THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Jan. 5, 



Care should be taken in handling this 

 clover, as the seed shells very easily ; 

 but this is looked upon as a point in its 

 favor, as the land thus becomes re- 

 seeded every year, and so early, that if 

 the autumn' proves to be a wet one, 

 nearly every grain will germinate, and 

 a tine growth of new plants will be se- 

 cured for the following year. The seed 

 is very fine — being about the size and 

 shape of white clover — a pound contain- 

 ing, it is said, about 600,000 grains, or 

 three times as many as the common red. 

 The seed- pods contain 1. 2. 3 and some- 

 times 4 grains, which explains why it is 

 so proline— a moderate yield being* from 

 150 to 200 lbs. of seed to the acre. 



When sowed by itself, 4 lbs. of seed is 

 a great plenty for an acre ; but this is 

 not the best plan to pursue, especially 

 with our dry western prairies. It is 

 much the better way to mix Alsike with 

 timothy or the common red, or with 

 both. When thus mixed, they are a help 

 to each other. The Alsike being a na- 

 tive of a cold climate, does not winter- 

 kill, and besides, it acts as a mulch in 

 winter and spring to the common red, 

 and keeps the latter from being de- 

 stroyed by the heaving-out process. As 

 the red clover shades the roots of the 

 Alsike, which grow close to the surface, 

 it protects the Tatter from the effects of 

 drouth. The timothy and red clover 

 being both upright growers, lift and 

 keep up the Alsike from the ground, 

 whicli is very desirable. The stem of 

 the Alsike is too tine to support its many 

 branches in an upright position, and 

 hence is more inclined to lodge than the 

 common red. For the reasons given, the 

 combination of the three named plants 

 is very important, and will prove suc- 

 cessful wherever tried. 



When mixed, sow the usual quantity 

 of timothy and red clover, and not more 

 than 2 lbs. of Alsike seed to the acre— 

 in fact. 1 lb. will be ample. If wanted 

 for seed, it might then be best to use 2 

 lbs. of Alsike to the acre. Timothy and 

 red clover do no harm, as the crop may 

 be cut so early that the Alsike will be 

 the only plant ripe enough to furnish 

 seed. Timothy seed being about the 

 same size of the Alsike, cannot very 

 well be separated from it ; but such is 

 not the case with red clover, as a fine 

 sieve will quickly do the work. 



Alsike clover, as a fertilizer, must be 

 as good a plant as red clover, if not bet- 

 ter, as an examination of figures 2 and 

 3 will show. Having often dug up 

 specimen roots of both Alsike and the 

 common red clovers for comparison and 



forth in this article are facts and not 

 theories. 



But the main object of this article is 

 to call special attention of bee-keepers 

 to Alsike as a honey plant. It is well 

 known to the fraternity that my favor- 

 : ite honey plant is Melilot clover, than 

 which none better has yet been found 

 in the United States. But Melilot will 

 never be cultivated to any extent except 

 by bee-keepers, as no farmer would 

 think of such a thing as growing it for 

 ] hay and pasture. But Alsike clover is 

 1 a plant "that every farmer can and 

 should cultivate, whether he keeps bees 

 or not, as it is superior to the common 

 red. for hay or pasture, for all kinds of 

 stock. 



Now, let me indicate to bee-keepers 

 what should be done, and that right 

 speedily. Suppose you have 50 or mo 

 colonies of bees, more or less, then visit 

 the farmers in close range and ascertain 

 how many acres they intend to seed 

 down to grass the following spring, and 

 induce enough of them to sow at least 

 ! as many acres to Alsike, timothy and 

 I red clover, as you have colonies. The 

 more land you can thus get seeded down 

 the better. Induce them, if possible, 

 to buy the seed at the cost price, but if 

 you cannot do this, let them have it at 

 i half the cost price, but if this fails, then 

 make them a present of as many pounds 

 as they will sow acres. They certainly 

 could not and would not object to this 

 last proposition, as it would be no more 

 | work to sow the grass seed mixed with 

 i Alsike than if it were left out. As the 

 I Alsike seed can now be purchased for 

 ' about S25 to S30 per 100 lbs., instead of 

 : S75 to S100, the price when first brought 

 here, a bee-range can now be supplied 

 with one of the very best honey plants 

 at a trifling expense. One hundred 

 acres of Alsike, mixed with other 

 grasses, in full bloom during June and 

 July, in the neighborhood of 100 colo- 

 nies of bees, would insure a large crop 

 i of the choicest honey every year, and 

 cause the bee-keeper to swing his hat 

 with joy. Now, if every reader of the 

 Bee Journal will act upon this advice 

 the present winter, hundreds of tons of 

 the finest honey will be added to the 

 crop of 1882. and I am quite sure you 

 will thank me for calling your attention 

 to the project ; if so, I shall feel amply 

 repaid. 

 St. Charles, 111., Dec, 1880. 



For the American Bee Ju-uruul. 



"Wired Comb Foundation. 



d. s. GIVEN. 



].[<,. ■:. Alsike Otowr Root and Via. 8. R«d Otover 

 Grown, average etoe, one year Hoot awl Crown, 

 old. one year 0lA\ 



exhibition, fully as much difference in 

 the size of the crowns and the quantity 

 of roots and rootlets have been found 

 as the cuts indicate. The representa- 

 tions are very accurate, and the reader 

 will do well to examine them closely 

 and note the difference, which seems to 

 be decidedly in favor of the Alsike. 

 Having now grown Alsike on a variety 

 ill' soils for the past 12 years with good 

 success, I know that what I have set 



The brood is reported as dying over 

 the wires, and the queen skipping the 

 cell over the wires, and some nave seen 

 the bees trying to remove the wires, and 

 these statements have come from those 

 whose word I cannot doubt. To say 

 different bees treat it differently would 

 be nonsense. Wired frames have been 

 my hobby for the past 3 years. 



Although wired foundation was given 

 through Gleaning* as an invention of its 

 editor, a description of it can be seen 2 

 months before in the American Bee 

 Journal, over my signature. Though 

 this is an invention I am proud of, I can- 

 not raise my voice with this .second in- 

 ventor, against all these, and say. " you 

 most assuredly are mistaken if you 

 mean to say our fine tinned wire kills 

 larva?." lam frank to say my experi- 

 ence has been much the same as others 

 have reported. In the spring of 1878 

 I had to pull the wires outdf 200 frames, 

 just as that British cousin had to do, and 

 found it a bad job. But I changed my 

 wire and found it better, and have ob- 

 served that in the cells which failed, the 

 wires crossed the cells and were not ad- 

 hered to the septum. After a while I 

 found, by giving it much time, I could 

 obtain a perfect frame of brood, on the 

 plan I gave in the Bee Journal for 

 July, 1878. 



Since that time all my frames have 

 been wired. The points I noted were 

 these: The wire must be fine tinned 

 wire ; the wire must run the way the 

 line runs in the foundation, and be 

 placed along the line of cells and well 

 pressed into the flat side of the septum. 

 Those who will take all this care, can 

 have every cell laid in, and the eggs 

 hatched. It was the trouble to do all 



this that induced me to invent the press 

 to put it all there at one impression, 

 and I believe no one has complained of 

 the brood dying, or being skipped by 

 the queen, where the frame was filled 

 on the press. If so, I would be glad if 

 they would speak out. 



All foundation in the wired frame 

 has the center of the comb in the center 

 of the frame, whether the frame hangs 

 exactly perpendicular or not. The wired 

 frame was invented to avoid sagging; 

 it will not only do this, but I am more 

 than paid for all extra expense by the 

 nice straight combs, that do not break 

 in handling or in transit, or by sitting 

 in the sun ; and where the extractor is 

 used, only those who have used the 

 wired frame can appreciate the great 

 advantage of it. 



Hoopeston, 111., Nov. 18, 18S0. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Adulteration of Syrups, etc. 



s. K. MARSH. 



Last year I had 4 samples of syrups 

 analyzed by Prof. R. F. Kedzie, at the 

 laboratory of the Agricultural College 

 of this State. The syrups cost, respect- 

 ively, 54c, 60c, 65c and 80c per gallon, 

 the average price being 65c per gallon. 

 I requested him to compare the price of 

 the actual sweet the syrups contained 

 with extracted honey, at 10c. per lb., and 

 here is the result : 



No. 1.— 65c. per gal.— 30.91 per cent, glucose sugar. 

 " 2— 54c. " 39.01 " 



" 3.-SUC. " 35.5B " " " 



" 4.-(jUc. " 33.44 " 



Average 34.73 



A gallon of syrup weighs about HH 

 lbs., and contains about! lbs. of glucose 

 sugar on an average, and costs IOVjC 

 per lb. of glucose sugar. 



BUT ONE PURE IN TWENTY-ONE. 



Four analyses of honey gives an ave- 

 rage of 83.01 per cent, of sugars, 2.01 

 per cent, of which is cane sugar, the 

 remainder being grape sugar ; ll 1 -. lbs; 

 of honey at 10c per lb. costs $1.15, and 

 contains 8}4 lbs. of sugars, which cost 

 12,'jC. per Id., while the glucose sugar in 

 syrups costs 16J£c per lb. Of course, 

 there is a great difference in syrups. 

 Some. doubtless, are better than those I 

 sent to Prof. Kedzie, while some, no 

 doubt, are poorer; but the following 

 will give some idea what a small chance 

 we have to get any pure cane syrup : 

 Prof. Kedzie says" " During the past 

 year I have examined 21 specimens of 

 syrups. Of these only 1 was pure cane 

 syrup, 2 were mixed cane and glucose 

 sugars, and the rest were glucose sugar 

 syrups." 



HONEY CHEAPER THAN MIXED SY'RUP. 



Some of my customers find fault with 

 having to pay 10c per lb. for, honey, 

 when they can buy syrups so much 

 cheaper, but I am now prepared to show 

 them that they pay much dearer for 

 what little poor sweet they get in syrups 

 at the average price, than they do for 

 the sweet they get in honey at 10c. per lb, 



Sugars are also being so badly adul- 

 terated that this year I have made a little 

 experiment in early amber sugar cane, 

 and think I can raise ISO gallons of syrup 

 to the acre. It fills the place of sugar 

 in nearly every place. 



Palo, Mich., Nov. 4, 1880. 



From the Canada Farmer. 



To Beginners in Bee-Keeping. 



chas. r. DODD. 



Formerly bee-keeping was carried on 

 with "box hives" or "log gums," the 

 insides of which were a complete mys- 

 tery. The bees were generally left to 

 themselves until the close of the honey 

 season, when they were brutally smoth- 

 ered with brimstone, and the colony be- 

 ing thus exterminated, its stores were 

 appropriated to the use and luxury of 

 the owner. 



Now we have the movable frame hive, 

 which gives the bee-keeper access to 

 the interior of the colony, perfect con- 

 trol over it, and liberty to take the sur- 

 plus honey without lulling the bees. 

 With such hives the loss of absconding 

 swarms can generally be prevented, 

 queenless colonies can lie re-queened. 



and those that are weak can be strength- 

 ened, by giving them comb, bees or 

 honey. 



Bee-keeping well deserves a place 

 among the industries of the farm. As 

 it is wise to keep poultry to pick up the 

 waste grain and stray seeds, so it is wise 

 to keep bees to gather the nectar of 

 clover, orchard blossoms and wild flow- 

 ers that would otherwise go to waste. 



The chief trouble with beginners is 

 that they will not go to the slight ex- 

 pense and small trouble necessary to get 

 information on the subject. They buy 

 a hive of bees, about which they know 

 nothing, except that bees can sting and 

 that their honey is nice, and then leave 

 it to take care of itself. It is needless 

 to say that this is a very foolish course 

 to adopt. What wonder that. only fail- 

 ure and loss are the result ; it would be 

 the same in sheep-raising, dairying or 

 any other line of farming. While, 

 therefore, we advise the farmer to make 

 bee-keeping one of many lines of indus- 

 trial pursuit, we qualify the advice by 

 urging that it be by no means entered 

 into without seeking information in re- 

 gard to it. 



HONEY' REPORT FOR CANADA. 



Facts and figures from all parts of the 

 country, indicate that the entire cropof 

 honey for 1880 is but one-half of the 

 usual supply. 



Nile, Out 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Fertilization in Confinement. 



This subject appears to be losing in- 

 terest with prominent apiarists. It is a 

 little surprising that so many experi- 

 enced bee-keepers who have studied the 

 habits of the honey bee for years, and 

 have tried this experiment, should pro- 

 nounce it a failure. It was by diligent 

 study of the nature and habits of the 

 bee I made this important discovery. 

 I have five queens fertilized in a cage 

 made for the purpose. Every trial was 

 a success ; I found the dead drone on 

 the bottom of the cage, each time. I 

 returned the queen to the colony and 

 all was right. These five queen's are 

 very prolific ; their workers are large 

 and handsome, giving entire satisfac- 

 tion, thus far; what they will do in the 

 future, remains to be seen. 



This cage is more nearly adapted to 

 their true natures than any other plan 

 1 have seen described. The labor of 

 ttie hive goes on unmolested, the bees 

 passing out and in as before. No 

 catching, confining or scaring of the 

 queen ; she acts upon her own impulses 

 and at the proper time. 



If any one has made further dis- 

 coveries. I would be glad to have them 

 report. Before the work of 1881 rolls 

 round. I will give a full description of 

 my cage and its use. 



Fincastle, Ind. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Lower Ventilation in Winter. 



WM. CAMM. 



After our cold snap in November, 1 

 raised some of my hives and found an 

 unusually large number of dead bees on 

 the bottom boards and on the lower part 

 of the combs and frames, also consider- 

 able ice on the stands. I am forced to 

 think that one. of the greatest points in 

 wintering anywhere, or in any reposi- 

 tory, is to keep the hives perfectly dry. 

 I notice this winter that some of my 

 hives that had 12x12 frames cut down to 

 III in. deep, and hives left unchanged. 

 so that there is a space of 2\, inches be- 

 tween the bottom board and bottom bar 



of frames .show no ice, and few dead 



bees, though the hives are no better con- 

 structed or sheltered than others where- 

 in there is such a great mortality. 



1 am al a loss to account for the 

 recommendations of shuck and others. 

 who are presumed to have experience, 

 to have a hole in the bottom board 6 

 inches square, covered with wire-cloth, 

 for the purpose of lower ventilation. 1 

 tried this in my earliest experiments, 

 and have one such hive left yet, but it 

 was a complete failure, for though there 

 was a slide underneath to darken the 



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