The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1870-09-29
FARM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.
| Bees Storing POiIcn-The Honey Sea-

Bees Storing PoiIen-The Honey Sea-
son.
AS the present season has been, OF least
IN THIS vicinity, an unusual one for bees, /
thought few notes from this section
would not be uninteresting to many of
your readers. The early part of the sea-
son was an extraordinary good one for stor-
ing honey; the hives were we'll filled with
brood, and the latter part of May began
to make artificial swarIne, and also alloy ed
some ma 'ural s2arming. A good start was
nade IN the honey boxes, and everything
was favorable for q large yield Of honey
AT about this time the drouth began to
tell upon the flowers; honey was scarce
brood less abundant-unt when the LIST of
July came, some, in fact most Of the hives
had but very little brood. The bees seemed
TO be gradually growing less in numbers
Buckwheat began to bloom about the first
Oh August, when expected a good yield
OF honey, but instead, the bees gradually
left the boxes and seemed to be doing but
little. This was the case particularly with
my artificial swarms, but my natural
swarms were doing pretty well, and few
OF the earliest were storing honey rapidly.
During the dry weather / had noticed the
bees seemed to be storing large quantities
OF pollen; and few days ago it occurred to
me that the combs might be filled with pol
len SO as TO interfere with the rearing of
brood. | gave my hives thorough over
hauling, and found that my artificial
swarnis-which were made by filing an
empty hive with frames of brood-w were
suffering, as [ conjectured-m frames
OF comb being almost entirely filled with
pollen, weighing six or seven pounds, with
probably one pound of honey, but that the
natural sSarms were not suffering from the
same cause.
Itried various plans to remove the pollen
without suce.,- SIS. l then took the frames
ont entirely, one or two at time, from a
hive, placing empty ones in their places
and l found upon examination, lately, that
the bees are filing the frames with comb
and brood, and L am in hopes that they
will recover SO as to go through the winter
well, but do not expect any surplus honey
from them this season. ~ ...
Cannot there be some way devised to re-
move the pollen from comb. for it is pity
to destroy SO much straight worker comb,
but ut present see no other alternative.
Will not some one who has honey ex-
tractor see if the pollen cannot be softened
by some means, SO that it can be thrown
out in the extra ctor?
| attribute the cause of the above trouble
with my artificial swarms to be that the
frames Of comb used in making them con-
tanned considerable pollen. and the swarm
being supplied with queen cell instead of
| fertile queen, several days elapsed before
they had laying queen, during which time
the bees stored some pollen in most of the
cells. But little brood being raised the
pollen was not consumed, but gradually
accumulated. Had fertile queen been
given the swarms when made, and care
taken to reject comb containing much pol
len, believe the result would have been
better.
Also, believe / should have taken ont
aU frames, early in the season, that had too
much pollen, and in their place would
have had frames filled with brood weeks
some experienced apiarian who has been
troubled in similar manner. 3,
MONROE Co., Wis, Aug. %, 1870. ..
ALsIKE CLOVER. Tho Canada Farmer
says:
The quantity of seed required per acre
is five pounds, when sown clear; and about
half that amount when sown with thu
othy.
1t should be sown III spring with wheat
or barley, in precisely the same manner as
red clover. ..r
When allowed to ripen its seed, it cannot
be cut more than once in q season, as it
bears its seed with the first blossom In
each year; but if it is grown for a hay crop,
it can be eat again in the fall, and Will
yield nice lot Of fine hay for calves and
sheep.
Its effect on the ground is nearly the
same as that of ordinary red clover, and
peri APPS is still more psralleied by the
small white clover
The most prominent advantages of the
Alsike clover over the common red variety,
are that it does not hoave out OF the ground
in the spring with the frost, and conse-
quently it can be sewn On damp ground
with good results. 1t makes finer and bet
ter hay, for the stalks are not SO thick and
woody as those Of red clover 1t yields
about one-third more seed to the acre, and
when thrcshed the hay makes excellent
feed for calves and sheep. Among it's dis
advantages may be reckoned its ranL
growth, rendering it liable to be lodged.