THE SMERICJEN mmm JOURNJtt. 



183 



whatever, so far as I have been able to 

 see. 3. I have noticed that bi-es were 

 cross when I have decapitated their 

 drone-brood. 4. Yes, often ; but I 

 now regulate the number of drones by 

 regulating the combs in the brood- 

 chamber. — G. W. Demaree. 



1. It would depend upon circum- 

 stances. 2. I do not think that it .will 

 prevent swarming. 3. I do not re- 

 member that it made any difference 

 with them. 4. I tried this plan years 

 ago. — H. D. Cutting. 



1. It is first-rate if it is desired to 

 prevent drone production for any rea- 

 son. 2. I do not think that it will 

 affect the matter of swarming at all. 

 4. I have often killed drone-brood in 

 the comb, in daj's past ; but of late 

 years by the use of foundation. I can 

 control the matter quite easil}-, and 

 with far less trouble. — J. E. Pond. 



This can be done with a colony or 

 two for experiment. The method, if 

 it be a method, is not practical. 

 Banish the drone-cells from the hive 

 by the use of foundation, or patch up 

 full frames of worker-comb ; or, if you 

 find that one of your colonics builds 

 mostly worker-comb, use it for that 

 purpose. Have all worker-combs by 

 hook or crook, and do not rest until 

 you get them. — J. M. Shuck. 



If you do not desire drones, cut out 

 the drone-comb ; if j'ou kill the brood, 

 the queen will lay eggs in the cells, 

 and you will have more to "kill." 

 That plan will not prevent swarming, 

 and will not improve the temper of the 

 bees. — The Editor. 



CO;>"TE3iXI03i I^OXICES. 



ffjP" The Wabash County Bee-Keeper8' Association 

 will meet at North Manchester, Ind.. on April 10. 

 1888. F. 8. COMSTOCK, Sec. 



C^" The Eastern Indiana Bee-Keepera' Associa- 

 tion will hoid its spring meeting on Saturday, April 

 21, 1888, at Richmond, Ind. M. G. RKYNOLDS, Sec. 



B3^ The Coirtland Union Bee-Keepers' Association 

 will hold its spring meeting on May 8, 18S18, at COrtr 

 land, N. Y., at 10 a.m. All hee-keepers are invited. 

 W. H. BEACH, Sec. 



t^ The Dea Moines County Bee-Keepers' Associ- 

 ation will hold its next meeting on April 24, 18H8, at 

 Burlington, Iowa. JOHN NAD, Sec 



8:F~ The Hardin County Bee-Keepers' Associa- 

 tion will meet at the Court House in Eldora, Iowa, 

 on the second Saturday in each month, at noon 

 (12 o'clock), until further notice. 



J. W. Buchanan, Ste. 



mESPOWEECE. 



i.-v r:>io:^ is sxRE^rcsxH. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 



BY D. C. BUCK. 



Let US like a band of brothers. 



Raise our standard higrh above, 

 And we'll tight for one another — 



All for right and brother's love. 



Let " advance," then, be our watchword. 

 And " In union there is strength ;" 



So let us thus be felt and heard. 

 All o'er our land's great breadth and length. 



Then rally to our cause, friends. 



Let's show what we can do, 

 In fighting for our rights, and then 



Demonstrate that we are true. 



Our Bro. Clark lies now in jail, 



For keeping bees in town ; 

 Let's help him out on bail. 



Then beat the opposition down. 



His loved ones now, with broken hearts, 

 Mies husband and father po dear. 



Come, brothers, come ! We'll take their parts, 

 And show that their cries we hear. 

 Dundee, Mich. 



^~ The next regular meeting of the Sus- 

 quehanna County Bee-Keepers Association 

 will be held at New Milford. Pa., on Saturday, 

 May 3. 1888. H. M. Seei-ey, Sec. 



ZIT" The IRth semi-annual session of the Central 

 Michigan Bee-Keepers' Association will be held in 

 the Pioneer Room at the State Capitol. -m Saturday, 

 April 21. 1888. Prof. A. J. Cook will give an address. 

 A cordial invitation is extended to ail, as it will be 

 a very interesting meeting. W. A. Bahnes, Sec. 



C^~ The tenth annual meeting of the Texas State 

 Bee-Keepers' Association will be held at the bee- 

 yards lit Vice-Presiilent W. R. Graham, in Green- 

 ville, Hunt Co.. Texas, on May 2 and 3, 1888. A 

 leading feature of the convention wilt be criticisms 

 upon subjects that have been mentioned in the bee- 

 paper.s. A good time is expected, so let all Texas 

 and Arkansas bee-keepers attend. A cordial invi- 

 tation 18 extended to all bee-keepers wheresoever 

 dispersed. Remember.no hotel bills to pay at our 

 conventions ! B. F. Cakuoll, Sec. 



ALFALFA. 



The Growing of Alfalfa in Col. 

 orado, etc. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 

 BY WM. mUTH-RASMUSSEN. 



In answer to Mai-y A. Goodale's ar- 

 ticle on page 792 of the Bee Journal 

 for 1887, I send the following from the 

 Denver Field and Farm, in regard to 

 alfalfa in Colorado : 



How to Kaise AITaira. 



" Alfalfa is not an expensive or diffi- 

 cult crop to grow. The seed will cost 

 here about 10 cents per pound, and 25 

 or 30 pounds is ample for an acre of 

 land. It should be mixed and sowed 

 with barley or rye. as usually the first 

 year it is thin, and the barley will keep 

 down the weeds, and at the same time 

 make a splendid feed. Besides, it 

 springs up quickly, and affords pro- 

 tection in the way of shade to the ten- 

 der, young alfalfa plants. One man 

 with a fairly good single team can 

 plow, sow, and harrow in, about 2h 

 acres per day. 



"There are various times for seed- 

 ing alfalfa. Fall seeding is attracting 

 some attonion, although early spring 

 planting is preferred by man}-. The 

 month of February in Colorado, if the 

 weather is open, and the ground has 

 been prepared beforehand, is a good 

 time to seed, for the late snows are 

 vei-y beneficial to the seed in the 

 ground.' It should be irrigated about 

 three times between cuttings. One 

 man will irrigate five acres per day if 

 the ground is in good condition, and 

 there is a fair head of water. It is 



probably fair to estimate the expense 

 of cutting, raking and putting in stack 

 at |2 per acre. Thus it will bo seen 

 that the total cost of the first crop of 

 an acre of alfalfa, including the pur- 

 chase of seed, plowing and planting, 

 irrigating, cutting, stacking and bal- 

 ing, will not exceed $8. Baling, how- 

 ever, is not commonly done, and that 

 expense is usually dispensed with. 



"The uses of alfalfa are fourfold. 

 The cattle-men are the heaviest con- 

 sumers of alfalfa. When it is fed, no 

 grain is necessary to keep saddle stock 

 in fine condition. A large amount is 

 also fed to poor cows with calves, on a 

 short range, which otherwise would 

 not be able to raise their calves. And 

 the time has come when the steers of 

 this section, now shipped East and 

 sold as feeders, will be fattened on 

 alfalfa, shipped to the mai'ket and sold 

 at 4 and 5 cents per pound instead of 

 2, as has been the custom for some 

 time past. 



" Another great use of alfalfa is in 

 hog-raising, but as the great American 

 porker has only a few friends in Colo- 

 rado, the industry has not yet received 

 much attention. It is said by those 

 who know, that'one acre of alfalfa will 

 fatten forty head of hogs per year. We 

 will flgiu-e the hogs at 200 pounds 

 each, and say they are sold at Kansas 

 City quotatio"us at 3J cents per pound 

 — they are worth more money here — 

 and it vnW be seen that one acre of 

 alfalfa will grow 1280 worth of pork 

 per year. Now figure the interest in- 

 vested in the hogs, and the cost of car- 

 ing for the same, and you have the 

 net profit of your alfalfa. 



" It would seem that with these facts 

 at command, Colorado farmers ought 

 surely to raise hogs sufficient to sup- 

 ply at least the Denver market, which 

 has to depend largely upon the corn 

 counties of Nebraska and Kansas for 

 pork supplies." 



There is no doubt that alfalfa is a 

 valuable plant for honey, aside from 

 its other uses. During eight 3-ears 

 residence in this locality, where I de- 

 pend altogether upon alfalfa for my 

 honey crop, I have never found it a 

 failure. In an ordinarily good season 

 I can always depend upon getting two 

 sets of (84) sections finished by each 

 colonv of bees, while some colonies 

 will fi^nish tliree sets (120 to 126 sec- 

 tions). The honey is very white, and 

 of excellent body and flavor ; but if 

 wild flowers are abundant, as after a 

 very wet winter, their honey will give 

 the alfalfa honey an amber color. 



The value of alfalfa as a honey- 

 plant depends mainly upon how it is 

 treated by farmers. In the southern 

 counties, wliere barley is used for hay, 

 alfalfa is used mainly as green fodder, 



