To be successful all should study the science, read good books on the subject, learn by close practical observation, read the periodicals of our wide awake bee-men, among which there is none better than the AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Energy and perseverance alone will succeed even in the “sunlit clime” of Texas. Without these, all will just as surely retrograde.
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.