Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1859-10-01
NEW AND CHEAP FOOD FOR BEES,

It is stated in the London Gardener s Chron-
icle that a correspondent of that paper has
long been in the habit of supplying the Lon
don shops with fresh honey in the comb, all
the year round. In the hardest Winter his
supply was equal to the finest Summer How
he succeeded in this was a mystery. ltfinal-
ly came to light that he fed his bees, in the
absensce of flowers, on a solution of the oil
cake made from the seeds of the Bene plant
(Sesamum 0rientuie.) Indeed he would boast
that he wanted no flowers for his bees
The Sesamum 0rientale or Bene, is cultivat-
ed in various parts of the world both as food
and for oil. The oil remains sweet for a long
time and is sometimes used as substitute
for sweet OIL In China and Cochin China it
is used as a substitute for butter, in preparing
the various dishes. II is cultivated to a CON
siderable extent in several of the Southern
States. II is sown in drills about four feet
apart, in the month of April, and the seeds
are gathered in September it yields large
proportion Of oil, which is expressed in the
same way as inseed oil. II grows much like
cotton from three to six feet high, and bears
numerous square seed pods, about an inch
and half long.
The Sesamum cake is extensively used in
France for manure, and is most valuable for
all growing crops. Should the Sesamum
prove as valuable for bees as the statements
seem to claim fer it, it would warrant the inn
portation ofthc oil cake from England and
France for that purpose. But we would adj
wise some experiments for this purpose before
much expense was incurred in that way.
The Flora DDS Series relates the discovery
of the value of the cakefor feeding bees, from
the following circumstance: Two bee-masters
in village in the department of Var, in the
South Of France, were in the habit of winter
ing their hives IN the forests of Madelieu.
When uncovering the hives, heapiarians per-
ceved about noon, on May 4th 1886, that
their bees were out, and yet the hives Were
full, and of extraordinary weight for the time
of the year. Surprised at the circumstance
and wondering what the bees could be at
they remained on the watch till evening
About six o'clock the bees began to- return,
loaded with an incredible quantity ofthe rich
est plumber so heavy, indeed We're theii
hurthens, that the least experienced observer
could not fail to notice it. Astonished al
such an event, the bee-masters proceeded Il
examine the fields and mountains in the neigh
borhooh but in vain; they discovered moth
ing in the country around them at all differen
from preceding years. AT last they crosse'
field in which the oil-cake, resulting fron
the pressure of Sesamunl seed, was being pre-
pared for putting into the ground with potato
sets. as is the custom in that country, wher
The cakes had been STEPPED in pit of waite
till they We're reduced to state of liqui'
paste, for it is thus that cakes are used will
the most success at Mandelieu. "Oholn sail
the farmer who was planting the potatoes, Of
seeing the apiarians, ''you are coming to Sc
how we make bee-soup. Look there, erer.
day for some time past we have been overrul
with your swarms, and they feast famously
they take their fill, assure you" On re
turning to the same place next morning, TIL
mountaineers were convinced Of the truth o
what the farmer had said for there were TIN
bees in prodigious numbers, buzzing abou
the tub, AMI feasting on the sesamum calS
which ii contained.
The bee-masters from Mandeleu took tn
hint They Immediately placed near their hive
some large tubs, flied with Sesamum cake
dissolved in water to the consistency oil pap
The bees no longer wandered from home; tn
tubs were kept regularly filled with soup,
as the farmer called it, and the bees staid a
home. The foJd has since been given il
Winter with perfect success, only, if tn
weather Is frosty, it is necessary to use war;
water, in order to keep the Sesamum cake sol
ube The results have been astonishing, no
only in Il large increase of honey comb Blu
in enabling the bees TO increase beyond al
belief nearly ten times the quantity boin
bred in consequence Of the facility afforded c
obtaining abundant and, as it would seen
excellent nourishlnent, from this unexpecte
source.