752 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Arc 1 



I have eeen hives even older than mine that 

 are in line condition stilL One thing' about 

 the wood is that it is easy to get wood of 

 great widths so that covers and bottom- 

 boards may be all in one piece — a thing- 

 much to be desired in hives. As the wood 

 splits easily I do not think it preferable to 

 use it in covetailed hives. I do not remem- 

 ber seeing our box-factories thus using it, 

 spruce being preferred. I would have red- 

 wood hives halved together. 



A few years ago a grade of redwood lum- 

 ber containing but few knots sold at from 

 $12 to $14 per 1000 feet. This same stuff 

 now brings S18 00. Selected wood, dressed 

 on one side, such as is used for interior and 

 outside finishing of building-s, sells for 

 about S40, though the price has fluctuated 

 considerably. A good hive material may 

 be had for about $20 in the rough. 



In making- hives hereafter, I propose to 

 have the covers at least 1'2 inches thick. 

 The lumber is cheap enough to allow of 

 this; besides, the wood is less liable to 

 warp, and, as it is necessarily heavier, it 

 is not so apt to be blown off. 



The day may not be far distant when we 

 shall hear of Eastern hive factories making 

 hives of our California redwood. When 

 they do, a far better hive will be at the 

 command of bee keepers than any they now 

 use in the East. It will, in the first place, 

 be more durable — not so liable to warp or 

 split or check, and, what is of most impor- 

 tance, solid covers all of a sing-le piece can 

 be used. Why should not such covers be 

 used, when trees may be seen in the Gold- 

 en State that have a diameter of 33 feet, 

 as is the case in that wonder of the vegeta- 

 ble kingdom, the "Grizzly Giant," of one 

 of the big tree groves. 



Any one visiting San Francisco should 

 take a side trip to Mill Valley, in Marin 

 Co . less than forty minutes' ride by steam- 

 boat and electric train, and see the hand- 

 some grove of redwoods in that pretty val- 

 ley; or a trip may be made up to Cazadero 

 among the big trees of Sonoma Co. It is 

 among these woods that scenes like the big 

 clean cut redwoods shown in the large half- 

 tone on page 751 are to be seen. Or a trip 

 by way of Oakland over the Narrow Gauge 

 route may be made to the big trees, about 

 80 miles south, in the Santa Cruz Moun- 

 tains. One of the most picturesque trips in 

 California is over the California Northwest- 

 ern Railway into Mendccino Co.. one of the 

 garden spots of the State. In this county 

 are to be found fine mountain and lum- 

 bering scenes. 



[There is no doubt at all that redwood is 

 a splendid timber for hives. When I was 

 in California I investigated this question 

 very thoroughly. While the timber would 

 do excellently for hives, covers, and bottoms, 

 from the information I could gather I was 

 satisfied that it would not do for brood- 

 frames and inside hive- fixtures. Redwood 

 is very brittle, and a brood-frame made of 

 it would split or break at the projecting 



ears. A manufacturer can not afford to 

 make hives out of any lumber that will not 

 at the same time be suitable for every part 

 of the hive, except, perhaps, the sections; 

 otherwise he would not be able to use up 

 the refuse that would be too poor for the 

 hives and this would make the hive cost 

 considerably more. There is plenty of good 

 white pine in Canada at the present time; 

 and for the next ten or twenty years there 

 will be enough left to take care of the hive 

 interests; and, taking it all in all, I doubt 

 ver} much whether redwood would ever be 

 accepted as a satisfactory substitute.^ — Ed.] 



PLANTING FOR HONEY. 



Sainfoin as a Honey and Hay Producer. 



BY ADRIAN GETAZ. 



That it would not pay to use valuable 

 land for honey-plants is now generally ad- 

 mitted, and such planting will not be con- 

 sidered here. Valuable crops, producing 

 honey as well, might be considered; for in- 

 stance, buckwheat. But there are only a 

 few of that kind. One, however, deserves 

 special mention because it is not sufficient- 

 ly known and appreciated here. It is sain- 

 foin. As hay it is unequaled, being su- 

 perior to both alfalfa and red clover. It 

 can be cut twice a jear. It is a great hon- 

 ey-yielder. The honey is light amber, and 

 similar to that of red clover. The best part 

 of it is, it gives the best hay when cut just 

 at the time the last blossoms are go- 

 ing out, thus securing a honey crop (or, 

 rather, two, since it is cut twice), without 

 interfering with the hay crop. It is a deep- 

 rooted plant, and lasts several years. It is 

 partial to limestone ground. If the land is 

 compact, it must be subsoiled so as to let 

 the roots reach a sufficient depth. On non- 

 limestone ground a liberal application of 

 lime should be made. 



This plant is not a novelty, but has been 

 in cultivation in Europe for a century and 

 a half, and is as well thought of now as ever 

 — perhaps more. 



TREE PLANTING. 



But there remain the streets or roadsides, 

 many pieces of land too steep or too rocky 

 for cultivation. In the prairie States, large 

 areas of land are planted in trees to furnish 

 the lumber needed, if we are to plant trees 

 it is best to plant those furnishing a valua- 

 ble quality of lumber, an i those which pro- 

 duce nectar at the same time. I think it 

 would be better to plant several kinds of 

 trees rather than only one. The object is 

 to obtain as long a honey season as possi- 

 ble, rather than a short but heavy flow. 



In this latitude a succession could be ob- 

 tained by beginning with the different 

 kinds of maples for an early start. There 

 are almost every where enough fruit tiees to 

 fill that period of their blossoming, so no 

 provision need be made on that score. Im- 

 mediately after comes the honey- locust; then 



