American l^ee Journal 



May 30, 1907 



public. He always had lots of molasses to 

 sell. Being short of barrels he filled one 54 

 full which had no head in one end, and left it 

 in an outhouse with a cloth over it to keep 

 out the dirt. A cat jumped out of the loft 

 down on the cover and settled down in the 

 molasses till only its head was above the sur- 

 face. He pulled it out and washed it off, and 

 said, " We will use from another barrel and 

 sell the one the cat was in," and forbade my 

 saying anything about it. Knowing the 

 penalty, I obeyed. How would " cat molas- 

 ses " do to compare with foul-broody honey 

 on the table of the foul-broody honey-man, 

 and he knowing the condition} 



Mrs. Lauba E. Rudy. 

 Fairmount, 111., April 7. 



I think your plan will work all right 

 provided your season is long- enough 

 for the new colonies to build up for 

 winter with plenty of stores. It may 

 be necessary for you to feed in order 

 that the bees have enough. You did 



not mention it, but, of course, you give 

 your nuclei an outside entrance so they 

 can fly. 



Another thing you will need to look 

 after, that is, to give your colonies 

 plenty of room to store during the har- 

 vest, or they will surely swarm. It 

 will be a great help in preventing 

 swarming if you give plenty of venti- 

 lation also. Just slide each upper 

 story forward, leaving a space large 

 enough so bees can pass through ; that 

 will give a good circulation of air, 

 which aids a good deal in the preven- 

 tion of swarming. 



If obliged to eat either, I would pre- 

 fer the foul-broody honey to " catty " 

 molasses. Surplus honey stored by 

 foul-broody colonies is entirely whole- 

 some for the human stomach, but I 

 must say /prefer not to eat it. 



Rcf lcctioiiL$^ , 



California Bce-Kceper ^W/ 



■^ 



By W. a. Pryal, Alden Station, Oakland, Calif. 



Indigo Plant 



I never knew this was a honey-pro- 

 ducer until I saw the bees working 

 upon its blooms in early April at the 

 University of California. In fact, it 

 was not the true indigo-tree that I saw, 

 but the species known as Indigo/era 

 Australis—3. plant bearing rather 

 showy red flowers in early April. It is 

 a native of Australia, and seems to be 

 a good bee-plant. I judge that the 

 true indigo plants, /. anil and /. tine- 

 toria, yield honey. Plants of each 

 were introduced into the Southern 

 States a century and a half ago. 



was none. Of these trees I may make 

 mention later, and use some photo- 

 graphs I have made of them during the 

 past couple of years. 



The Teasel 



Some teasels found their way into 

 our garden several years ago and be- 

 came quite a curiosity, for this plant is 

 a rarity in this portion of California. 

 The women-folk at our home soon ap- 

 propriated the tops with a long stem 

 attached for ornamental and decora- 



Tfie Acacias 



This is a flower that I have long 

 recognized as being of benefit to the 

 bees, at least for pollen during the lat- 

 ter part of winter and during spring. 

 I notice that Prof. Cook writes (page 

 355) in praise of these trees. I endorse 

 what he states in commendation of the 

 tree, but I do not think it is of much 

 value as a nectar-secreting flower. The 

 tree is grown in greater numbers in 

 this portion of California than it is in 

 any other portion of the State that I 

 ever visited. This reminds me that 

 some 10 years ago, when some bee- 

 keepers from the southern counties of 

 the State visited me, they compli- 

 mented me upon the beautiful appear- 

 ance of our orange-trees ; they were 

 nicer looking trees than they had in 

 the south. I did not understand at 

 first, and so stated. They pointed to 

 some stately specimens of Acacia lati- 

 folia. There was some resemblance on 

 casual observation — otherwise there 



Teasel. 



tive purposes. Even their friends 

 would carry away some of these " orna- 

 ments. " The plants became interest- 

 ing to me, as I found bees always 

 working on the peculiar flowers. From 

 a small beginning the plants have be- 

 come quite numerous on our place ; in 



fact, we have to hoe out many of them 

 each year. They grow very freely from 

 self-sown seed, and are perfectly hardy. 

 I had been thinking of saving the seed 

 and scattering it by the roadsides and 

 through the hills whenever I should 

 chance to stroll off for a walk. But I 

 have been a little wary about doing so, 

 as I find that the " A B C of Bee Cul- 

 ture " has dropped the article on this 

 plant from the last edition of that 

 work. 



Prof . Cook, in his " Guide," speaks 

 well of the plant as a honey-producer. 

 G. M. Doolittle praises it very highly 

 in one of the early volumes of Glean- 

 ings in Bee Culture. Why it has been 

 dropped from an encyclopixdia on bees 

 and honey I do not pretend to know, 

 unless the compiler was convinced that 

 it was of insufficient importance as a 

 honey-secreting plant. If this were so, 

 the caption should have been retained 

 and a few lines made to follow, stating 

 that the plant is no longer worthy of 

 the consideration of bee-keepers. As 

 a honey-plant I believe it is all right ; 

 I should be afraid, though, that it might 

 become a troublesome weed. Who in 

 this State knows all about its honey- 

 value ? The spinous fruit-heads are 

 no longer of value in the preparation 

 of woolen cloth, as machinery has 

 taken its place, so Prof. Cook says. 



Judas-Tree and Red-Bud 



I never knew how pretty a sight this 

 tree could make until I saw a couple of 

 good-sized specimens in bloom the 

 first week in April. Though not the 

 most showy, Cercis siliquasirum seems 

 to be the most thrifty and a profuse 

 bloomer. Its nodding pink pea-shaped 

 flowers are as attractive to humans on 

 account of their prettiness as they are 

 to the bees on account of the nectar 

 they contain. The flowers appear be- 

 fore the leaves, and this adds to the 

 plant's attractiveness. This variety 

 is called "Judas-Tree," and is a native 

 of Southern Europe and Western Asia. 



C. occidentalis. also called C. Calijor- 

 nica (red-bud), is found in a wild state 

 in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the 

 Golden State. Every garden should 

 contain at least a specimen each of 

 these trees. 



" Songs of Beedom." — This is a beau- 

 tiful 16-page-and-cover pamphlet, 6x9 inches 

 in size, containing 10 bee-songs — words and 

 music — all the songs so far written specially 

 for bee-keepers, we believe. It is nice, as 

 well as convenient, to have these songs all in 

 one binding. Every bee-keepers' organiza- 

 tion should have copies for use at conven- 

 tions. They could be sold to members after 

 using once, or held by the secretary for use 

 at future meetings. Of course, every bee- 

 keeper's family will want at least one copy. 

 It is sent, postpaid, for only 25 cents, or 3 

 copies for 60 cents ; or, we will mail one copy 

 with the American Bee Journal one year— 

 both for $1.10. Send all orders to the oflice 

 of the American Bee Journal. 



Anierikanisclie Bienenznclit, 



by Hans Buschbauer, is a bee-keeper's hand- 

 book of 138 pages, which is just what our 

 German friends will want. It is fully illus- 

 trated, and neatly bound in cloth. Price, 

 postpaid, $1.00; or with the American Bee 

 Journal one year— both for ^l.To. Address 

 all orders to this office. 



