COMB FOUNDATION 
203 
was sown in this way, and turned under 
the following June for planting potatoes. 
SEEDING CRIMSON CLOVER WITH CORN. 
Some of the best crops of crimson clover 
at Medina have been secured by broad¬ 
casting the seed among early corn at about 
the time of the last cultivation. A rotary 
seed-sower was used, the operator sitting 
on horseback in order that the top of the 
corn might not interfere with the distribu¬ 
tion of the seed. The horse’s ears should 
be covered with small bags to prevent the 
entrance of the flying seed. Probably half 
of the crimson clover raised in this coun¬ 
try is sown among corn. Westgate says: 
“It is usually possible to make such a seed¬ 
ing, obtain a good growth during the fall 
and early 'spring, and mature a crop of 
hay in time for breaking up the land for 
another crop of corn. South of the lati¬ 
tude of central Delaware it is even possi¬ 
ble to mature a crop of clover seed in time 
for corn-planting. In this way it is pos¬ 
sible to grow a crop of corn each year, and 
at the same time steadily increase the fer¬ 
tility of the soil for a series of years. 
Treated in this manner each succeeding 
crop of corn can ordinarily be materially 
increased. Instances are reported where 
the yield of com has been gradually in¬ 
creased by this means from 10 bushels per 
acre at the start until as high as 70 bushels 
per acre were secured.” 
PLOUGHING UNDER TO IMPROVE THE SOIL. 
It has been estimated by an experiment 
station that a good stand of crimson clover 
ploughed under while in bloom is equiva¬ 
lent to 10 tons per acre of the best stable 
manure. As it blooms so early, it may be 
ploughed under for most crops. It is also 
an excellent cover crop for orchards, and 
is a good green feed for poultry in win¬ 
ter. Were it not for the danger of win¬ 
terkilling, it would probably be much more 
widely cultivated. 
THE QUALITY OF CRIMSON CLOVER HONEY. 
The quality of the honey from crimson 
clover is said to rank fairly well with that 
of any other clover. In fact, the honey 
from any of the clovers is good. There is so 
little crimson clover grown, comparatively, 
that a strictly crimson clover honey is un¬ 
known in the market. What little is pro¬ 
duced is probably mixed with that of other 
clovers. In any case it would not impair 
the quality of the honey from any other 
source. 
On the culture of crimson clover see 
“Crimson Clover: Growing the Crop,” by 
J. M. Westgate, Farmers’ Bulletin 550. 
COLOR OF HONEY.— See Honey and 
its Color. 
COMB FOUNDATION.— The invention 
of the movable frame by Langstroth; the 
honey-extractor by Hruschka; the bellows 
smoker by Quinby, and last, but not least, 
comb foundation by Mehring, made it pos¬ 
sible. to keep bees on a commercial scale 
never b* fore attempted. 
Comb foundation is just what its name 
signifies. It is the base, midrib, or foun-. 
dation of honeycomb without the super¬ 
structure of the cells. If a piece of comb 
be taken and sliced down on both sides 
nearly to the bottom of the cells, there 
will be found the foundation of the comb, 
with initial cell walls, and hence the name. 
The comb foundation of commerce is much 
the same thing except that it is artificial, 
made of pure beeswax, with walls enough 
heavier so that the bees can use the sur¬ 
plus in drawing out and extending the 
cells into completed comb. 
Comb foundation is made by pass'ng a 
thin sheet , of pure beeswax between a set 
of rolls or dies, the surfaces of which have 
been stamped or engraved in such a way as 
to give the imprint of the natural base of 
the honeycomb itself. The invention or 
discovery, rather, lay in the fact that the 
bees would utilize this article made by 
man, and change it into perfect comb in¬ 
side of 24 or 48 hours when honey is com¬ 
ing in at a good rate. 
THE HISTORY OF THE INVENTION OF COMB 
FOUNDATION. 
To J. Mehring of Frankenthal, Ger¬ 
many. is accorded the credit of having in¬ 
vented comb foundation in 1857: but his 
product Avas very crude, having only the 
indentation of the bottoms of the cells 
with no cell Avails. In 1861 Samuel Wag¬ 
ner, the first editor of the American Bee 
Journal, improved the foundation of 
Mehring by adding shallow cell walls. 
This, besides giving the bees wax to build 
