Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1896-05-08

ED. STANDARD:
Having been solicited by number
OF Bookkeeping friends to say some
thing regarding forage or pasture for
bees, will submit the following, and
i'll order to lie fully understood in do
ing 50 l will first have TO call your at
tention to the first bloom that makes
its appearance in this section, which is
willow, usually in February and
March, from which the bees gather
considerable pollen and honey, thus
stimulating brood-rearing to the full
capacity of the colony, be it large or
small. So far very good, but should
there be several weeks OF inclement
weather when the bees cannot gather
pollen or honey, brood-rearing Of
course is discontinued only to be CON-
menced again when the fruit bloom is
on, provided the bees are permitted to
utilize it, and it 100 frequently occurs,
on accoun; of bad weather, that brood
rearing is again discontinued until
the white clover makes its appearance
(unless the apiarist has resorted to
stimu!atiye feeding, that is to give to
each colony about half pint of syrup
each evening", at which time the hive
is not so strongly populated as it
should be, and will necessarily have to !
rear brood, when they should be stor.
ing honey in the supers. AS all our
surplus honey is from the white clover,
the dry season is then soon on us and |
what can our bees do? Nothing. |
What can we do? Why great deal
The bee keepers should throw off that
mantle of selfishness, spend few
cents for seeds of some good honey
producing plants, that are known to
withstand our seasons, and scatter
them i'll the waste places and road sides.
They would not only furnish feed
for the little bees, but would also be
like benefit to cattle and horses, and
if every bee keeper would invest say
the small sum of 10 cents for each
colony of bees they have, for such
seeds, no doubt they would have the
assistance of large number of owners
of cows.
From the reports OF the different
ones who have tried it, would suggest
sweet clover as the right one TO plant,
and it may not be amiss to give few
extracts from such reports.
DIR. Miller, of Marengo, ILL.,, in trav.
cling through two counties saw places
for a mile at q stretch where sweet
clover was kept eaten down by the
cows.
Rev. f. T. Abbott, ST. Joe, Mo-,
says: al have been advocating the
great utility Of sweet clover these half
dozen years or more, and / am glad to ,
know some OF the rest of you are find
ing out what / have known a long
time"
Edwin Montgomery, Starkville,
Miss, says: sit will grow luxuriantly
during the most protractcd drouth,
due, of course, to the deep extension
of the tap root in the soil"
R. Miller, Compton, ILL.,, says: "An-
other year has proved to me that mel.
INV, VI S"CCt CloNCi, 10 tuc DeSI money |
plant in existence. Not l pound of
white clover honey in Lee county.
have plenty OF colonies that gave me
90 pounds OF sweet clover honey this
season, although We have had severe
drouth here" ,
M. NJ. Baldridge, St. Charles, Ill.,, =
says: "There are some farmers here
who contend that it will pay to grow
sweet clover as a regular farm crop .
for hogs and cows" {
Peter J. Schartz, Lemont, ILL.,, says:
Sweet clover comes in bloom about
the fret part OF June and blooms till
killed by frost. grows on any soil or in
stone piles. If bee keepers would SOW
IL they would not have to feed their
bees"
G. w. Stephenson, Western Springs,
ILL.,: 81 think we shall have to de-
pend mostly on sweet clover in this
part OF the country"
C. s. BURNETT.