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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



December 



BEST TREES FOR SHADE AND 

 HONEY 



We have been asked for a list of 

 the best trees for planting for street 

 and ornamental purposes, which at 

 the same time will furnish nectar for 

 the bees. Every section of the coun- 

 try has a few trees particularly well 

 adapted to its climatic conditions. 

 Some of these are worth trying over 

 a wider area. 



The maples thrive over a very wide 

 scope of country and although they 

 bloom very early, are extremely valu- 

 able as a source of nectar. The hard 

 maple makes a particularly fine tree. 

 The willows are adapted to every 

 section of America, from the ex- 

 treme north to the Rio Grande Val- 

 ley. They produce both pollen and 

 nectar. While the willows do not 

 make attractive shade trees, they 

 are rapid growers and serve well for 

 windbreaks and such purposes. 



There is no finer shade tree than 

 the American elm, and the bees fairly 

 roar among its blossoms when the 

 -weather is favorable. It is of prin- 

 cipal importance as a source of pol- 

 len, however. 



The basswood or linden is one of 

 the best-known trees which fur- 

 nishes honey in surplus quantity. It 

 is native of the Northeastern States 

 and is found as far south and west 

 as east Texas. It makes a very de- 

 sirable shade tree and where a suffi- 

 cient acreage is within reach the 

 bees gather large crops of basswood 

 honey. The European linden is also 

 planted quite generally in some 

 places for shade and ornament, and 

 is, perhaps, of equal value to the 

 bees. 



The tulip tree, commonly known as 

 the tulip-poplar, is found over a 

 large scope of country in the East. It 

 is a beautiful tree, with large and 

 showy blossoms which yield nectar 

 profusely. It is planted successfully 

 as far northwest as Iowa. 



The sourwood tree of the Carolinas 

 and Tennessee and adjacent regions, 

 is one of the best for honey. Al- 

 though seldom planted in the North 

 and Middle West, it is well worthy 

 of trial in these regions. The tupclo- 



gum is a wonderful source of honey 

 in its native habitat. It is grown 

 successfully as a lawn tree in Iowa, 

 though seldom seen in the North. 

 The persimmon tree furnishes shade, 

 fruit and nectar. The writer has one 

 growing on his home grounds in 

 western Iowa. It is worth while for 

 several reasons. Although the mag- 

 nolias or bay-trees are probably not 

 as valuable for the bees as some of 

 the others, they are very attractive 

 trees, with showy bloom, and the 

 bees sometimes visit them freely. 

 Although not commonly planted 

 much north of Knoxville, Tenn., some 

 species can be grown in Iowa and 

 Illinois and other States with similar 

 climate. Iowa is mentioned as the 

 extreme limit of a number of these 

 trees because the writer happens to 

 be familiar with Iowa conditions and 

 knows them to be growing there. 

 Others can judge whether they are 

 likely to succeed in a particular en- 

 vironment by comparing it with the 

 native home of the various trees. In 

 the extreme south and west a differ- 

 ent list would be needed, since they 

 are able to grow so many things 

 which we who live in the Middle 

 West must forego. 



"It is well worth every beekeeper's 

 while to encourage the planting of 

 trees which are attractive to the 

 bees, on lawns, along streets, and in 

 parks and cemeteries. — F. C. P. 



BEES ON A SMALL FARM 



The photograph is of John Burg- 

 schat and apiary, near Florence, 

 Neb., taken June 9. 1920. 



Mr. Burgschat has had a colony or 

 so of bees for several years but never 

 gave the honey business any great 

 consideration or attention until 1919. 

 He joined the County Honey Produc- 

 ers Association, became interested in 

 Bee Culture and is now well on the 

 way to successs -as a beekeeper. 

 There are 25 acres in the farm under 

 his supervision and it is devoted to 

 haising small fruit, vegetables, some 

 corn, oats and alfalfa. He is also a 

 breeder of fancy White Plymouth 

 Rock and Black Minorca chickens. 



There were five colonies in the apia- 



ry last year. One of these was pur- 

 chased in the spring as a two pound 

 package. It was transferred to the 

 hive April 25 and produced in the 

 season 248 pounds of comb honey. 

 Fifteen 2-pound packages of bees were 

 gotten from the south this spring and 

 by hatching a few stray swarms he 

 now has 25 colonies. 



EARL W. MAXWELL. 

 Douglas County Agricultural Agent. 



Apiary of a Nebraska farmer 



SOME IDEAS 



By A. F. Bonney 



Cement-coated nails are hard to 

 get at present, but are easily made in 

 this way : 



Take one ounce of boiled linseed 

 oil and three of turpentine, mix it\ a 

 shallow dish, say a milk pan, and 

 then dump in a pound of rosin that 

 has been pounded rather fine, which 

 may be done by enclosing it in a 

 piece of cloth loosely and pounding 

 it with a hammer of mallet. Let it 

 stand, covered tightly, for a day, and 

 best in a hot room. 



You will now have a sticky mass 

 into which the points of wire nails 

 may be dipped for a quarter of an 

 inch or so and then driven into place. 

 It will hold as well as the commer- 

 cial article. Lath nails are not too 

 coarse for general work. 

 Insecticides 



Bisulphide of carbon is expensive 

 just now; it is very volatile and ex- 

 plosive, and the fumes are very 

 heavy, which gives the bottom of a 

 pile of hives the bulk of the benefit. 



Make a pile of hives, and on top of 

 them put several thicknesses of 

 newspapers; put on an empty, shal- 

 low super, then with a darning nee- 

 dle punch holes around the edge and 

 scattering throughout the rest of the 

 paper. Now scatter an ounce or two 

 of flake naphthalene on the paper 

 and then set in a shallow dish and 

 into it pour a couple of ounces of the 

 bisulphide. 



.'Accidental cracks may be plastered 

 with clay, similarly to Dr. Miller's 

 method of preventing leakage. 



Experiments seem to show that 

 this is an infallible cure for ^he 

 moth-worm evil. 



Honey Prices 



I recently sent out 100 letters to 

 beekeepers about prices, and the re- 

 plies indicated that 20c was the low- 

 est wholesale price, and 2Sc the 

 highest, while 30c was the low retail 

 price and 45c the highest. 



Will the time ever come when 

 honey producers will quit cutting 

 each other's jugulars? Farmers get 

 a uniform price for their product, 

 which fluctuates, of course, but one 

 does not see one man selling corn at 

 $1 a bushel and another at $1..W. 

 Comb Honey 



Last season I sold all the comb 

 honey in 4-pound shallow extracting 

 frames I could produce, and have a 

 great demand for it now. Last year I 

 received 30c, this year 40c. To deliver 

 it I cut a piece of heavy cardboard 

 so that it will cover the bottom and 

 both sides of the frame, tic a string 



