1895. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



743 



or die, trying to procure stores by stealing, as their keepers 

 would not provide for them, which I think is a crime that 

 should not go unpunished. The man that will keep few or 

 many bees, and then stand up and say, without and conscience 

 or soul, " If the bees don't gather enough to live on they may 

 die ; I won't buy sugar to feed them " — I say shame to such. 

 I trust that no one who reads this article is guilty of such a 

 crime. 



My report this year is that all the honey i.i unfinished 

 sections went into the brood-combs — not one pound went on 

 our table. Besides, my bees are in prime condition, and every 

 colony is boiling full of bees and "syrup honey," and I predict 

 1896 a gusher for this southeastern Ohio. 



With the assistance of our bee-brethren I hope to succeed 

 in getting our farmers interested in sowing Alsike and crim- 

 son clovers, and by that means add to our other sources from 

 which nectar is gathered. Then we will be in touch with the 

 more fortunate bee-keepers who live in the floral country. 

 Already we see our efforts to encourage the growing of both 

 Alsike and crimson proving hopeful for the future. Some of 

 our farmers have sown trial plots since I published the Cover- 

 dale letters on Alsike, and T. F. Cooke's letter on crimson 

 clover, in our county papers, and I am glad to know they are 

 the means of breaking the backbon'^ CI imaginary excuses in 

 regard to the new grasses, which is rather to doubt their 

 growing in this latitude ; but I have sown a plot of ground 

 which fronts on the main street of our village, and the clover 

 is about five or six inches high ; the heavy frosts seem only to 

 make the crimson brighter, which compels many passers-by 

 to stop and inquire what causes that clover to look so green. 

 This gives me a good opportunity to explain the new grass, 

 and hand the inquirer a printed letter on its value. I enclose 

 one of the letters. 



This is a topic that should be published far and wide, be- 

 cause crimson clover is not only valuable to bee-beepers, but 

 much more valuable to the land — so say those who have thor- 

 oughly tested it as a fertilizer. There are hundreds of bee- 

 keepers who do not take the bee-papers, and thus would be 

 induced to widen the field of honey-flora by getting information 

 through other sources. 



A letter lies before me as I write, from a bee-keeper of 

 Whittier, Calif., asking me to send him a paper containing 

 the article on Alsike clover, which was requested of me by the 

 Farm, Field and fireside, and published in the same. Thus 

 if more space were given to the growing of honey-flora, and 

 the size of hives dicussed afterwards, I think it would be wise ; 

 and the poor bee-keepers would not have to spend ali their 

 surplus to keep the bees through the winter. 



Reinersville, Ohio. 



[The crimson clover article by Mr. Cooke, mentioned by 

 Mr. Golden, will appear in the Bee Journal later. — Editor.] 



What Dr. Miller Thinks. 



Why thev Left. — R. J. Walker asks on page 720 why 

 a swarm left a good, clean hive. I'll shut my eyes and guess 

 it was too warm for them. 



Caught at Last. — I've wondered many a time why in 

 the world such a nice fellow as James A. Green should escape 

 matrimony so long, but I suppose Cupid had his eye on him all 

 the time. (See page 717.) Long life and happiness, Jimmie. 



Variation in Honey-Plants. — On page 713, L. B. Smith 

 wonders at the report of J. J. Keith that bees do not work on 

 cottom-bloora at his place in Kentucky while it yields so well 

 at Lometa, Tex. I think we may as well understand that 

 there is a great variation in such things. Possibly there isn't 

 a honey-plant in the world but what at some time or place 

 fails to be profitably visited by the bees. Either it doesn't 

 yield, or else the bees do not visit it because they are more 

 profitably occupied on something else. Time was when I sup- 

 posed white clover always yielded, but more than once of late 

 years there have been plenty of blossoms but no nectar. In 

 some places golden-rod is valuable, in others not. And so in 

 general, what is good in one place may not be so good in 

 another, and what is good one year may be poor in the same 

 place the next year. 



Strawberries. — Ed Jolley's' getting me all mixed up 

 about strawberries. I think he must be referring to the origi- 

 nal plants when he says staminate and pistillate can come 

 from any variety. I know very well that a staminate or a 

 pistillate plant may come from any plant producing both 



stamens and pistils, but please, Bro. Jolley, when we talk 

 about a Crescent plant we don't mean the first Crescent plant 

 that was ever raised from seed, but we mean the Crescent as 

 commonly sent out to-day, and if 1 understand you correctly, 

 you admit you can't raise staminate plants from the " so-called 

 pistillate varieties." So we're agreed on that. 



I thank you for a clear and definite answer to my ques- 

 tion — a question that I failed to get Bro. Abbott's answer to. 

 It will save a lot of trouble to strawberry-raisers to know that 

 a crop of berries can be raised from a bed of pistillate plants 

 with no staminate plants anywhere near. The only wonder is 

 that the custom is so universal for intelligent horticulturists 

 to keep up the habit of always planting other kinds with the 

 pistillate varieties, under the impression that it is necessary 

 in order to get a crop. 



Chicago Honey' Prices seem to be among the mysterious 

 things. An editorial on page 716 says fancy comb will net 

 little if any more than 10 cents per pound, while on page 721 

 it is quoted at 15 cents. Surely, freight and commission 

 ought not to take off 5 cents. Another curious thing is the 

 falling in price within the past month. 



The Swarming Habit. — Years ago the number of swarms 

 secured in a season was generally considered the measure of 

 success. Gradually that has changed, until now the sight of a 

 swarm issuing — a sight that formerly gladdened the heart of 

 the bee-keeper — makes his heart sink. That doesn't apply to 

 all, but I'm sure it does to a great many, and I think to the 

 majority. Indeed the management, the suppression and the 

 prevention of swarming are to-day burning questions. Some 

 have gone so far as to believe that a strain of bees can be de- 

 veloped that shall have no desire under ordinary circum- 

 stances to swarm. Now if they are wrong in believing that 

 It is desirable and possible to succeed in that line, the man 

 that shows them their wrong is doing a public service, and so 

 I give Mr. Lownes credit for his good motives on pages 549 

 and 712. Just why he should thiuk it necessary to protest 

 that he does it without malice or unkind feelings, I don't 

 know. Why, bless you ! Friend Lownes, it's a queer thing if 

 we can't discuss such a matter without getting malicious or 

 cross. 



In the first place, please understand that I'm not cham- 

 pioning especially the matter of breeding up a race of non- 

 swarming bees. I've never made any attempt in that direc- 

 tion. I don't know whether it can be done or not. But when 

 you said in such positive manner they'd swarm until extinct, 

 and that there was " no possibility under the sun of any suc- 

 cess whatever " in breeding out the swarming habit. I thought 

 it was time to call attention to the fact that it was mere asser- 

 tion without proof. Now that you have retracted that and 

 merely expressed it as a belief, I have no further controversy 

 on that score, and await with interest the arguments you may 

 produce against the possibility and desirability of that which 

 so many consider desirable, aud would fain believe possible. 



I don't see the contradiction that you seem to see in two 

 of the views I have expressed, namely, that I have less faith 

 than formerly in the prevention of swarming, and also that I 

 don't see anything impossible in having bees not given to 

 swarming at all. As to the first proposition, I don't know, 

 and I'm afraid no one else knows, any sure, practicable way 

 of preventing all swarming in an apiary of say 100 colonies. 

 I think you and I agree so far. I confess to some little hope 

 that a way may be found, but I am not so sanguine about it 

 as I was. As to the second proposition, I believe, and I think 

 you believe, that some bees are less given to swarming than 

 others. It seems possible to select from these the ones least 

 given to swarming. Then from time to time continuing such 

 selections I don't see anything impossible in arriving at the 

 point where the swarming desire should cease. Allow me to 

 say I honestly hold both those views, and I don't see anything 

 contradictory therein. If we should ever reach the point of 

 non-swarming bees, there would be no need to prevent swarm- 

 ing, for there would be no desire to swarm. And breeding 

 for a strain of non-swarming bees would hardly be called in 

 the ordinary acceptation p)-ere7ition. 



Marengo, III., Nov. 9. 



% 



Tlie Names and Addresses of all your bee- 

 friends, who are not now taking the Bee Journal, are wanted 

 at this ofhce. Send them in, please, when sample copies will 

 be mailed to them. Then you can secure their subscriptions, 

 and earn some of the premiums offered on page 754. The 

 next few months will be just the time to easily get new sub- 

 scribers. Try it earnestly, at least. 



