Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1894-11-23
OIL HONEY MAKERS.
THE GREAT OBJECT TO SUPPLY
HONEY PLANTS
The Italian Bee Strongly RecOm-
mcnded- white clover for Forage
The Value Of Suck ~ heat Com
sidercd Future Profits Assured
with Intelligent Endeavor.

To THE EDITOR:
SlR-Will you kindly allow me to
call the attention OF those OF your
readers who keep bees, to the fact that
now is the accepted time to do some
all-important work, if they want any
honey in the coming years. a few
days labor, few dollars judiciously
expend, d now, will lie returned by the
blessed bees in the near future a hun
drediold. We are eating California
honey, although there are bees enough
in this county to supply all the de-
mand, if they were of the imported
Italian stock and properly cared for.
This county will never export any
honey until our people get the nova.
ble-frame hive and the Italians, and
then give the necessary care to the in
dustry. There is no great success to
be obtained without labor
The very best honey-plant in the
world is the common white clover.
There is no better place to grow it
than here. There is no trouble in
wintering bees here. Therefore, a
good honey crop is an assured fact.
In one year, all our present stock of
black native, or hybrid bees, can be
replaced by Italians. Then even by
the old slow process Of natural swarm
ing, the next year, we should increase
to three times our present number,
and export from this county at least
800 tons of honey. You need not eX-
pect one ounce more honey next year,
nor any good healthy swarms more
than last year, unless you Italianize,
and SOW plentifully of good honey
plant seed.
Allen, of Michigan, had 81 swarms
of Italians. He gave to his neighbors
$35 worth Of Japanese buckwheat to
SOW. He gathered 1000 pounds OF
honey from buckwheat and fall flow
ers. This buckwheat is worth 5 cents
per pound, and is unexcelled i'll quail
ity or quantity of flour. 1t is an an
nual, whereas white clover will spread
and last for years. White clover will
grow in these woods. White clover
will grow anywhere, whether you own
the land or not.
would gladly petition the County
Commissioners to SOW white clover on
lG and &c, the school sections. |
think Mr.. Osborne would engage in
that with the enthusiasm of young
convert, as soon as he collects the
taxes on the Olympia Hotel.
Mr.. Solbeck and Mr.. McLane are
about to get the movable frames, or
Langstroth hive, for all their colonies,
about 80 or 40, and we hope they may
decide to Italianize in the early spring
Our fruit bloom here will soon furnish
great amount of forage and our
people will soon see the importance Of
feeding little and building up each
colony strong in numbers, to gather it.,
as it comes early and lasts but a short
time.
We can never derive any benefit
from lucerne, alfalfa, alsike, or any
red clover, until We Italianize, and
build each colony up i'll numbers
about twice as strong as they have
been kept heretofore. Then after
proper attention to sowing forage, or
honey-plant seed, we shall be able to
take as many pounds of extracted
honey, as Root, or Newman, or Cook,
or Doolittle, or any man in any East
ern State, where they are now report
ing from 200 to 500 pounds to each
colony for the past season.
Yonrs truly,
j. w. ROBERTSON.
FRUITDALE. Wash, Nov. 90, 1894.