believing it to be a •' noxious weed." This particular 

 farmer helpt to sow the first sweet clover seed in his locality, 

 and now regrets it, and wants to know the best way to totally 

 destroy it. Mr. A. I. Root gives such a good reply to the let- 

 ter in question, that we take pleasure in copying the greater 

 part of it, which is as follows : 



My good friend, you and your neighbors are certainly 

 making a big mistake. I have studied sweet clover all over 

 the State of Ohio and in other States, but I have never yet 

 found it in iiasture lots, in meadows, or in cultivated field?. I 

 cannot see why it should be called a noxious weed any more 

 than common red clover, unless it is that horses and cattle 

 must iearn to eat it before they take to it as readily as they 

 do to red clover. But this is not at all strange, for cattle iu 

 Florida will not eat corn until they have been taught. Sweet 

 clover is in our neighborhood, along the roads, as high as the 

 the fences, hui iwuhere else. It grows on the dry, hard clay 

 banks by the sides of the railroads, where no other weed can 

 find a foothold ; but my richly-cultivated ground is also right 

 along by the railroad. Just over the fence, and yet our boys 

 will tell you they never find sweet clover as a weed anywhere. 

 If you and your friends will cut your clover when it is knee- 

 high, or a little more, you will find it will make excellent hay ; 

 and if it were really desirable to banish it from the roaasides, 

 the matter is easily accomplisht by cutting it off before it goes 

 to seed. Teach your neighbors to use this valuable clover, 

 and all prejudice will soon disappear. Put a fence around it 

 and turn the cattle right in — that is, if cattle are not per- 

 mitted on the roadside — and see how quickly it will disappear. 

 If you want the ground for other crops, turn it under with a 

 chain as you would ordinary red clover, and you will find it 

 worth as much as or more than any other clover known, as a 

 fertilizer. 



I am surprised that you say nothing in regard to its value 

 as feed, for I am convinced that some of your horses and cat- 

 tle have already acquired a taste for it and a liking for it ; 

 and their " opinion " in the matter is certainly unbiast. I do 



not know why in the world you should go to the trouble of 

 trying to cut off the thick old stalks with a hoe. If you really 

 want to get rid of it, wait till next spring, when the old stalks 

 will all be dead and gone; then plow under, pasture off, or cut 

 the young shoots before they get too far along to be tough and 

 hard. 



We have between 15 and 20 acres under cultivation, and 

 sweet clover is growing high and rampant all around my cul- 

 tivated fields. Yes, it is at this writing (July 6| six feet or 

 more, and has been growing so for years past, tho we never 

 find it in our strawberries at all, while other weeds are a ter- 

 rible nuisance just about fruiting time. In traveling I have 

 talkt with others, and askt questions in regard to the habits 

 of the plant; but I have nowhere seen it behave any dlffer- 

 erently from what it does here. 



Perhaps if these mistaken Illinois farmers knew what a 

 fine honey-plant sweet clover is, they'd begin to keep bees and 

 gather in some of its sweetness for their tables, rather than 

 spend their time in trying to destroy it. It seems unaccount- 

 ably strange that some otherwise sensible people will pass un- 

 noticed ragweed and other useless weeds, and then work them- 

 selves into a perfect frenzy when they see the harmless and 

 valuable sweet clover growing on the roadside. 



But sweet clover will go right on proving a blessing to 

 the bee-keeper, and also to the farmer who has learned to 

 recognize in it one of his best friends. 



Ti)c Weekly Budgets 



Mr. Oscar Kerns, of Caldwell Co., Mo., was in our office 

 last week. He is a local bee-supply djaler, and also a very 

 practical honey-producer, running several out-apiaries. Very 

 busy man, but he "gets there," every time. 



Mr. a. Y. Baldwin, of Dekalb Co., 111., gave us a short 

 call July 2b. He reported his bees doing extremely well this 

 year, some colonies already yielding over 100 pounds of comb 

 honey each. He will sell in the home market at a low or 

 reasonable price, rather than take his chances in the larger 

 markets. Wise man. 



Dr. C. C. Miller was greatly honored as well as adver- 

 tised in the Chicago Daily News for the evening of July 28. 

 They had him nicely pictured, and about a column article tell- 

 ing about his bees and varied work. But they did him only 

 simple justice — couldn't very well speak too highly of Dr. 

 Miller, as all bee-keepers know. 



The Central Texas Convention was held at Cameron, 

 July 16 and IT. We are informed that 4:2 bee-keepers were 

 in attendance, and the officers elected were these : President, 

 Judge E. Y. Terral ; Vice-President, O. P. Hyde ; and Secre- 

 tary, C. B. Bankston, of Cameron, Tex. We expect soon to 

 publish a report of the meeting. 



Dr. E. Gallup, of Orange Co., Calif., writing us July 22, 

 said : 



" My bees are doing splendidly — 9-1 colonies — now crawl- 

 ing along up to the 100, where I set my stakes last spring.'" 



For a " young man " over 75 years old, that is a pretty 

 large apiary to take care of. But being in California — that 

 land of wonders — we need not be surprised at it. They do 

 great things out there— that's one of their natural habits ! 



Mr. H. G. Quirin, of Huron Co., Ohio, writing July 28, 

 asks us to take out his advertisement for awhile, for the fol- 

 lowiag excellent reason : 



" I have urgent business on hand which has prevented my 

 working with the bees for some time. This business is run- 

 ning down and bringing to justice )toney-thieves. My honey- 



