1130 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 1 



the vast market that presents itself among the eighty 

 millions of people in our country, ought to make such 

 ventures quite profitable. 



It is hardly possible to estimate the dam- 

 age done to syrup-makers and honey-pro- 

 ducers by glucose masqueratling under as- 

 sumed names. Bee-keepers will in futuie 

 have to compete with real syrup; but there 

 is no reason why we should be alarmed, as 

 fair open competition can not hurt us. Hon- 

 ey stands so high above all competitors that 

 it is likely to hold out for all time. 



TREE ALFALFA, OR TAGASASTE {CylisnS J^TO- 



liferus). 

 This is quite a different plant from alfal- 

 fa, though it is as popular with bees as its 

 namesake. Rambler mentioned it as a great 

 bee-plant in his California rambles. It 

 makes a good hedge, as it belongs to the 

 broom family. A writer in the New Zea- 

 land Farmer gives excellent directions as to 

 the cultivation of tagasaste for hedges, as 

 follows: 



To obtain the best results the seed should be sown 

 in early spring; and to assist germination it should 

 be first steeped in very hot water (nut boiling), to 

 which a little washing-soda is added. Pouring on 

 the water and letting it stand till quite cold will suf- 

 ttce to soften the seed, and, after straining, the addi- 

 tion of a little dry sand will separate it nicely for 

 sowing. It is important that seeds treated in this 

 manner should be sown immediately. 



The ground should be thoroughly worljed (as for 

 onions), and if, as is to be recommended, a double 

 row is contemplated, the width of the prepared bed 

 should not be less than 4 ft. Sow the sei d tlir< e in a 

 place at a distance of 3 ft. apart and 1 ft from edge of 

 bed on either side, alternating the second row with 

 the first. This gives a distance of 2 ft. between the 

 rows. Thin out the plants as they advance, to the 

 strongest in each place, and during the year keep the 

 clippers constantly at work to promote a dense base. 

 Cutting must not be neglected if a good close hedge 

 is required. It also tends to prolong the life of the 

 plant by curtailing its free-flowering and seed-bear- 

 ing propensities. 



PARCELS POST AND THE BENEFIT IT WOULD 

 BE TO BEE-KEEPERS. 



It looks just now as if the next great po- 

 litical battle would be over the passage of a 

 law providing for the inauguration of a par- 

 cels-post service. The new Postmaster gen- 

 eral, who must be well acquainted with 

 European parcels-post systems, is supposed 

 to be favorable, and no doubt President 

 Koosevelt will aid all he can. 



John Wanamaker, who was one of the best 

 postmasters-general the United States ever 

 had, once said there existed six great ob- 

 stacles to a parcels-post, by which he meant 

 the six express companies. This is not quite 

 tiue, however, for the express companies 

 have since that time been very busy in creat- 

 ing a sentiment in their own favor, and it is 

 well known that one Senator remains in the 

 Senate merely to see that the parcels-post 

 idea is not carried out. This will be a farm- 

 ers' battle against the railroad owners and 

 their friends. 



Of course it is said a parcels post would 

 nut pay; but that is poor a argument, for the 

 Adams Express Company recently declared 

 a dividend of 213 per cent, of which 200 per 



cent was given in new stock and 13 percent 

 in cash. 



Bee-keepers would be greatly helped by 

 the establishment of a parcels post, for in 

 Europe the b(!e men make a liberal use of it, 

 sending in many cases both comb and ex- 

 tracted honey to retail purchasers. 



LIPPIA, OR CARPET GR\SS, IN CALIFORNIA. 



As (iLEAMNGS was probably the fii'st joiar- 

 nal to give lippia a write-up such as it really 

 merited, we are glad to note that it is mak- 

 ing so much headway in California. It is 

 one of the best honey-plants that grow in 

 the (iolden State. The following from the 

 Facifir Rural Fress explains itself: 



Edward F. Adams, who is a discerning amateur in 

 the growth of ornamental plants in his garden near 

 the Golden Gate Park, in San Francisco, makes the 

 following contribution to knowledge of the availabili- 

 ty of Lippia repens for lawn purposes: 



I.ipi>ia, the new lawn i)lant intmcliieeil witliln a few years, is 

 iiiukinsi- ureat lifaciw.Tv iu the State. Imring- tlie greater part 

 of the year it h>ciks inute .'ts well as j,'rahs,an(i does not require 

 half the water or one-tenth of the attention. The one objec- 

 tion wliieh the writer lias found is its persistentdetermination 

 to rest during aljout two or three months of the year, when it 

 is not at all pretty to look at. One or two cuttings during tlie 

 summer witli the lawn-nif)wer is quite sutticient; and if It be 

 left with a pretty good growth in the tall the plant will re- 

 main reasonably green a long time after it has stopped grow- 

 ing. In tlie end, however, it will turn brown and must be cut 

 off. wlieu it may remain for some little time without showing 

 any green. It dejjends on the spring. This very cold spring 

 the lippia did not start to grow in this city until about the 

 miildle of April of April; but the writer's plot is situated on a 

 hill in one of the coldest spots in San Francisco. In warmer 

 parts of the States the brown period is probably much shorter 

 than in this city. To get a good lawn in the first year the 

 plants should be set about six inches apart each way, although 

 in places warmer than this city the plants may cover the 

 ground the lirstyear if seta foot apart. Lippia likes a rea- 

 sonable amount of heat, and in San Francisco it is rather slow 

 in covering the ground, and rather scanty In growth iu shaded 

 spots. It Is .said that it can smother most weeds and grasses, 

 as to which we do not know, for we have pulled all weeds as 

 they appeared. Some of the papers are calling lippia a gca.s.s, 

 wlilch. of course, it is not. It belongs to the Vti heiia family. 

 It Is claimed by some that it will '• thrive " on the poorest soil 

 and almost without water. We do not think so. 



SULPHUR DIOXID IN FOOD. 



As we predicted, the .syrup and glucose 

 people would be struck very hard by the new 

 pure-food laws, both State and national. 

 The Board of Food and Drugs Inspection 

 has issued a ruling iu which manufacturer-* 

 (jf syrups, sugars, and other foods are 

 informed that the amonnt of sulphur dioxiil 

 must not exceed 350 milligrams per kilo or 

 liter (quart), or .035 of one per cent; ami, 

 furthermore, the presence of sulphur dioxiil 

 must be stated on the label. This ruling 

 will hit the ,-yrup-niakers very hard, and it 

 is problematic if they can continue to do _ 

 business. It is needless to say they are ex- ■ 

 cited about this new move. This ruling alstt ■ 

 affects the dried-fi'uit men very much, as 

 they hardly know how to do business with- 

 f)Ut the fumes of burning sulphtir. We be- 

 lieve, however, the Department t if Agiicultuie 

 is actuated by the highest motives in making 

 this decision, for it is unquestionably true 

 that it lakes btit a very small ptn'tion of the 

 powerful chemicals produced by sulphur to 

 atTect adversely the human system, especial- 

 ly those whose constitution may be weak, 

 such as children and invalids. The desire 

 to produce and sell "cheap" foods is respon- 

 sible for the death of an enormous number 



