562 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Sweet Clover— Its Culture. 



Again do we have occasion to thank 

 James Heddon for giving us a text on 

 which to write an article devoted to 

 sweet clover (Melilotus alba), and its 

 virtues as a honey plant. Aug. 27th 

 he writes : 



Please tell us in next number all 

 about spring versus fall planting of 

 melilot, and the best way and time to 

 do it in both seasons ; how wet land it 

 will do well on, etc. 



We will preface the reply with the re- 

 mark that our facilities for testing the 

 various methods of cultivation, diver- 

 sities of soil to which it is best adapted, 

 manner of planting, quantity of seed 

 per acre, and other minutiie, have 

 personally, been somewhat limited 

 and we are obliged to rely upon casual 

 observations combined with informa- 

 tion derived in answer to thousands of 

 inquiries which we have propounded to 

 reliable men of experience in different 

 localities,where soils,climate and other 

 characteristics would be as varied 

 as possible. Of course, residing in a 

 city like Chicago, we have not had an 

 opportunity to carry our experiments 

 with it to the extent we would like to 

 have done were we differently situated; 

 and yet we feel perfectly convinced of 

 the correctness of all the conclusions 

 we have arrived at. 



Several years ago our attention was 

 drawn to the sweet clover by observing 

 myriads of bees working on it imme- 

 diately succeeding a rainstorm, when 

 not one was at work upon the white 

 clover, owing to the storm having 

 washed out the nectar, or, perhaps, 

 the excess of water remaining in the 

 clover heads. From that period until 

 the present we have closely observed 

 it, and never has it failed in its nectar 

 secretion after the flow first com- 

 menced, nor has the abundance of the 

 crops been retarded by atmospheric 

 influences. Last season, which was 

 one of unusual drouth following a re- 

 markably severe winter, the sweet 

 clover was very abundant, very rich 

 in nectar, and very heavy with seed ; 

 but owing to the short spring and 

 premature summer, it shed its ample 

 growth of bloom in the first of August, 

 unloaded its crop ot seed, and came 

 out in second bloom about the 10th of 

 September, remaining in bloom till the 

 advent of winter, and in some in- 

 stances we shook the snow covering 

 from standing brush and gathered the 

 still fragrant flowers. 



As is the case with all biennials, the 

 later summer or fall is the natural 



period of seeding; but the natural re- 

 quirements of the seed are to some 

 extent, or nearly wholly met by plant- 

 ing in late winter or very early spring, 

 when the nights are still frosty and 

 an occasional severe freeze assists to 

 rot and burst the hull, allowing moist- 

 ure to swell and germinate the kernel. 

 In November, 1880, we assisted the 

 birds to scatter the seeds along the 

 roadways and in the gutters of the 

 less frequented avenues, and a fine 

 crop of blossoms have since rewarded 

 us for the little trouble. In February, 

 1881, we scattered the seed upon the 

 snow, and it has grown finely. Seeds 

 which we scattered in August of the 

 same year, and others which fell from 



Siceet Clover. 



[These stalks, of which there are from .', to 20 to a 

 sinKle crown, often attain a height of six feet, 

 and are very dense In branches, foIiaBe and blos- 

 soms, from the roots to the top.] 



the plants during the same summer 

 and fall, are now covering the ground 

 with a dense, vigorous mass of green, 

 with some promise of a crop of blos- 

 soms this fall. In April of this year 

 we again scattered and raked in some 

 of the seed, and it is now growing 

 finely. To the contrary of this, we 

 have conversed with two parties who 

 themselves gathered seeds last sum- 

 mer and sowed them, but not a kernel 

 has grown. It is possible they failed 

 to cover them, and the birds devoured 

 the seeds ; or the weather may have 

 been unfavorable at the time of plant- 

 ing. We would advise, whether 

 planted in fall or spring, if possible, 

 that they be harrowed in ; or, still 

 better, planted in drills three feet 

 apart, with several inches of space be- 

 tween plants. Then, one year there- 

 after, put in an alternate drill, and 

 the seeding and cultivation is com- 

 pleted for a lifetime. If planting is 

 deferred till spring, the seeds should 

 be covered, else the birds will be likely 

 to gather them from the ground. 



As regards soil, we do not think any 

 choice can be made. In portions of 

 Ohio, we are informed, it grows luxu- 

 riantly and spontaneously on the sand- 

 hills and ridges, and we have seen it 

 quite thrifty in this State where white 

 drift or wash sand prevailed, bearing 

 before a bountiful crop of sand-burrs 

 and beggar-lice. Around Chicago, 

 where we have had most experience 

 with it, the soil is low, wet and cold, 

 composed of blue-clay, and just above 

 the water surface for fully half the 

 year. We are informed by parties 

 cultivating it in Indiana, along the 

 Wabash, that they grow it to great 

 advantage in the river valley, where 

 it is subject to frequent overflow, 

 with a sand-bed soil ; along the Mis- 

 sissippi Valley it does well in the 

 American Bottom, and is frequently 

 submerged for weeks. 



We have no doubt it will thrive well 

 in any soil where any vegetation can 

 be made to grow, whether wet or dry, 

 sand or loam, forest or prairie, north 

 or south, rich or sterile ; and we do 

 not believe it ever fails in its honey 

 secretion, except, perhaps, for a very 

 few days. During its first going to 

 seed, which generally occurs in Au- 

 gust, there is no bloom for two or 

 three weeks, but this can be obviated 

 by mowing a portion of the field in 

 the latter part of June or first of July, 

 or grazing it till late. 



Statistics. — Mr. R. McKnight, the 

 etlicient Secretary of the Ontario Bee- 

 Keepers' Association, has addressed 

 a circular to every member of that So- 

 ciety with important questions to be 

 answered. This is worthy of being 

 copied by every bee-keepers' society 

 in America. Only in some such way 

 can we ever hope to obtain correct 

 statistics of the bee-keeping industry. 

 The questions are as follows : 



How many colonies of bees did you 

 put away in the fall ? How many did 

 you take out in the spring? How 

 many did you lose by spring dwind- 

 ling ? How many did you lose from 

 other causes V How many did you ■ 

 sell V How many have you at pres- 

 ent? How much surplus honey did 

 you take? How much of this was 

 extracted, and how much comb? 

 What hive do you use V Do you use 

 comb foundation V How do you in- 

 crease — by natural or artificial swarm- 

 ing? How did white clover yield? 

 How did basswood yield? What is 

 the yield this year compared with 

 last ? 



I®" When changing a postoflice ad- 

 dress, mention the old as well as the 

 new address. 



