.TuiA-, 19-20 



G I< R A N I N G S IN BEE C U L T U K E 



431 



iin favorable that the artisi did not yet a 

 pieturo to suit liiin until Juno 8; and this 

 picture it is my pleasure to ^ive you on the 

 previous jiage. 



Below is a letter Iroiu our good friend 

 the photographer : 



Dear Mr. Root: — The clover in the June 8th pic- 

 ture is 64 inches high. I think you will bo inter- 

 ested to know that the honeybees were very busy 

 with the blossoms the last day I was out. I tried 

 to photograph the bees, but when the bees were 

 riirht tlie wind blew, so I gave it up. 



I discovered a lone plant nearer your liouse, after 

 I had taken the picture. This plant is also 64 

 inches high. Sincerely, 



Will S. Pottkr. 



Bradentown, Fla., June 9, 1920. 



The see<l for this sweet clover was sown 

 March 11, and the picture was taken June 

 8, just 88 days from the time the seed was 

 j)lanted. Owing- to the bad weather or 

 something else the little plants were a long- 

 time in getting started. "Getting started" 

 means letting that tap root shoot away 

 down after fertility that ordinary plants 

 never reach. Now take into consideration 

 that this enoniious growtli was made at a 

 time when we had some of the hottest wea- 

 ther in Florida, and at the same time some 

 of the wettest w-eather. I noticed by the 

 Bradentown paper that they had had some 

 tremendous rains right where these annual 

 sweet-clover plants were making that vigor- 

 ous growth. Please note this enormous 

 gi-owth of a legume, over five feet in less 

 than three months. 



Xow, who knows but that this new forage 

 l)lant will, down in Florida, make its 

 growth, say about as high as your head, 

 any month in the year? 1 am planning to 

 go back to 111)' Florida home some time in 

 Octobei", and very likely my good friend 

 Wesley will have some little plants ready 

 for me by the time I get there. He is going 

 to save the seed, and will be saving it when 

 you get this; and this seed will be mailed to 

 all applicants as befoie — especially those 

 who were disappointed by by not getting 

 seed earlier. 



Later. — Since the above was written T 

 have received from our nearest neighbor 

 across the street a i)Ostal card as below : 



Dear Mr. Root : — I was over yesterday when 

 Mr. Potter took the pictures of the clover. Two of 

 the plants are 64 inches high or up to my chin, and 

 the bees are working vigorously on the blossoms. If 

 this plant will be for the beekeepers of Florida what 

 the sweet clover is to the beekeepers of the North, 

 it will l>e a bonanza. We are having watermelons 

 and sweet corn and poaches now. 



Bradentown, Fla.. June 9. E. B. Rood. 



By the way, my neighbor Rood keeps 

 quite a lot of veiy choice Jersey cattle. 

 On receipt of the above T instructed him 

 to get some of the best plants and submit 



to the sleek Jerseys and report. Very like- 

 ly they will have to be given a little time 

 to ''acquire the appetite," as sweet clover 

 is jiractically unknown in that region. His 

 concluding sentence has given me the fever 

 to get back to Florida once more, especially 

 as Florida watermelons are just now, up 

 here in the North, bringing not only $1.00 

 but some of the biggest ones $2.00 or more. 

 Just one word more about sweet-clover 

 honey. Altho 1 did not suggest it in the 

 proper place, so far as I can learn it is 

 quite possible that sweet clover even now 

 furnishes more choice honey for the market 

 than all other plants combined. Years ago, 

 when I kept up a catalog of honey plants, 

 or plants bearing honey, I kept telling you 

 that it would not pay to grow any plant 

 just for honey alone; but now we have the 

 greatest honey plant in the world, and, if I 

 am correct, almost the greatest forage plant 

 in the world, not only for the production of 

 milk, butter, and cheese, but for the pro- 

 duction of a fine quality of beef, mutton, 

 etc. 



BURLAP PROM SWEET CLOVER: STILL AN- 

 OTHER USE FOR THE " NOXIOUS WEED." 



The following letter will, I am sure, be 

 read with interest by all beekeepers : 



Dear Mr. Root: — I have been a reader of 

 " Gleanings " for some time, and always read your 

 articles with the greatest interest and therefore 

 know that you like some " happy surprises " once 

 in a. while. 



I herewith enclose a piece of burlap made from 

 sweet clover, as I know you are very much in- 

 terested in the possibilities of sweet clover; but, 

 probably, you knew before that sweet clover yields 

 an enormous amount of fiber. Yours truly, 



G. Herman Peterson. 



Rt. 1, Box 4, Deerwood, Minn., May 18, 1920. 



The sample of burlap is certainly all 

 that could be desired for sacking or any 

 other purpose. In fact, I think it would 

 u'.ake a very nice blanket or lap-robe; 

 but: what imi)resses me most are the long 

 frmges on the sau'ple inclosed. When 1 

 tried to break one uf them by pulling on 

 it, it seemed to be about the stoutest piece 

 of twine for its size I ever got hold of. 

 Now, if sweet clover will make twine (pos- 

 sibly binders' twine), what is going to 

 happen along that line in the future? 

 The beekeepers can have the honey and the 

 seed, and the twine and bui'lap factories 

 can use the stalks ; and the forage for feed 

 ought to help largely to bring down the 

 '• liigh cost of living." Yes, I do reniem- 

 l)er hearing, years ago, that the stalks of 

 sweet clover furnishes a valuable fiber. 



