November, 1921 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



695 



FROM THE FIELD OF EXPERIENCE 



MIDSUMMER NECTAR 



Plants That Secrete Well During the Hot Weather 

 Season 



Concerning the gap between the spring 

 and fall honey flows, mentioned editorially 

 in October Gleanings, in this part of the 

 South at least, it is a result of a lack of 

 flowers rather than of high temperature. 



Our spring flow ends early in May, and 

 our fall flow does not start before about the 

 first of October, which leaves quite a gap 

 between these two flows. However, horse- 

 mint, eryngium, cotton, balloon vine, and 

 other plants usually give us several respites 

 from the summer dearth of nectar. Horse- 

 mint is a plant that likes hot weather — the 

 hotter the weather, the heavier the yield, 

 just so it is not too dry. During July, our 

 hottest month, we often get a flow from a 

 plant known locally as purple thistle (eryn- 

 gium Icavenicortlu). I have observed that 

 this plant furnishes the greatest amount of 

 nectar during extremely hot dry weather. 

 When the July sun, pouring his vertical 

 rays upon a soil already thirsty from weeks 

 of dry weather, causes the surface to open 

 in a network of fissures; when the wonder 

 is that any plant can survive; there are 

 conditions ideal for a heavy flow from eryn- 

 gium. 



Take cotton for another instance. Altho 

 we are outside the regular cotton honey dis- 

 trict, we occasionally get a nice flow from 

 this source in July and August. The con- 

 ditions for heaviest nectar secretion are as 

 follows: Topsoil rather dry, thus retarding 

 plant growth somewhat, causing a heavy 

 fruitage; temperature high, with some hu- 

 midity but no rain. 



There are several other midsummer bloom- 

 ing plants of minor importance in this local- 

 ity, the majority requiring hot weather for 

 normal nectar yields. 



If we ever succeed in closing the gap be- 

 tween the spring and fall flows by the culti- 

 vation of various plants, we shall have to 

 make use of such as have their regular order 

 of blooming during the hot months. Neither 

 sweet clover nor buckwheat will answer for 

 this purpose until a Hughes or a Burbank 

 convinces them that midsummer is their 

 proper blooming season. J. D. Yancey. 



Bay City, Tex. 



A CHEAP WINDBREAK 



Corn Fodder Stored Against Fence an Efficient Pro- 

 tection Against Wind 



For a windbreak I set posts and put up 

 three rails. I then stand corn fodder against 

 the rails. The taller the fodder the better, 

 but it should not be too thick. I leave the 



fodder up till the weather is warm enough 

 to take the hives out of the winter cases. I 

 take them out a week before removing the 

 fodder, about May 10. 



The day the photos were taken I used two 

 thermometers, placing one on the northwest 

 side of the windbreak, and the other on the 

 sunny side. There was a stiff west wind blow- 

 ing and the thermometer on the sunny side 

 registered 14°, while the one on the wind- 

 ward side stood at zero. This was at 10 

 a. m. 



I use double packing cases since I do not 

 like the quadruple ease on account of hav- 

 ing entrances on the cold sides. In the 

 double case the entrance is on the warm 

 side. I face the entrance to the southeast. 



It was below zero and the wind blowing when this 

 picture was taken, but the bees in the double pack- 

 ins: cases shielded by the corn fodder didn't know it. 



My cases are packed with sawdust, four 

 inches on the entrance side with six inches 

 on the other three sides, four inches under, 

 and ten inches on top. The only objection 

 I have is the first cost of the cases, but this 

 is soon paid back by the amount of honey 

 saved, for I can winter a 10-frame colony on 

 from 12 to 15 .pounds till the middle of 

 March. This has been the average the past 

 two years. The trouble we have here is to 

 get the colony built up in time for harvest, 

 but with good packing and early stimulative 

 feeding this can be overcome. I begin feed- 

 ing about the first of April, using a ^-gal- 

 lon sj^rup bucket inverted over the hole in 

 the inner cover, feeding syrup two and a 

 half pints of sugar to one of water at first, 

 and weaker later in the season. I put on a 

 second story while the hive is still in the 

 winter case as soon as the colonies need 

 moie room. Sterling Rouse. 



Ludlow, Ky. 



