624 
MUSTARD 
anything on top of them, thus shutting off 
the ventilation; that bees are perishable 
property, and should be moved without de¬ 
lay, and that on arrival at destination the 
Three-frame nucleus shipping boxes filled with 
bees. The screen tops (with the convenient cross¬ 
rail for a handle) are secured to the nucleus box 
proper with two screws at each end. Such boxes 
are very handy for moving bees, either for ship¬ 
ping or carrying from one part of the yard to 
the other. They are also very handy for carrying 
combs. 
owner should be informed by telephone or 
messenger. For moving or shipping bees 
without combs, see Shipping Bees, also 
Beginning with Bees. 
MUSTARD (Brassica arvensis ).—Wild 
mustard, or charlock, belongs to the same 
family (Cruciferae) as the turnip, cab¬ 
bage, radish, and rape, all of which secrete 
nectar while in bloom. Introduced from 
Europe it has become naturalized over all 
the United. States, and is often very abund¬ 
ant in grain fields, where it sometimes pre¬ 
sents an almost unbroken expanse of yel¬ 
low. • Almost equally common is the black 
mustard (B. nigra), which flourishes every¬ 
where in waste places. 
Many species of the mustard family are 
extensively cultivated for seed, and in the 
vicinity of large acreages of any of these 
plants, it would doubtless be profitable to 
establish apiaries. But unless the crop of 
seed will pay the expense of cultivation, it 
would not be advisable for beekeepers to 
plant any of the mustards for honey alone. 
The seed should be sown very early in 
the spring, either in shallow drills so far 
apart that the cultivator can be used be¬ 
tween them, or broadcast. The former 
plan is, of course, the better one for nearly 
all honey plants, but it is more trouble. 
From 6 to 10 lbs. per acre will be needed, 
sown in drills, and from 15 to 20 when 
sown broadcast. If the seed is to be saved 
it should be sown not later than July 1. 
Two kinds of mustard—the English yel¬ 
low and the Trieste or red—are extensively 
cultivated in the Lompoc Valley, Califor¬ 
nia. The latter comes from Austria, and 
gets its name from a town in that country 
where it is grown on a large scale. From 
this crop alone in a single year the farmers 
of this valley have realized a quarter of a 
million dollars. The average yield per 
acre is from 800 to 1,000 pounds. The 
average price of seed is 3 cents per pound, 
tho as much as 8 cents has been obtained. 
The cultivation of mustard in the Lom¬ 
poc Valley, says E. A. Oates, is easy and 
inexpensive; but it must be grown in rota¬ 
tion with other crops, as it will not pro¬ 
duce bountifully two years in succession on 
the same land. When a majority of the 
pods are ripe it is ready for the reaper, 
and should be cut early in the morning or 
late in the afternoon, when there is mois¬ 
ture in the air to prevent the seed from 
shelling out of the pods. 
The bees work alike on both the yellow 
and red varieties, indicating there is no dif¬ 
ference in the amount of nectar secreted. 
The period of flowering lasts about a 
month; and where the sowings are made 
at different intervals it can be prolonged 
for a period of ten weeks. The honey is 
mild in flavor and light in color, and com¬ 
mands the same price as sage. Tho not as 
heavy-bodied as alfalfa, it has the same 
tendency to candy quickly. It may candy 
in the tank in four or five days, but this 
may be prevented by using a tank with a 
glass top, protected by a wooden shutter, 
which is removable at will, exposing the 
honey to the sunlight. 
When sage is in bloom, bees appear to 
prefer its nectar to that of mustard. When 
it is not necessary, it has been observed by 
