430 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



July, 1920 



THE "promised LAND;" "A LAND FLOW- 

 ING WITH MILK AND HONEY." 



In 1918 and 1919, I had considerable to 

 say about the sunflower, a plant which 

 promised to furnish not only honey but 

 milk also, thus contributing to make our 

 land " a land flowing with milk and honey." 

 Well, so far as the milk is concerned I be- 

 lieve the sunflower is all that has been 

 claimed for it. In many places it is grown 

 by the acre for filling the silo; and when 

 mixed with com it makes a better cattle 

 feed for milk, butter, and cheese than corn 

 alone. But so far as the honey is con- 

 cerned there does not seem to be very much 

 of it, and the quality is nothing extra. 



Well, friends, in all that talk about sun- 

 flowers I stupidly overlooked tlie fact that 

 we have a plant already that not only fur- 

 nishes the very best of feed for cattle -and 

 all other farm stock but furnishes more, 

 and I think I might safely say better, 

 honey than any other plant in the world. 

 It is nothing moi-e than our old despised 

 sweet clover growing in such rank luxuri- 

 ance along our highways, especially where 

 we have crushed limestone roads. Now, 

 my beekeeping friends, just hold youli- 

 breath a minute while I tell you something 



that may surprise you. The A. I. Root Co. 

 is now buying, bottling, and sending out 

 something like 50 carloads of honey a 



The lU'W aiiim: 

 growth 



1 sweet-clover plant that made a 

 of 20 inches in 17 days. 



Tlie lU'W aiuiual sweet-clovei- plant that niiidc a 

 growth of 36 inches in 24 days, or iVs inches a day. 



year, or a carload a week \ve might say. 

 Where does this honey come from? what 

 is its source? Well, Mr. A. L. Boy den, 

 who has charge of our honey 1)usiness, as- 

 tonished me by saying that all of 30 car- 

 loads out of 50 are from sweet clover; and 

 this sweet-clover honey is certainly as hand- 

 some and delicious — that is. to my notion — 

 as any honey in the world. Well, now, 

 since you have had several good "bi-eaths" 

 over what I have told yon. just hold your 

 breath once more. 



On page 325 of our .lune issue, I told 

 you about a photo showing a growth of the 

 new sweet clover 20 inches high in only 

 17 (lays. At the left is the picture I had in 

 mind when T said that. 



Wlicn T y)lnimed to have another photo 

 taken in about 2 weeks the wind was so 



