L. JAMES.
Much has been written for the Journal about the value of this variety of clover for its yield of honey and hay. Such has not been my experience with it, sown on 19 acres of land, and extending over 11 years. In 1869 I bought some 38 pounds of the seed of Mr. Thomas, of Canada. The cost to me, of the seed, duty and express charges, was $18. Having 9 acres of ground planted with apple trees that had been bearing for some time, and wishing to seed it down to grass I had the ground well prepared for the reception of the seed, and a good rain fell just after it was brushed in; it came up nicely, and as there was favorable rains all through the summer it grew finely. The following season it grew in length of stem and quantity of bloom far beyond my expectation, and when in its full bloom it was a beautiful sight, resembling an ocean of blossoms, and as I looked upon it, you may rely upon it my calculations of boxes of nice alsike clover honey loomed up in large proportions, but like many another calculation based upon what our bees are going to do, it was all in fancy and I was doomed to disappointment.
Day after day their flight was just in the opposite direction, with only here and there a bee to be seen on it. There was a body of timber ¾ of a mile distant in the direction they were flying with pastures well set in white clover between this timber and the apiary, and I supposed the white clover pastures was the source of honey supply. This state of things continued for some time, and seeing a bee-man pass by that lived in the timber I inquired how his bees were getting along. He replied they were doing finely as they ought to, for he had never seen heavier honey dews. That was the secret, and soon my boxes began to show evidence of the dark stuff being put into them, instead of alsike honey. Fortunately for me, before much of it was stored in the boxes, some heavy dashing rains washed it from the leaves and there was no more of the dew for them to gather. The alsike and white clover were in bloom for some time after this, but for some cause the bees paid but little attention to it, and I was vexed to see the promise of a rich return for my expenditure frustrated. I took it for granted that the season was not congenial for its production of honey, as I knew the same to be the case with white clover, as it was last summer. After this at different times I sowed 2 other orchards of 5 acres each with alsike, neither of which did as well as the first piece sown, want of timely rains, &c., being the cause, but by continuous sowing I succeeded in having them tolerably well set with it.
Receiving no perceptible benefit from it, commensurate with its trouble and expense, I have for some time been satisfied that in central Illinois where our white clover is so abundantly furnished in our pastures and road sides, without any expense, and hardy at that, it is time and money put to a poor use.
As a hay producing plant it amounts to but little after the first season, as it becomes dwarfed in habit, and, I believe, will eventually be but little larger in growth under like circumstances than the white variety. The white clover is the honey plant for our latitude, and I presume the alsike for Sweden, from whence it came, and corresponding latitudes. After having had 11 years’ experience with it I think it unworthy of attention from bee-men, either for honey or hay; at least where the hardy white clover comes spontaneously to our hands.
There is one thing I ought not to omit, in sowing this Canadian seed I introduced a kind of cockle (different from any I have seen in Penn. or Ohio) that holds its own much better than the clover, and I begin to think it will be a standing pest difficult to get rid of.
Atlanta, Ill.
Read before the N. E. Convention.
The Supply and Queen Trade.
A. B. WEED.
This is a subject, I believe, of interest to all who are engaged in apiculture, either as bee-keepers, supply dealers or queen breeders, and is growing as the business extends.
The supply business seems as yet to be in a crude state, and prices lack uniformity. In many cases we find needless “cutting” of prices. It may be said that this is a good thing for buyers; but I believe that the opposite is the case, for the inevitable result of unreasonably low prices is inferior goods. When prices are so lowered that there is no margin left for profit, the trade will not be supported with the enterprise which is necessary to stimulate improvements or inventions, or even to put the business on a good footing. The character of the business can best be maintained if the energy of manufacturers is directed to the perfecting of goods rather than the cheapening of them. Good tools are necessary in any pursuit, and seem to be associated with a thrifty business; in fact, the prosperity of a business is largely dependent upon the means at hand of carrying it on. If one tool is better than another—even if the difference is slight—it is worth very much more, for the benefit of the difference is felt every time that it is used. A good thing may be a source of profit, and a poor one of loss. The best is always the cheapest.
There is one respect in which the business is in a better condition than many others, and that is, that there is but very little credit given. This is an advantage to both parties, for the seller loses nothing through bad debts, and the prompt buyer does not have to pay for the losses caused by the careless or dishonest ones.
It is quite common among supply dealers to guarantee safe arrival of goods. This condition of sale is unnecessary, as the express receipt is sufficient, and in case of injury or loss the fact is more readily proven and damages more easily collected than could be from some dealers. It is unreasonable to expect the dealer to be responsible for goods after they have left his hands, especially when the consignee can adjust any difficulty more easily at his end of the line; this is the customary rule in business. When articles are sent by mail the buyer can protect himself against loss by having the article registered; but the precaution is almost unnecessary, as it is very rarely that anything is lost in the mails. Of course the sender is required to use necessary care in packing; with most shippers this is a point of pride.
The traffic in queens seems to be closely allied to the supply business—at least so I have found it—for as the bee-keeper begins to feel the need of good tools he sees the advantage of good stock as well; and he naturally looks in the same direction for both. I believe that I express the opinion of the best queen breeders when I say that it is much more satisfactory to sell a good queen at a correspondingly good price—even if the profit is no greater in proportion—than a cheap and poor one, for the reason that a queen, wherever she goes, will represent the stock from which she came. And I believe, too, that I speak the opinion of all observing apiarists when I say that it pays infinitely better to keep good queens than poor ones. Thus it is that good queens at good prices are more profitable to both parties. Some of the best apiarists have discontinued selling any queens that are not possessed of a high degree of merit, and send out only those which are thoroughly tested and found to be good. In return they receive a suitable price from appreciative customers. This is notably the case in localities where honey raising is an established business, and the value of good stock is therefore understood. It is now almost universally held by apiarists that if good queens are to be obtained they must be raised under favorable conditions. It is freely admitted that to bring about these conditions requires a large outlay of time and thought, as well as money. This especially is the case when queens are to be reared out of season.
The cost of rearing queens will decide their price, for of course they will not be sold at prices which do not pay for rearing and a reasonable profit besides. If buyers insist on having cheap queens, they will get them, but their value will be found to correspond with their price. The one-price rule, which is applied to queens throughout the country, has the effect of causing many poor ones to be sold at fair prices, which really should be killed. It has the tendency to discourage the rearing of very superior ones, for as a rule, a thing is no better than its price. When they are all sold at a uniform price it is to be expected they will be nearly alike in merit, as there is no special inducement for the breeder to improve his stock. The uniformity of price probably originated in the supposition that all queens are equally good, whereas experience proves the opposite to be true. A queen that lays even a few more eggs daily than another is much more valuable, for the extra number of eggs will be multiplied by the number of days that she is kept. This difference alone, so often repeated, will in time amount to more than the price of the queen. A poor queen is kept at a corresponding loss, although both may have sold at the same price. There are such things as plus and minus outside of algebra. The buying of queens at present has some resemblance to a lottery. They should be graded—at least so far as this is possible—and priced accordingly.
Combinations for the maintenance of artificial prices are impracticable and undesirable. I would only submit that prices be based upon cost of production and a reasonable profit.
Detroit, Mich.