244 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



April 21, 



of richness that it has 

 A. A. Alvekson. 



this, but it leaves the ground ful 

 brought up from the lower depths. 

 Ottawa Co., Mich. 



SOWING SWEET CLOVER— COWS EAT IT. 



I have had six years' experience with sweet clover, and 

 find that it will flourish in any place where Alsike or white 

 clover will thrive ; but It will not grow on " blow-sand." 



I begin sowing it in the fall at the time that the seed is 

 ripe, and continue until corn-planting time ; sowing on the 

 high land first and finishing up on low swamp-land. I sow it 

 In waste-places, old slashings and pasture lots. In the fall of 

 1894 I seeded down 10 acres of land that had just been 

 cleared and burned over. I sowed timothy, Alsike, and sweet 

 clover, and went over it lightly with a drag. The following 

 year I turned in seven cows. They did not touch the sweet 

 clover until it was about two feet high, picking out the other 

 grass that grew ameng it, then, as the hot, dry weather came 

 on, they took to the sweet clover and ate it to the ground, 

 allowing the other grass to grow up and blossom. The cows 

 remained in good health, and gave good messes of rich milk. 



Ottawa Co., Mich. David Bertsch. 



Well, what more need be said in defense of sweet clover ? 

 It seems to us about all that is needed is for farmers to get 

 better acquainted with the various values of sweet clover, and 

 then take full advantage of all that the plant has to recom- 

 mend itself. 



Against the Plain Section and Tence. 



BY .1. S. SCOTT. 



I am a subscriber to the American Bee Journal, and my 

 old partner takes Gleanings. I have read with interest all 

 that has been said about the old no-bee-way section and (mis- 

 named) fence separator. I have been anxiously waiting for 

 something in reference to them from some large honey-pro- 

 ducer, such as Capt. Hetherington, C. Davenport, and others. 



We were persuaded a few years ago, by the "Sage of 

 Medina," and the "Medicine Man of the Marengoes," that in 

 the IK two-bee-way section and tin separator we had reacht 

 the acme of our pursuit, and advised to fall in line, which we 

 did, and their praise has ever since been on our lips. But, 

 behold ! we are now advised to stop and turn back to the old 

 no-bee-way section. This we could do were it not the de- 

 molishing effect on our bank account, for I feel that we could 

 place before our customers just as nice a section of honey as 

 we do now, but no nicer. It would cost — three of us who work 

 together — at least .S700 to make the change, and at the pres- 

 ent price of honey we cannot afford to do so. 



I believe each individual speaks from his own personal 

 standpoint, and I would like to ask the "Sage of Medina" 

 who is to be benefited by the change. Certainly not the 

 honey-producer, nor yet the consumer, for we now place be- 

 fore our customers a most attractive section of honey, fit for 

 the lips of Jupiter. 



I read Gleanings from Genesis to Revelation, and see the 

 change strongly advocated, more so than elsewhere. They 

 quote Asplnwall, in Review, as saying that the cost in ship- 

 ping-cases and sections alone will be 51 per cent less. It is 

 impossible for me to see how any one can believe this. Do the 

 Roots ask less for the no-bee-way section than for the other ? 

 Will a shipping-case cost less with veneering between every 

 two rows of sections together with follower and wedge ? I 

 think not. To say nothing of the difference in handling the 

 sections by inexperienced clerks. I am slow to impugn the 

 motive of any one, but I do not think we will be compelled to 

 use a search-light to find the only persons who would be bene- 

 fited by this change. I also believe that to agitate any change 

 so costly is bad policy, unless it is plainly shown to be a benefit 

 to the producer and consumer. I acknowledge that I can 

 see neither in this. 



I could say much more on this subject, but I do not wish 

 to encroach more on your time. Utah Co., Utah. 



[We would suggest that Mr. Scott try a few of the new 

 things this year, and then if he likes them, and feels there is 

 enough in the change to pay him and his two friends for mak- 

 ing it, they can go ahead and spend that $700. Otherwise, 

 they'd better hang on to their bank account. 



Be slow to make changes, until you have proven that the 

 new In your hands is superior to the old. — Editor.] 



COMB FOUNDATION. 



How Mucli to Use in Sections, How to Cut and 

 How to Fasten It. 



BY G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



I am requested to tell the readers of the American Bee 

 Journal how much foundation I would use in the sections, 

 how I cut the same (without having it stick to the knife, or 

 breaking it), and how I fasten it in the sections. 



The amount to use in each section is governed somewhat 

 by the state of the " pocket-book," and whether you are going 

 to hive your increase on full sheets of foundation, or only on 

 starters in the frames. If you must rob your family of neces- 

 saries or comforts that you may buy foundation, then I should 

 use only a triangular piece in each section, each of the three 

 sides being 1>.2 inches long ; or if I were to fill the brood- 

 frames full of foundation for the swarm, then I should use 

 starters in each section as above. 



But if I had sufficient money so I could procure the neces- 

 sary foundation, without a sacrifice to me and mine, then I 

 should fill each section with extra-thin foundation to within }4 

 inch of the bottom, and within M of the sides of the section. 

 This is what is called •' filling the sections with foundation." 

 And I should thus fill them if I allowed the swarms issuing 

 from the apiary to build their own comb, which thing very 

 iiany of our best apiarists consider just the thing to do. Any 

 prime swarm has wax-secretion well under way when they 

 leave the parent hive, it often being seen standing out in little 

 white flakes from the wax-pockets, and if we furnish no place 

 in which these new colonies can build comb, all of this secre- 

 tion of wax is wasted (or often worse than wasted) by the bees 

 using it in thickening the bases of the cells in the sections, 

 this causing the consumers of our honey to growl about the 

 " fish-bone " in the center of the honey. For this reason many 

 of us think it best to let the bees use this wax in building brood- 

 combs so as to allow no waste, and also because any section 

 which is filled with foundation presents a much nicer appear- 

 ance after being finisht, as a rule, than does the one wherein 

 the cotnb is nearly or wholly built by the bees. And all know 

 that it is the nice appearance of comb honey which causes it to 

 sell at fancy prices. When the bees will no longer build 

 worker-comb below — as many new colonies will not — after 

 being hived two or more weeks, then it is profitable to fill out 

 the rest of the brood-chamber with frames filled with comb or 

 comb foundation. 



CUTTING FOUNDATION FOR SECTIONS. 



The cutting of foundation was something which used to 

 bother me as much as any one thing I did about the bee-busi- 

 ness ; after findingout how to do it, it seems very simple. The 

 first requisite is a piece of % lumber a little longer than any 

 foundation which you will ever be likely to have, and as wide 

 as two widths of the foundation, when two sheets are laid on 

 it side by side. A l'4-inch nail should be driven near each 

 end down through this board into the bench or table, or what- 

 ever you use it on, so as to hold it in place, and still allow of 

 its easy removal when not in use. Next get out two strips 

 from the % lumber, two inches wide, and as long as the foun- 

 dation-board which you have tackt to the table. Stand these 

 by the side of the table or foundation-board, so they will 

 nearly touch each edge of it ; when you are to nail to the top 

 of these strips a board from fcf-inch stuff, which is wide 

 enough so as to come out even with the outer edge of each 

 strip, and as long as is the foundation-board, nailed to the 

 bench or table. Upon lifting it off you will have a shallow 

 box without top or ends when turned over. 



Now with a lead-pencil mark lines across the top at inter- 

 vals, the distance between the lines being ji'st the same as the 

 width you wish your foundation after it is out. Now, with 

 clinch nails, of suitable length, nail strips of the 3-4-inch stuff 

 across the top between the lines you have drawn, so that your 

 shallow box need not split and fall to pieces after you have 

 sawed through where you have markt the lines. Having these 

 14-inch strips all nailed on, next, with a fine saw, cut through 

 where each line appears, allowing the saw to cut down on the 

 side strips to within % inch of their cut-off, and you have the 

 foundation-cutting form complete, except that I would nail 

 on to one end of the table or bench board a strip three inches 

 high, so that when laying the foundation on the board for 

 cutting, each sheet could be brought up to this strip, thus 

 "evening " the ends so that all might be exactly alike. 



Now lay on sheets of foudatlon till you have from six to 

 ten sheets deep, according as you find most convenient for you 

 to cut, and then lay the same number by the side of the first 

 pile, for you will remember that we are to cut two piles at 

 once. 



Having the two piles of foundation all even and nice on 



