1877. 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



.S23 



CLOVBSL. [Trifolium). The most im- 

 l)Ortant of the Clovers, commou White Clo- 

 ver {IVifoUmn liepcns), which everybody 

 knows, is perhuiis at the liead of the entire 

 list of lioney producing plants. We could 

 better spare any of the rest, and I might al- 

 most say all the rest, than our White Clover 

 that grows so plentifully as to be almost un- 

 noticed, almost everywhere. But little ef- 

 fort has been made to raise it from the seed, 

 because of the difficulty of collecting and 

 saving it. 



There is a large variety known as White 

 Dutch Clover, that is sold by our seedsmen, 

 to some extent. I have not been able to 

 gatlier whether it is superior to tlie common. 

 The connnon Red Clover — T, i^ratense — 

 yields honey largely some seasons, but not 

 as generally as does the white, nor do the 

 bees work on it for as long a period. While 

 working on Red Clover, the bees bring in 

 small loads of a peculiar dark green pollen, 

 and by observing this, we can usually tell 

 when they are bringing in Red Clover 

 honey. The Italians will often do finely on 

 Red Clover, while the common black bees 

 will not even so much as notice it. The 

 general cultivation is much like that of al- 

 siKE CLOVER, which sec, but the safest way 

 for a beginner, is to consult some good farm- 

 er in his own nt igjiborhood, as different lo- 

 calities require slightly different treatment. 

 The same will apply to saving the seed, 

 which can hardly be saved profitably, with- 

 out the use of a clover huller, made especi- 

 ally for the puii^ose. 



While most pereons seem to tire, in time, 

 of almost any one kind of honey, that from 

 Clover, seems to '' wear" like bread, butter 

 and potatoes ; for it is the great staple in 

 the markets, and where one can recommend 

 his honey as being pure W^hite Clover, he 

 has said about all he can for it. 



There are quite a number of other clover's 

 t-uch as Lucerne, white and yellow Trefoil, 

 Alfalfa. Esparcette &c., but none have been 

 sufficiently tested to warrant recommending 

 them much. Strong statements are made 

 in regard to the value of white and yellow 

 Sweet Clovers, and the former under the 

 name of Mellilotus Leucantha was quite ex- 

 tensively sold some yeai-s ago. " From the 

 fact that those who invested in it gradually 

 dropped it, I would not advise investing 

 much money in it to connnence with. 

 SWEET CLOVER, [3feUiJoUw ulha or 3MUJot), 

 has some valuable traits, as standing frost, 

 and drouth, but many times and seasons, 

 the bees will haixlly notice it at all. The 



statement has been made that an acre i will 

 support 20 colonies of bees, and afford from 

 ,500 to 1000 lbs of lioney. Such statements 

 are usually made by those ollerin^ the seeds 

 for sale, and although they may beliouestly 

 given, I think they should be received with 

 due allowance ; about 4 lbs of seed are need- 

 ed for an acre, sow like alsike. It will grow 

 on almost any ban-en hillside, but it is a 

 bad weed to exterminate ; if however, it is 

 mown down to prevent seeding, the roots 

 will soon die out. 



CCZMEB T0TJTSJi>A.T10I<I. Since the 

 introduction of this fdn, within the past few 

 years, many difficult points have been solved 

 completely; such as how to insm-e strait 

 combs, how to insure all worker comb or all 

 drone comb, as the case may be, and how to 

 furnish the bees with the wax they need 

 without being obliged to secrete it by the 

 consumption of honey. It is so simple a 

 matter to make a practical test of it by 

 hanging a piece in a hive wiien honey is 

 coming in, that I think I may be excused 

 from describing the way in which the bees 

 use it, at any great length. Neither will it 

 be needful to dwell on the successive steps 

 by which it was discovered, and brought to 

 its present state of perfection. The first 

 mention we have of wax foundations that 

 were accepted by the bees, was published in 

 the Gennan Bee-Jounial as far back as 1857. 

 Mr. J. Mehring, of Erankinthal, Germany, 

 if I am correct, seems to have been the 

 original inventor. For nearly 20 years, the 

 matter seems to have slumbered, although 

 different ones at different times, among 

 whom was our friend Wagner, took it up, 

 made some improvements, and dropped it 

 again. The sheets made in both England 

 and Gemiany, had'no sidq, walls, but simply 

 indentations. Mr. Wagner added shallow 

 side walls, making it much more like nat- 

 m-al comb. Until recently, it was all made 

 with a pair of plates, but it did not require 

 much wisdom to decide that such an article 

 if wanted in large quantities, should be rol- 

 led out by machinery. In the latter part of 

 1875 I talked with a friend, who is quite an 

 artist in the way of fine mechanical work 

 and machinery, and told him what I thought 

 was wanted. Tlie result was that he made 

 a machine for me, of wiiich I submit the en- 

 graving below, that would roll out a con- 

 tinous sheet, with very fair side walls of 

 wax, and perhaps superior to any thing be- 

 fore made. Since then he has made ma- 

 chines for, not only many parties in our own 

 country, but they have also been sent to 



