ntmrn kmericjeih mmw joi^rhmi^. 



613 



I>octor!« IHwagree.— Mr. G. K. Hub- 

 bard has this criticism to matte on one of 

 our Queries. It appeared in tlie Indiana 

 fd/'mec recently. Variety is the spice of 

 life. If we all thouKlit and spoke alil<e 

 there would be no diversity of opinion— no 

 spicy discussions— DO progress from the 

 "old ruts" and well-beaten paths of our 

 forefathers. The fact that we disagree on 

 every conceivable subject is the " bulwark 

 of our freedom," and the glory of the nine- 

 teenth century. But here is the item : 



In the question department of the Ameki- 

 CAN Bee Journal, the quesiion, "Are 

 eggs ever put into tlie royal cell ?" is an- 

 swered by a large number of prominent 

 apia^i3t^s, and it is actually surprising to see 

 how many answer the question negatively, 

 or in a manner expressing doubt. We do 

 not understand why this should be. We 

 have frequently seen eggs in queen-cells, 

 and in fact liave seen it so often that we 

 wonder at our experience being different 

 from so many who are more experienced. 

 We imply that those who express dnubt on 

 the subject, tliink that young larv;e are 

 always used for the purpose. Clearly they 

 are mistaken, as we have often seen eggs 

 in queen-cells appearing to have been de- 

 posited as naturally as any in regular 

 worker or drone cells. The question is not 

 one carrying with it facts of much impor- 

 tance, but it makes a splendid illustration 

 of how " doctors disagree " on questions 

 that seem as plain as the alphabet toothers. 



An Eye Opener. — One of our ex- 

 changes contains the following showing 

 that a poor honey crop may be a blessing in 

 disgui-ic : 



I think it is not hard to see that this poor 

 season may be a blessing ia disguise, and 

 may work for the good of our bu>infss. 

 Our large markets have sot overstocked 

 with honey, prices had been knopkeil down 

 by shipping honey into the already over- 

 stocked markets, until honey was selling at 

 ruinous prices. The Wiley lie was floating 

 over the country, that there were numerous 

 manufactories where bee-comb was manu- 

 factured ami tilled with ghicose syrup, and 

 sealed over with hot irons. The newspapers 

 wafted this story along, and thousands be- 

 lieved the story," although It was so incon- 

 sistent. 



This failure of honey from the flowers has 

 cleared out the honey markets so that com- 

 mission men have been calling loudly tor 

 honey, at good prices. Where are these 

 glucose manufactories all this time, that 

 they allow the markets to become so Ijare of 

 honev even at doubled-up prices ? This 

 ouaht to open the eyes of the comiuunity on 

 this subject, and strike a death-blow to that 

 infamous lie. 



sometime ago I commenced training my 

 bees to hold their breath as soon as they 



felt like stinging, thus preventing the sting, 

 and if you don't believe it, 1 have them 

 trained, and you can try it." 



well 



Klin^ciug- Uees. — A correspondent 

 from Iowa sends us the following dialogue 

 concerning educatin;» the bees to hold their 

 breath and thus suspend their slinging pro- 

 pensities. Here is the dialogue : 



" What have you found to be tlie best 

 remedy for a bee-sting '?" said the reporter. 



" Bee-sting ! I havn't had an oppor- 

 tunity to use a. remedy for years." 



" How then, Mr. Fogy, do you manage ; 

 or don't your bees sting ?" 



" Yes, my bees are capable of stinging, 

 but they have had good training. Ton prob- 

 ably have noticed in some of the bee litera- 

 ture of the day, a novel way of escaping 

 the sting of a bee by holding your breath." 



" Now that idea never occurred to me, but 



AlsUce Clover.— In the report of the 

 United States Botanist just issued, in the 

 report of the Commissioner of Agriculture, 

 a copy of which we liave received from N. 

 J. Coleman, Esq., we find the following on 

 page 304, conceruing the history, develop- 

 ment and characteristics of Alsike clover, 

 which will interest our readers : # 



This differs from common red clover in 

 being later, taller, more slender and succu- 

 lent. The flower heads are upon long pedi- 



Alsike Clover Bloom. 



eels, and are intermediate in size and color 

 between tliose of white and red clover. Its 

 botanical name was so given from its being 

 supposed by Linnaeus to be a hybrid be- 

 twet-n those clovers, but it is now known to 

 be a distinct species. It is found native 

 over a large part of Europe, and wai first 

 cultivated in Sweden, deriving its common 

 name from the village of Syke in that coun- 

 try. In 1834 it was taken to England, and 

 in 185-1 to Germany, where it is largely 

 grown, not only for its excellent forage, but 

 also for its seed, which commands a liigli 

 price. In France it is little grown as yet, 

 and is frequently confounded with the less 

 productive TrifulUcni elcgans. 



The following is condensed from "Les 

 Prairies Artificielles," by Ed. Vianne, of 

 Paris: "Alsike does not attain its full 

 development under two or three years, and 

 should therefore be mixed with some other 

 plant for permanent meadows. It is best 

 adapted to cool, damp, calcareous soil, and 

 aives good results upon reclaimed marshes. 

 It is adapted neither to very dry soils, nor 

 to those where there is stagnant water. 

 Being of slender growth, rye-grass, rye, or 

 oats, are often sown with it, when it is to 

 be mowed. In fertile ground weeds are apt 

 to diminish the >ield after a few years, so 

 that it requires to be broken up. It is gen- 

 erally sown in May, at the rate of to 7 

 pounds of the clean seed per acre. Some- 

 times it is sown in the puds at the rate of .50 

 to 100 pounds per acre, either in spring or in 

 autumn after the cereals are harvested. 



"Alsike sprouts but little after cutting, 

 and therefore produces but one crop and 



one pasturage. The yield of seed Is usually 

 130 to 170 pounds per acre. The seed sep- 

 arates more easily from the pods than that 

 of ordinary clover, and as the heads easily 

 break off when dry, care is required in 

 harvesting. 



" It does not endure drouth as well as the 

 common red clover, but will grow on more 

 damp and heavy soils, and it is said that it 

 can be grown ou land which, through long 

 cultivation of the common clover, has be- 

 come ' clover sick.' " 



Abscontliug- Kivami. — I desire to 

 know the cause of a swarm of bees leaving. 

 It was a very large swarm, which I had 

 ti led to prevent swarming, by cutting out 

 queen-ceils. I examined each one of the 

 ten brood frames carefully, and cut out 

 eleven cells in different stages of construc- 

 tion. On the second day after this they 

 swarmed. I hived them and gave them a 

 frame of brood, and set the hive on the old 

 stand. They stayed uutil the next day, 

 when they came out, and, without alight- 

 ing, went straiaht to a tree al)out half a 

 mile away. They had built two larae pieces 

 of comb, one on eacli side of the frame of 

 brood, wliich contained a small quantity of 

 honey and some eggs. Can you give any 

 reason whv they left in this ungrateful 

 manner ? The frame of brood which I gave 

 them I took from a hive that liad swarmed 

 a few days before, and 1 thought perhaps 

 the unsealed larv» were too large.— L. B. 

 Post. 



[Tour bees had picked out their hollow 



tree, and got it cleaned out and already 

 fixed up for housekeeping before they 

 swarmed at all. Under such circumstances 

 you could not well induce them to give up 

 their project, especially if you let them re- 

 main on the old stand, and this is one very 

 good argument in favor of hiving at some 

 little distance from where the parent col- 

 ony stood. Where they pick out the loca- 

 tion before swarming, they are pretty sure 

 to move to it, sooner or later.— Gtcaniiigs.] 



For tlie SIxteentIt consecutive year 

 Chicago opened up its great Inter-State In- 

 dustrial Exposition, replete with the best 

 products of science, industry and art, on 

 Wednesday, Sept. .5, and will close Satur- 

 day, Oct. 20. The immense structure is 

 now laden to its fullest capacity with the 

 Huest and most magnificent exhibits ever 

 displayed ; from almost every quarter of 

 the civilized world, illustrating as it does 

 every avenue of human industry in its most 

 complete form, it is almost a nece-isity that 

 they who would keep abreast of our most 

 advanced ideas in both industrj'.science and 

 art, should not fail to visit this great Ex- 

 position. Every railroad and transportation 

 line running into the city have made re- 

 duced rates, and there is every indication 

 that a much larger attendance will follow 

 than any year that has preceded. 



Colored Posters for putting up over 

 honey exhibits at Fairs are quite attractive, 

 as well as useful. We have prepared .some 

 for the Bee Joi'UN'.vi., and will send two 

 or more free of cost to any one who will use 

 them, and try to get up a club. Sample 

 copies will be sent free upon application. 



