212 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



April 



located on the sheltered side of the house were walking over 

 the combs. On another day, when the wind blew directly 

 against the portico of the hive, and the thermometer regis- 

 tered 28^ above zero, the bees In the same hive were more 

 compactly clustered than on any other this winter. This fact, 

 I think, is quite significant. 



When all the requisites for successful wintering in house- 

 apiaries, with or without artificial heat, are properly under- 

 stood and intelligently applied, the house-apiary will become 

 as popular on account of its great convenience as it will be tor 

 Its giving the best results in wintering bees. A house large 

 enough to winter 30 or 40 colonies will also afford space 

 enough for a honey-room, extracting facilities, a place for 

 storage of hives, etc., and even a work-shop. The noise of 

 the work-shop will not disturb the bees if the hives occupy a 

 separate floor. Those who are interested in this subject may 

 follow St. Paul's advice: " Prove everything, and hold fast 

 to what is good." 



If these remarks will be Instrumental in making the long, 

 weary hours of winter more comfortable for " our little sisters, 

 the bees," and more profitable to their larger brothers who 

 take care of them, the object of this article will have been 

 accomplisht. St. Joseph Co., Ind. 



*House-aplaries should have many BmaU windows about 18x24 

 inches. It were well to have the sashes on pivots at lop and bottom. 

 This is a matter of convenience. The bees that leave the combs when 

 the hive is opened will settle on the window and it is easy to jret them 

 out by turning the gash. These windows also admit sunshine on the 

 hives the same as If they were outside, which tact. I think. Is In more 

 than one way beneficial. In very hot weather, dark, close-fltting 

 blinds will keep the house cool. 



Report of the Northwestera Bee-Keepers' Con- 

 vention, Held in Chicago, Nov. 10 and 

 11, 1897. 



BEPOBTED BY A SPECIAL BEE JOUBNAL BEPOETER. 



(Continued from page 198.) 

 SECOND DAY — Afternoon Session. 



SIMPSON HONET-PLANT OR FIGWORT. 



Mr. Dunne — I would like to ask if any one has had any 

 experience with the Simpson honey-plant or flgwort ? 



Pres. Miller — The Simpson honey-plant, or figwort, or 

 carpenter's square, or heal-all, is before us. Who has had 

 any experience with it? How many of you have seen it grow ? 

 Three. What do you know about it as a honey-plant? 



Mr. Green — From my experience I should say that it 

 yielded honey readily enough, but I don't know that it is 

 practicable to raise it. It may be. I have never tried It. 



Mr. Stone — I have seen It along the roadsides ; in some 

 places a good deal of it, and I have seen bees just swarming 

 on it every day, and it blooms a long time, but I do not think 

 It is fit for anything except for a honey-plant. It is a weed. 

 If we can get a honey-plant that is better I would rather mow 

 down the Simpson honey-plant and kill It out. I think that is 

 Just like the spider-plant. 



Mr. Whitcomb — I doubt if it is profitable to cultivate any- 

 thing for honey alone. 



Mr. Green — I have seen considerable clumps of it grow- 

 ing. It grows all through the woods in our neighborhood, 

 but it doesn't seem to be a very thriving and robust plant. It 

 doesn't take care of itself very well and establish itself against 

 other weeds as sweet clover does. 



Pres. Miller — When the boom was first on for the Simpson 

 honey-plant I sent off and bought plants enough to set out an 

 acre, cultivated it carefully, and had a flourishing field of it. 

 Bees workt ou it, and they will wherever it is, but a honey- 

 plant to be of any use must not cost too much, and this field 

 the next year was not. good for much. I took care of It as 

 carefully as I would of corn. The plants died out, and I after- 

 ward found that there were scattered plants of it in my neigh- 

 borhood that I could have gone and dug up, but I didn't know 

 the plant in the first place. I think you will find very few 

 succeed with it. I only knowof oneexception — Mr. Williams, 

 of Missouri. I think every one else has given It up as a bad 



job. But they are still going on in the old countries with 

 those things, and across the ocean they are still talking about 

 the Simpson honey-plant, and are distributing seed. But we 

 have got through with it, and they are now In the heat of the 

 disease. I don't think it Is worth planting at all. 



WHAT TO SOW FOR HONEY ALONE. 



" What honey-plant can I profitably sow for honey alone ?" 



Mr. Green — You can sow sweet clover if you have any 

 waste land to sow It on, but not if you have land that is very 

 valuable for other purposes. 



Mr. Stone — I believe that Alsike clover will pay a large 

 rent to just raise it for a honey-plant. 



Mr. Dunne — Is there a difference between the Alsike 

 clover and other clovers ? 



Pres. Miller — The Alsike clover, or Swedish clover. Is 

 medium in growth, and has smaller stems than the red clover. 

 Perhaps as It ordinarily grows it doesn't grow quite so high, 

 and the blossoms are medium between red clover and white 

 clover, more nearly the size of white clover, and pinkish. If 

 white clover grows rank It will grow as large as Alsike. 



CRIMSON CLOVER, CATNIP, ETC. 



Pres. Miller — How many are there present that have had 

 any experience with crimson clover? 'That Is one of the new 

 clovers. 



Mr. Stone— -I have never grown but one crop, and not 

 very much of that. It didn't succeed well through the winter. 

 It grew in little patches and little clusters around, and I re- 

 sowed It with Alsike in the spring, when I saw that it failed 

 to be a stand. I learned from the government report at 

 Washington that a number of animals, both cattle and horses, 

 had been killed by the eating of crimson clover. The little 

 hairs that are on the blossoms would accumulate in their 

 stomachs in balls that were Indigestible, and it would cause 

 death. A number of cases that were examined and reported 

 to the government station on examination were found to be 

 caused by the balling of those little hairs. 



Pres. Miller — I had supposed that was on the seed. 



Mr. Stone — Yes, on the head. And they said that If the 

 head matured until it got brown, that then was when the dan- 

 ger point was ; that if it were cut very early it mist that, but 

 there would be some heads In any condition of it almost that 

 would make it possible for the Injury to be caused. 



Pres. Miller — I had quite a piece of crimson clover, per- 

 haps a quarter of an acre, and while I do not believe that it is 

 likely to be a very successful plant In this climate, not stand- 

 ing the winter, yet In some places It succeeds, and it may be 

 well to have it tried more ; but what I want to suggest is that 

 all of you will do well to have a patch of It near your dwellings 

 for the beauty of the flower. When in bloom It Is a beautiful 

 sight, well worth planting If the bees didn't touch It at all. 



M. S. Miller — I believe Mr. Green spoke of the Simp- 

 son honey-plant doing well In a woody district. Is there any 

 plant that could be sown in such a place that would do well ; 

 for instance, in a waste piece of woods that would not be fit 

 for cultivation ? 



Pres. Miller — The Simpson honey-plant would come very 

 well In that category ; and another plant that will do toler- 

 ably well where it is partially shaded is the common catnip. 



Mr. Baxter — I think the aster Is better than either one. 



M. S. Miller — Can a person cut catnip so that you can 

 sow it? 



Pres. Miller — You can get catnip seed, plenty of It. 



Mr. Stone — It grows very much in hedges. 



Mr. Baxter — I think that is from the protection the 

 hedge gives it ; the cattle don't tramp it. 



M. S. Miller — In taking a number of old colonies of 

 bees, such as a person finds scattered over the country, that 

 have never been attended to, would it be advisable to try and 

 use those old hives in connection with anything outside or 

 using them for fuel ? 



Mr. Stone — Use them in the smoker. 



Mr. Baxter — They are not good for the smoker, either. 

 Use them for kindling. That is the best use for them. 



Pres. Miller — I don't believe they are of any use for any- 

 thing but kindling. 



SPRAYING FRUIT-TREES — ENGLISH SPARROW. 



Mr. Whitcomb — I would like to know how many present 

 are troubled by having fruit-trees sprayed in the spring. 



No hands were shown in response to the question. 



Mr. Baxter — They don't use the spray with us very ex- 

 tensively. Some years we have used as much as a carload of 

 blue vitriol right near the town In connection with London 

 purple, but our people down that way havi been educated to 

 use at the proper lime, altho for a short while there were two 



