1007 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1145 



ly using alsike in their timothy. In view of 

 the fact that Michigan has been a large sup- 

 plier of clover honey within the last years or 

 so it would rather seem as if alsike were one 

 of the prominent if not the principal source 

 of this honey. From considerable observa- 

 tion we are of the opinion that, if a bee-keep- 

 er has a poor locality, he can greatly increase 

 the honey-yield by giving out for the first two 

 years free alsike seed to the farmers. When 

 it once gets a foothold in the soil it will stay 

 year after year. 



One of our neighboring farmers told us 

 yesterday that some seed that A. I. Root had 

 furnished him twenty years ago was still 

 showing a very heavy sprinkling of alsike 

 over his pasture and meadow lots, although 

 he had not sown any seed during all that 

 time, for it self-sows, "like the old white clo- 

 ver, to a great extent, for necessarily some 

 of the earlier blossoms go to seed and the seed 

 rattles out at the same time the hay is cut. 

 The seed that falls goes into the ground, and, 

 no matter what cultivation may take place 



artificial pasturage that a bee-keeper may go 

 into. He benefits the farmer by giving him 

 a better hay, more and better milk, and him- 

 self more and better honey. A word to the 

 wise will be sufficient. He who makes two 

 blades of grass (or clover) grow where one 

 grew before is a benefactor. 



BEE-KEEPING IN CONNECTION WITH 

 FARMING. 



Good Returns for the Amount of Capital 

 and Labor Invested. 



BY JEROME BARNELL. 



This photograph of my apiary was taken 

 just as the trees began to leave out in the 

 spring. The hives are in their winter dress 

 on their summer stands. Late in the fall I 

 opened the hives and placed two corn-cobs 

 across the brood-frames about four inches 

 apart, then spread over all a thin piece of 

 muslin cloth, put on a super, fill it with dry 



JEKO.ME BAKXELL S AFIAKY IN THE SPRING; WINTER PACKING STILL ON. 



afterward, it will spring up at the first favor- 

 able opportunity. 



One other farmer told us he had sown con- 

 siderable alsike with his timothy: that, dur- 

 ing the process of rotation of crops, it came 

 about that he did not use the land for the 

 growing of hay for a number of years, but 

 grew such crops as corn, that kept down any 

 growth of hay or clover of any sort. Ten 

 years after the first sowing he sowed clear 

 timothy, and was surprised to see a heavy 

 sprinkling of alsike all through the hay. 



There are hundreds of other cases that 

 might be produced to show that alsike is a 

 stayer; that any bee-keeper who has a field 

 that does not yield him honey as it should 

 will do well to get the farmers to take hold 

 of the alsike; for once they come to know of 

 its value they will continue to use it, espe- 

 cially if the bee-keeper will furnish the seed 

 at half price within a mile or a mile and a 

 half of any one of his yards. 



This is one of the most profitable fields of 



chaff or leaves from the trees that have fall- 

 en off at the time and are very dry, and that 

 is the winter packing. 



The cobs placed on the frames make a 

 space over the brood-nest for the bees to 

 pass when they like. 



I work for comb honey only, and never 

 take any honey from the brood-chamber; 

 and I find that every good colony so packed 

 for the winter commenced strong in the 

 spring. Some that have cast swarms late in 

 the season, and have failed to rear a new 

 queen, will, of course, die before spring. 

 I put the first swarms that issue the next 

 season into all such hives. 



1 have been keeping bees for more than 25 

 years on this farm, commencing with one 

 colony of pure Italians. From that one col- 

 ony i have sold and given away many 

 swarms, and now have 55 colonies in fine 

 condition from that one queen. I have never 

 tried to change queens. My own were al- 

 ways fine. I have made my apiary pay me 



