342 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



In the first part, statistics are given con- 

 cerning the general business of beekeeping, 

 showing that about 90 per cent of those 

 who start in bee culture fail because of a 

 lack of knowledge of bees and of modern 

 methods of honey production. A striking 

 lesson is taught by two pictures. The first 

 shows a rundown apiary of 75 colonies kept 

 by a man who never reads nor studies. His 

 average crop from the whole 75 colonies is 

 less than 500 pounds of honey per year. 

 The picture on the next page shows an up- 

 to-date apiary of eight colonies that pro- 

 duced, in addition to honey used at home, 

 1240 pounds, while an increase to 32 colo- 

 nies was made. 



The number of colonies in Wisconsin is 

 estimated at 150,000, and the annual honey 

 crop as exceeding three million pounds. 



The following principal honey-plants are 

 named : Dandelion, May 1 to June 1 ; white 

 and alsike clover, furnishing most of the 

 surplus honey, June 1 to August 1; bass- 

 wood, or linden, July 1 to July 20; sweet 

 clover, July 1 to August 1; willowherb, or 

 fireweed; buckwheat, goldenrod, Spanish 

 needle, asters, and many fall flowers in late 

 summer and fall. 



The state is divided into six bee regions, 

 and on page 9 a map is given showing the 

 distribution of the principal beekeeping 

 regions. The entire northern part of the 

 state, so far as beekeeping is concerned, is 

 practically undeveloped, altho fairly well 

 adapted to beekeeping. 



Italian bees are given the credit of being 

 much less liable to have European foul 

 brood. As might be expected from a man 

 who has had so much to do with the control 

 of bee diseases in his state, Mr. France has 

 devoted several pages of the bulletin to a 

 history of American and European foul 

 brood. There is no question but that the 

 diseases of bees in Wisconsin, as in other 

 states, are forcing the slipshod beekeeper 

 out of business. In time, of course, this 

 will be of untold benefit to the industry. 

 An illustration is given which proves this 

 conclusively. In an old log house were 

 stored the remains of about 300 colonies of 

 bees that died of American foul brood eight 

 years ago. The hives and combs, contain- 

 ing about 1000 pounds of honey, were piled 

 one above the other in this open building 

 where bees, both domesticated and wild, 

 were robbing the honeycombs, carrying the 

 honey to the beeyards of nearby beekeep- 

 ers. How much better it would liave been 

 for the industry if such a beekeeper should 

 never have started I It is fortunate, as Mr. 

 France says, that the number of such bee- 

 keepers is rapidly decreasing. Better con- 



trol and more immediate prospects of erad- 

 ication of bee diseases exist in the state 

 than ever before, partly due to the increas- 

 ed appropriation for apiary inspection 

 made by the laws of 1913. Practically all 

 the diseased localities are under control. 



The Country Gentleman on Sweet Clo- 

 ver ; How Beekeepers may Increase 

 their Pasturage 



In the issue of the Country Gentleman 

 for April 8 appears a valuable article by 

 Mr. E. Bowers on sweet clover for pastur- 

 age. As that magnificent paper has a very 

 large circulation, and as this article speaks 

 very highly of the legume, it will have a 

 tremendous influence in breaking down the 

 silly prejudice that exists in the minds of 

 many farmers today, who regard it as a 

 weed. 



Among other things, Mr. Bowers says 

 sweet clover makes a very fine pasturage 

 for cows, horses, sheep, and swine; and 

 while these animals will not eat it at first, 

 they will soon learn to like it, and many 

 times will eat it in preference to other 

 fodders. As many as twenty medium-sized 

 hogs will fatten on an acre of sweet clover ; 

 and some farmers claim that stock makes 

 better growth. 



Sweet clover has an advantage over 

 alfalfa and red clover, he says, in that it 

 will not cause animals to bloat, and bloating 

 causes serious losses to the farmer and 

 stockman. 



It not only produces early pasturage, but 

 extends over a longer period of time — long 

 after other plants have ceased to grow. It 

 defies a mid-summer drouth, and frequently 

 is used to supplement other pasturage. 



If sown in the spring it will furnish 

 grazing by the middle of May, and it can 

 be pastured thru the season. The second 

 year it comes out early, and makes a very 

 rapid growth. 



The plant is gaining popularity in the 

 corn belt; and one farmer states he has 

 found one acre of sweet clover will pasture 

 from two to three times as many cattle as 

 any other plant of which he has any knowl- 

 edge. 



Finally, Mr. Bowers answers the com- 

 plaint that sweet clover taints the milk. 

 Careful investigation, however, shows that 

 this is not true. In cases where it has done 

 so, the cows were allowed to eat it while 

 being milked. 



This article in the Country Gentleman is 

 an unusually strong one; and if our readers 

 do not take the paper, they are advised to 



