The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1879-05-15
TOPICS FOB THE FARM.
Provide Honey Plants for Period,

Provide Honey Plants for Periods Of
Scarcity-Therei isa period after white
clover and bass-wood flowers have dis
appeared, from about the middle of
July till some time in August, when
bee pasturage becomes very scarce.
This is particularly the case in dry sea-
SONS and in districts not favored with
honey plants.
The beginner in bee-keeping may not
be aware of this fact, or of the disad-
vantages that follow; we therefore offer
few suggestions as to how these may
best be Obviated. Whenever bees are
compelled to live on reduced rations,
the activity of the colony falls off. The
queen stops laying, and the rearing of
Young bees consequently can not 20 on.
But the breeding should, under all cir
cumstances, be stimulated at that sea-
son, so as to have a large army to gather
honey from the fall flowers, and to make
the colony strong for wintering. Bee
keepers, therefore, during this period of
scarcity either feed back part of the
honey gathered earlier in the season, or
supply the needed pasturage by cultiva-
ting plants that will furnish contin-
uous bloom.
Feeding does we'll enough: but it is
not the normal state of bees to require
feeding. They are active, independent
creatures that can be in perfectly
thrifty condition, and perfectly happy
if we may use the expression-Only
when they gather nectar from the stores
of nature. And, besides, feeding causes
some trouble and a loss of honey which
they have spent time and work in gath
ering and the bee-keeper in extracting.
The best plan is, therefore, to provide a
pasturage to carry them through periods
of scarcity. There is large number of
honey-producing plants that might be
cultivated for this purpose, many of
which we have tried we shall, however,
recommend only those we consider to be
most valuable.
These are Mignonette, several mem
bers of the Mint Family and the
| Crucifer@. Mignonette, Reseda ador-
| ota, is probably the best one of all, on
account of its furnishing a continuous
| bloom from June until checked by the
autumn frosts. it is very profuse in its
yield OF nectar, and has the additional
quality of perfuming the air most deli
ciously2 over large area. Next in
value we should put the members of the
Mint Family, and of these especially
Catnip, Nepeta Cdtaria, and Motherwort,
L.onu,us Cardiaca. These do not bloom
SO long as the Mignonette, but while
they last they are perhaps richer in
nectar than the latter. We have seen
no plant so frequented by bees as
the Motherwort, and that at all times,
wet and dry. The cruciferous plants,
Mustard and Rape, are also good. Rape
blooms the earlier, and as it is in flower
in about four weeks from the seed, it
can be made to furnish continuous
pasturage from June till frost. Seeds
of these should be sown near the
apiary, on patch varying in size with
the number of colonies, from few
square rods to one acre. Prepare the
land we'll and SOW them all in rows
Mignonette about seven inches apart
the Mints and Rape nine inches, and
tall Mustard eighteen inches apart
Catnip and Motherwort are perennial
There are but few flowers to bridge
the period from fruit blossoms to
white cioyar. The Honey Locust
blooms then and also White Sage. The
latter might be cultivated without much
! trouble.
Sod Fences.-A Louisiana paper says
that Mr.. Joseph Jefferson has beer
fencing his orange grove plantation in
that State in a novel and effective way
He begins by erecting, for each side OF
his fence, sods three feet in width
divided into i've layers, at an angle Of
seventy-five degrees. The soil from be-
meath the sod exactly fills the space be
tween the erected sods, leaving three
foot ditch on each side. On the top oi
this sod-and. soil fence, which is foul
and half feet at the base and three feet
high, he plants cuttings of the Macart
ney rose, which are protected by &
panel of boards. This fence, while
within the reach of any man who viii
shoulder his spade and work, possesses
the advantages of an impossible barrier
of permanence, of not needing repairs
of drainage, and of being a most usefu
ornament. Mr.. Jefferson will soon have
inclosed section of his plantation con
tanning twentysix hundred acres, and a
one-half the cost of stake fence. 1t il
thought that this most economical anC
useful fence will ultimately be generally
adopted in the Southern States.
Illinois Crops.-A correspondent O
the Rural New Yorker in Northwestern
illinois writes: The acreage of spring
wheat will somewhat be diminished herr
this season, as the crop has not proved
profitable the past few years, having
been damaged by chinch bugs, rust, etc
1 think, too, there will be somewhat les.
barley and oats than usual. There will
be corresponding increase in meadow
and pasture lands, and about the usua
acreage of corn, potatoes, etc. The sue
cess attending the sowing of salt or
wheat land, in the vicinity of Rochelle
illinois, last season, encouraged Others
in that locality to try the experiment
this spring, as l am informed that 8
number of the farmers there have sowr
salt on their land-about one barrel ol
salt to one and half acres. 1t is claimed
that the salt has beneficial effect ir
stiffening the straw and preventing
damages from chinch bugs and rust
After harvest l shall let you know the
result. Winter wheat and rye have &
promising appearance in this section
The large amount of snow the past win
ter, and the uniformity of the weather
(there being but few sudden changes O.
alternate thawing and freezing), favored
the winter grain very much. Th'
acreage, however, of winter wheat il
Northern Illinois is not large. Tn,
number of acres in cultivation in 1878
of the different crops, in Ogle County
according to the estimate of the Stat,
Board of Agriculture, was as follows
Corn, 134,868; winter wheat, 1929
spring wheat, 40,427; oats, 63,377
meadow, 44,71S; pasture, 1897
orchard, 966. Acreage of other tielt
crops Tin 1870 6,676; woodland, 16, 129
improved lands, 415,839. The las
three items are from the Assessors re
turns for 1877.