294 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



"We have been favored by a visit from Mr. C. P. Dadant, as well as the Viscount Triaca, of the Apicol- 

 tore; Mr. Herrod, the Secretary of the British Beekeepers' Association, and Prof. Cotini, Director of the 

 Italian Federation of Beekeepers. We have taken some photographs, vehich we are sendinsc you, together 

 with one of our apiary and of our Director, who is also instructor at the Royal Agricultural School at Imola. 



Castel San Pietre, Bologna, Italy, Dec. 5. Gaetano Piana. 



meet the needs of our extensive agricultur- 

 ists or horticulturists. How, then, can a 

 poor man increase his yield by economical 

 means? This is a question of such far- 

 reaching importance as to justify our at- 

 tention for a few minutes, even though at 

 first it may be beyond any thing pertaining 

 to beekeeping", and appai'ently inappropri- 

 ate before this assembly. 



Let us remember that the greatest element 

 of plant food is that which is commonly 

 called " nitrogen." It is by all means the 

 most expensive element in our commercial 

 fertilizers, and the most difficult to get into 

 the soil by artificial means. At the same 

 time, it is the most abundant element in the 

 atmosphere. Practically eleven jiounds of 

 this material rests upon each square inch of 

 the earth's surface. Why is it not directly 

 utilized? It is because it must be made 

 over or transformed into the kind of com- 

 pound that can be taken up by plants. An 

 illustration is to be seen in the lowly field 

 bean. In its raw state it will scarcely sus- 

 tain human life; but let it be properly 

 cooked, and there is no more nourishing 

 article of food for mankind. Thus, wlien 

 the nitrogen in the atmosphere is trans- 



formed it becomes at once tlie most stimu- 

 lating or invigorating element in the food 

 of plants. 



How is this transformation effected? 

 Here is the important point of our story. 

 This is done in nature's laboratory by myr- 

 iads of organisms known as bacteria that 

 live in a mutually beneficial relationship, 

 known as symbosis, upon the roots of the 

 legiime plants. These are the members of 

 the jDulse or pea and bean family, botani- 

 cally known as Leguminosae. Upon the 

 roots of all members of this family these 

 beneficial bacteria, gathering and trans- 

 forming nitrogen, live in great numbers, 

 forming little lumps or nodules. Upon 

 practically each kind there is a different 

 species of bacterium, as is shown by the 

 fact that the nodules taken from the roots 

 of different kinds of legume plants differ in 

 size, shape, color, and general appearance 

 These nodules, or lumps, are large enougli 

 to be seen readily by the unaided eye. Take 

 up, for example, the roots of the common 

 white clover, sweet white clover, the red 

 clovex", crimson clover, alfalfa, the locust- 

 tree and the redbud-tree, keeping the sur- 

 rounding earth wi'.li them until they are 



