1891 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



917 



4. The protection of the glass (see the sample 

 crate) can be practically secured, and still the 

 direction of ihe combs (which, I repeat, is al- 

 ways parallel with the glass) can be seen at a 

 glance. But it is suggested that a caution- 

 maj'k on the top of boxed packages is all that 

 is required to secure the right handling of these 

 goods: but there is abundant proof that this is 

 not the case. Inability to obtain suitable boxes 

 in the country often leads to the use of old soap 

 and other store boxes, upon which it is difficult 

 to make a caution-mark conspicuous: and such 

 packages are very apt to be roughly iiandled 

 before the nature of the contents is noticed. 

 Again, it is a matter of common occurrence, as 

 every shipper knows, for truckmen, in spite of 

 the caution. "■ This vSide Up."' to turn boxes 

 down on the side, trundle them across rough 

 places (for instance, the bridge between the 

 platform and car), and carelessly dump them. 

 If any attention in such cases is paid to the 

 caution-mark, the box is only left not kept right 

 side up. Boxes of honey treated in this way 

 are, of necessity, well nigh ruined. 



.5. In order to secure the safe carriage of these 

 goods it is absolutely necessary, for the reason 

 already given (the second one), that the pack- 

 ages be liHided on the cars so that the combs 

 run parallel with the ti'ack; but it is evident 

 that this can not be readily done, as the combs 

 are as often parallel with the ends as sides of 

 cases, unless a glass is visible, when a glance 

 shows how they should be loaded. 



Now, then, if I am coirect in making the 

 above statements (and, indeed, it is not with 

 me simply a matter of opinion, but rather of 

 knowledge, gained by seventeen years of costly 

 experience in shipping these goods). I submit 

 whether the rule you have adopted in this case 

 is either a just or expedient one. While you re- 

 quire the shipper to send his goods at O. R.. you 

 at the same time compel him to pack them in 

 such packages as will well nigh insure their de- 

 struction. If this has not been the result in 

 many instances already, it is either a matter of 

 pure luck or else because of the negligence of 

 railway employes in enforcing the rule in ques- 

 tion. 



These being the facts in the case, I can not 

 believe that, when your committee fully under- 

 stands the same, the rule will be allowed to 

 stand, even for an hour. 



As this is the season of the year when the 

 chief part of the honey crop is marketed, an im- 

 mediate change would be a great favor to the 

 bee-keepers of the West, especially as the risk 

 of shipping, whei-e refrigerators are not availa- 

 ble, is more than doubled with freezing weath- 

 er. 



Allow me to suggest that, if the rule wei'e 

 amended so as to forbid the shipment of honey 

 in cases not glassed (except in car lots), and re- 

 quiring the glassed cases to be crated so as to 

 protect yet not entirely conceal the glass and 

 packages to be provided with suitable caution- 

 marks, the change ought to be satisfactory to 

 all concerned, and would result in saving rail- 

 road companies not a little annoyance and ex- 

 pense, especially if their employes, having 

 charge of such goods, were to understand that 

 they would be held responsible for right handl- 

 ing when ottered for shipment in proper shape. 



If your committee should see fit to decide that 

 these goods should not be received forshipment, 

 unless packed in straw or other suitable mate- 

 rial, shiijpers would have no cause for com- 

 plaint. If the change herein suggested is 

 adopted, I will hereafter make use of very con- 

 spicuous caution-labels reading about as fol- 

 lows: 



" caution! 



•• This package contains comb honey, and 



must be kept ctmnUintly this xide up without 

 jolting, or the contents will be ruined. Load 

 with glassed side toward side of cars or the 

 goods will be smashed." 



I do not claim it is impossible to improve the 

 crate submitted for your inspection. Of course, 

 the thickness and width of the slats protecting 

 theglass coi-i'espond with thesizeof the package 

 and width of glass used, respectively. We have 

 shipped honey in these ci-ates from Michigan to 

 the seaboard, and north as far as St. Paul, and 

 have yet to hear of the first instance of loss in 

 the past four years. Byron Wai.kek. 



Glen Haven, Wis., Nov. 10. 



Mr. Ripley replies: 



THE WESTERN CLASSIFICATION COM- 

 MITTEE. 

 •• The Rookery," Room 733. 

 J. T. Ripi.Ev, Chairman. 



HONEY IN BOXES. 



Chicago, Til., Nov. 3. 

 Mr. Wdlker:— Answering your favor of the 

 2d inst.. since inspecting your sample package I 

 have decided to allow first class upon the same, 

 as will appear from a copy of rulings inclosed, 

 which I presume will be satisfactory. 



J. T. RiPI.EY. 



WHITE CHILEAN CLOVEE. 



IS IT THE SAME THING AS OUH MELILOTUS 

 ALIiA. OR SWEET CLOVER? 



A correspondent sends us the following clip- 

 ping from the Greensborough. Ala., News: 



Twenty-five vears or more ago a pretty little emi- 

 grant came from South America to Alabama. The 

 little emigrant first found standingr-room on one of 

 the plantations of Hale County, just above tlie 

 county - seat, Greeiisboroug-h. Not mucli atten- 

 tion w"as paid the little strang-er. for the pretty one 

 had found, in truth, merely standIng--ground— not a 

 spreading-place— for it came from u lime-soil coun- 

 try, and now it found itself in a sandy region, and 

 wasn't overmuch pleased with the change. The 

 little emigrant is called the melilotus, or white 

 Chilean clover. It is by far the best forage plant 

 known to the farming world. It is, as its name in- 

 dicates, one of the clover family, but one that has 

 certainly outgrown all its kith and kin; for in the 

 lime land that it loves it has been known to reach 

 the height of ten ortwelve feet. Its fibers, e^-en when 

 it reaches this great heig-ht, are always most nounsh- 

 ingto stock, are never too rough or coarse to be eaten 

 readily and with g-reat enjoyment by the pasturing 

 herds. Often, when corn is scarce and high-priced, 

 this supplemental crop feeds the workhorse and 

 keeps up, as no other pasturage or hay will, the full 

 strength of the animals. For pasturage for milch 

 It Is Invaluable, producing a great flow of milk, and 

 giving to the products of tlie dairy, so say .some 

 planters, a most pleasant taste, a sort of reproduc- 

 tion of the plant's perfume. The perfume of the 

 growth is delicious, an odor of vanilla. The dry 

 hot winds of summer that blow over our Alabama 

 prairies carry the delicious odors far afield, and 

 even more delightful is the perfume when beaten 

 from the snowv blooms by one of our .swift-falling, 

 pelting summer rains. The pasturage taste for tlie 

 pUnt is an acquired taste with stock, hut the hay is 

 eaten greedilv from the first mouthful. The yield 

 of hay to the acre is immense, for the plant will 

 hear several cuttings a season. The most marvel- 

 ous work of the plant is its renewal of worn lime 

 lands. It is Itself fertilization entire for the barest 

 of " baldhead " that will crop out on otherwise rich 

 lime lands. Right up from these spots, white as 

 dry bones, the plant springs to its fullest height. 

 Its roots are as long and a.s strong as its stems, :uid 

 have soon netted the bald earth beneath with a 

 thousand full roots and rootlets. The growth being 

 biennial, these roots die every two years, and these 

 leave in the ground an amount of djdng vegetable 

 matter. Besides this, the plant full-leaved, vigor- 

 ous, giving shade to the earth abundantly, has 



