298 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



the crop desired. Apply it in the evening 

 or on a cloudy day, just before sowing seed, 

 and harrow in both soil and seed. 



While as a rule each legume has its owd 

 kind of bacterium, yet there are exceptions, 

 as, for example, in growing sweet white 

 clover to produce the inoculation for alfal- 

 fa, as in tins case the bacterium is the same. 

 It is to be further remembered that the 

 legumes have their own proper or best 

 respective seasons for seeding, and the one 

 to plant at any time of year depends upon 

 the time of year when the ground is avail- 

 able for said planting. For exam^^le, we 

 sow red clover and alsike in our grain-fields 

 in February, when the ground is honey- 

 combed with frost. Just as early as the 

 soil can be worked in the spring we sow 

 Canada field peas, with or without oats. A 

 few years ago in our own fields we drilled 

 Canada field peas, oats, red clover, and al- 

 sike, and had a good stand of the three 



legumes on tlie soil, so that, as the peas and 

 oats were cut, the clovei--field remained. 

 Later in the spring, and just after corn- 

 planting, is the proper time for planting 

 cow peas, soy beans, and field beans or soup 

 beans. In midsummer is the best time for 

 sowing crim.son clover, and in the early part 

 of August is the proper period for seeding 

 Avith alfalfa. Later in August, or early in 

 September, we sow hairy or winter vetch, 

 either with or without rye, but prefer one 

 peck of vetch and two or three pecks of rye 

 to the acre to give one of the best crops that 

 can be used for a winter-cover crop for re- 

 newing soil fertility, and also keeping the 

 bees busily and profitably engaged. 



In conclusion let me say that the man 

 who learns how to use one or more legaime 

 crops in each ci'op rotation, and keeps the 

 legume always on his ground as a cover 

 crop, will have honey in his hives and 

 money in his bank. 



ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY COLONIES IN A VILLAGE 



BY L. V. HOWDKX 



Our apiary is located in the village of 

 Fillmore, and contains at present 190 colo- 

 nies. We have had very good luck with our 

 bees, having produced as much as five tons 

 of comb honey in a season, the average usu- 

 ally being 50 to 60 lbs. per colonj'. 



We are using double-walled hives, and 

 will transfer the 40 colonies on the other 

 side of the fence this spring, as we have had 

 several failures with single-walled hives. 



We have not lost a colony in our double- 

 walled hives so far this winter. 



The bees have been located two years as 

 shown in the picture. They were formerly 

 kept on our farm three miles from Fillmore. 

 The instances are very rare when they have 

 stung people, and I haven't heard of a 

 single complaint. No one ever tried to make 

 out that they are a nuisance. 



The picture was taken from the Pennsyl- 





L. F. Howden's apiary of 190 colonies in the village of Fillmore, N. Y. Photographed by C. A. Blastein. 



