128 THE BEEKEEPERS' REVIEW 



gravelly soil, in dry washes next to the river, where nothing else 

 will grow well. It comes up on ground that has been burned over. 

 It is a triennial, then dies. The plant somewhat resembles the 

 Alfalfa, but the leaves are smaller and of a lighter shade of green. 

 It is worthless as a foliage plant, as the stalks, though fine, are 

 tough and woody. Where it has water, it grows the year 'round, 

 but where it is dependent on the rainfall, it dries up and drops its 

 leaves about the first of July after maturing its seed crop. Then 

 the stalks change in color from green to a reddish tint. It is this 

 plant that gives the hue to wide areas of our plains and hills at 

 this season of the year." (We find that the plant sent us is the 

 "Lotus Glaber" that is called Wild Alfalfa, also Deer Clover, also 

 Wild Broom (Greene). It is common everywhere in the foothills 

 of the coast ranges, southward to southern California. You will 

 find this briefly mentioned on page 360, of the last edition of The 

 ABC and X Y Z of Beekeeping, friend Lefler. For the different 

 local names I am indebteded to Mr. P. L. Ricker, Assistant Botanist 

 of the Bureau of Plant Industry, Washington, D. C.) E. G. B. 



A Misunderstanding 



The closing line of our editorial on page 406, November issue 

 Review, it seems, is misunderstood by one reader, at least. We 

 are in receipt of a letter from Mr. Ernest Skelter, of Clare, Mich., 

 which makes us fear he has also misunderstood our whole atti- 

 tude in that article, which referred to "Maeterlink as a Farmhand." 

 Mr. Skelter concludes that the expression "The War God" means 

 the Kaiser. Nothing of the kind, friend Skelter. We mean "Mars, 

 the God of War," war personified. If you will read the article over 

 again, you will see that there is no attitude of judgment, one way 

 or the other, on the terrible war now raging, no censure or com- 

 mendation, only a deploring of war's horrors; and that all must 

 deplore. We might state further, for fear that others may have 

 been inferring wrongly about our attitude from a misunderstand- 

 ing similar to our friend just named, that we have studied German 

 since a boy, have taught German for several years, have studied 

 German at Heidelburg and Goetingen, Germany, and that my "help- 

 meet," the heart of our home, is German and speaks excellent 

 "Deutsch." And we often speak German in our home talk. Now, 

 friend Skelter, do you think I would likely say anything to "hurt 

 the feelings of any German" ? Guess again ! But we are not dis- 

 cussing the war situation in a Bee Magazine, one way or the other. 

 — E. G. B. 



