Keb. 28, 1907 



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American Vae -Journal 



S>ir , 



The Legumes -Valuable as 

 Nectar- Yielders 



BY PROF. A. J. COOK. 



There is no family of plants in all 

 the vegetable kingdom that can rank for 

 value and interest with the Leguminosae. 

 There are many reasons why this family 

 is of peculiar interest, and as it em- 

 braces many of the most valued of the 

 honey-plants, every bee-keeper must be 

 interested in an account of its full life 

 history. 



Irregular Flowers. 



One of the things that interests us at 

 once as we study the legumes is the 

 fact of irregularity of the blossoms. By 

 this we mean that the different flower- 

 leaves are very varying in form. The 

 sepals or green leaves just about the 

 flower are also irregular. The number 

 of petals — the showy parts of the flow- 

 er — are 5. Thus we say that the flowers 

 are on the plan of 5. If we closely ex- 

 amine the flower of the pea or bean, we 

 note this irregularity. The large upper 

 petal is called the banner ; the two lower 

 ones are closely approximated and en- 

 fold a pistil and stamens. From their 

 form these are called the keel, because 

 they resemble somewhat the keel of a 

 boat ; the other two petals are called 

 the wings, and their spread at the sides 

 makes this name appropriate. There 

 are usually 10 stamens, 9 of which are 

 usually united, the loth being free. The 

 pistil develops into a pod or legume, 

 and hence the name, Leguminosae, ap- 

 plies to the whole family. Every one 

 understands the form of a pod. It is 

 the flattened fruit of these plants and 

 consists of two valves, to one of which 

 the seeds are attached. 



Economic Importance. 



As stated above, no family of plants 

 rank in importance with this. Even the 

 cereals — Graminise — fail to equal the 

 legumes in value. Not that the plants 

 themselves are more valuable, but in 

 what they do they are so important that 

 no other plants can at all be compared 

 with them in this respect. Here we 

 have the clovers, the beans and peas, 

 and the vetches. Thus it will be seen 

 that here are found many of our most 

 valued farm plants. 



Honey-Plants. 

 The bee-keeper is more indebted to 

 this family than to any other, for here 

 we find all the clovers, which rank at 

 the very head of bee-plants. The mes- 

 quite is also found here, and besides 

 these we have the red-bud — Cercis — and 

 the locusts. The honey-locust certainly 

 ranks very high as a honey-plant, while 



the mesquite is what places Arizona 

 and continguous regions so high in the 

 rank of honey-regions. 



Pollination. 



The bees are as important to this 

 family of plants as the plants are to 

 the bees. It is now well known, and 

 almost as generally recognized, that 

 without bees these plants will not be 

 fruitful. The red clover must have the 

 bumble-bee, and our white clover, al- 

 sike, and alfalfa could not produce seed 

 at all, if it were not for bees or other 

 insects which carry the pollen from one 

 plant to another. Indeed, as I have 

 before pointed out to our readers, the 

 very fact of irregularity of flower is 

 proof positive that this work of cross- 

 pollination is absolutely essential to full 

 fruitage. 



Shade or Ornamental Trees. 



It is here also that we find many of 

 our finest shade-trees. The Acacias, so 

 common in Australia, and which have 

 been imported so largely into Califor- 

 nia, belong to the pod-bearing plants. 

 These, like the locusts, have double use, 

 for they not only possess rare beauty, 

 but they are also valuable for honey. 

 Some of the Acacias, like the partridge 

 pea of the East, have extra-floral glands, 

 and thus they not only give the bees 

 pollen but honey from two sources. I 

 know of very few trees that are more 

 beautiful than these Acacias, some of 

 the species being not only exceedingly 

 graceful, but the foliage is so delicate 

 that even when the tree is not in bloom 

 it is a thing of beauty. When in full 

 blossom the tree possesses a glory that 

 is indescribable. 



A CuMOUs Plant. 



It is to this family that the Mimosa 

 or sensitive plant belongs. As is well 

 known, this plant is so exceedingly 

 sensitive that a slight brush against the 

 foliage causes the leaves to shut up 

 and the stems to fall. As soon as the 

 irritation ceases the stems rise again and 

 the leaves open. These plants are 

 mainly tropical, and have been admired 

 by all who have crossed the Isthmus 

 of Panama, where they grow in great 

 luxuriance. , 



Enriching the Soil. 



But the greatest use of the legumes 

 is that of adding the nitrogen of the 

 air to the soil in combined form so 

 that is can be used by the plants. One 

 of the greatest improvements in agri- 

 culture in late years is the free and 

 general use ot clover crops to enrich 

 the soil. No soil can be fertile that has 

 not plenty of nitrogen. Every produc- 

 tive soil niUM also be rich in humus. 



by which we mean decaying organic 

 matter. Again, no soil can be very 

 fertile except as it harbors untold mil- 

 lions of bacteria, or minute vegetable 

 organisms. In plowing under great 

 crops of these legumes — clovers, vetches 

 or peas — we bring about all of these 

 conditions. 



If we examine the roots of any of 

 these legumes, where they have long 

 grown and are vigorous, we will find 

 them thickly covered with tubercles, of- 

 ten as large as a pea. Examination 

 shows these to be the home of very 

 minute bacteria or vegetable germs. 

 These breathe in, if we may so speak, 

 the nitrogen of the air, and so combine 

 it into nitrates that the plants can use 

 it ; and thus when we plow these crops 

 under we are storing our soil with the 

 most costly of the fertilizing elements. 

 This matter of plowing under clover 

 crops is becoming very general in South- 

 ern California, and is adding very 

 greatly to the fertility and value of the 

 orchards. 



Claremont, California. 



Non-Swarming Hives to Pre- 

 vent or Control Swarming 



BY DR. G. BOHRER. 



To make such hives to meet the wants 

 or desires of the bee-keeper is a sub- 

 ject that has called, and still calls, into 

 requisition the thoughts and efforts of 

 many apiarists. And, as far as I have 

 given attention to the line of argument 

 used in discussing this question, the di- 

 mensions of the hive, together with 

 regulating its entrance, have received 

 more attention than any other matter 

 affecting the swarming instinct of bees. 

 I say "instinct," because it is a fixed 

 law of their nature, just as it is in any 

 other part of the animal kingdom, to 

 propagate the species; and in every de- 

 partment it is, to an extent, influenced 

 by circumstances. But to stamp out this 

 inborn inclination is one of the impos- 

 sibilities. Hence, we need not, in our 

 efforts to prevent excessive swarming, 

 entertain a hope of ever being able to 

 "cut out" swarming entirely. A large 

 hive is, according to my observations, 

 one of the most effective means of hold- 

 ing in check the disposition to swarm. 



In 1864, I made one of the large 

 Langstroth observation hives which con- 

 tained either 16 or 18 frames of standard 

 size. While its colony gave me more 

 surplus honey than that in any other 

 hive I ever used, it never, during the 7 

 years I used it, cast but one swarm, 

 which was a monster. During the last 

 4 years I have had but 5 or 6 natural 

 swarms. Having adopted the plan of 

 giving my bees room as it seemed to be 

 demanded, I have found it requires less 

 labor and attention to use a lO-frame 

 Langstroth hive, one story early in the 

 season, and when room is required, to 

 add another story. 



In order to test this method of con- 

 trolling the matter of swarming, and 

 to test the merits of a large hive in 

 securing the largest possible amount of 

 honey, I ordered 10 14-frame Langstroth 

 hives. And, as I run almost entirely 



