Show BEE CULTURE our oar unrivalled facilities for it agricultural items PAYSON june 12 1887 editor deseret news devos in a former letter we referred incidentally dentally to the cie culture of bees this should be and we are convinced it can be made one of the leading industries of the territory yet is a painful fact that in some locations scores of hives have lied died masy from disease but some without doubt from istarra tion it is not two weeks since the writer ran across an old apiarist feeding his bees ees amid the flowers of may inah bt the fact a is very little honey is drawn from the orchard bloom or flower garden while a missionary in the alle aghany mountains which as all kno know w who have visited them are a perfect floral garden the writer was struck by the ABSENCE OF BEES on the grounds of many well to do lar farmers mers in urging the value of the apiary as an auxiliary to agriculture he often took occasion to illustrate his argument by referring to the fact that even in the dry arid and region of utah it wa was 8 not an unusual thing for a single stand to make pounds of honey during one season that they always expressed surprise could not but surprise the writer in view of their surroundings roun dings if they got fifty pounds of honey from a stand they considered it was an unusually good seas season 91 in fact it often happened that in order to get any honey at all it was necessary to kill kih the hive and this was often done rel reliance lance being placed on a bee hunters luck for stands the next spring from this difference in the relative production of the two places it must be inferred that there is something for bees to feed upon here that is not found there and also that this something is more honey producing than anything else now this his something is the lucern and sweet clover bloom if bees could always have this tp to feed upon no industry would be more profitable fi but before the lucern is ip in tull lull bloom it is mowed down so that there is at least only two weeks before each cutting tor for them to work upon it except where it is allowed to go to seed the success therefore of of the bee industry in this territory seems to turn upon the question WHAT SHALL WE GIVE OUR BEES to work upon of I 1 lucern abern and sweet clover the latter evidently yields the the most and the best honey but tog toa many of our farmers regard it in the light of a weed that should be prevented from gett getting ilig a foothold on their land angood in good soil it grows ten feet high spreading like the mustard of scripture in ia all directions so that the birds can rest in its branches it blooms from the last of may till the autumn frosts set in ia and spreads without the need of planting it delights to grow along hedges dachs d aches and old ravines or washouts wa shouts in short in any by corner comer where it cannot be reached by the plow or mower it fills the air with a pleasant fragrance were it allowed to fill up these otherwise waste places they would become the most profitable spots about a farm if bees were kept to gather the honey it is surprising how bow small a patch of this sweet clover it takes to make an appreciable dif difference terence in the yield of honey we remember a few years ago seeing in our lot a single bunch growing up at the head of the lucern patch close by the ditch having been told of I 1 its t s 8 spreading reading proclivities we were in d doubt 0 bp t f for or a moment whether to root it up or not thinking however that no harm could come from a single stalk we allowed it to remain in a few years it spread clear across the lot and now stands in a narrow strip along the bank of the ditch four stands of bees gather most of their honey from it and are a source of profit while other stands all around not haying baying access to such food are unprofitable but bat there is a REASON STILL MORE COGENT why sweet clover should be sown broadcast broad cast over the land it is a fact often demonstrated in the history of farming in this territory that land reclaimed f from rom alkali proves to be the richest such land can be redeemed should be known by every farmer constant flooding has hitherto been regarded as the only way but it has been demonstrated on hundreds of acres around benjamin and for aught we know in other parts of the Territory that sweet clover it if it does not take the place of flooding yet proves such an invaluable auxiliary in licking up superfluous salts as to be considered the best thi thing ng now known to the farmer for redeeming the bottoms lands once abandoned on account of two much salt were allowed to be overrun with this thia weed tt it was soon observed that cows would feed upon it with as much relish as upon lucern thus the idea was con of storing it as hay A s systematic y stem cultivation followed and etwas it was found to grow luxuriantly where other grasses were burned up by cutting while the stalks were tender it was found to be almo almost stif if not quite equalito lucern for cattle and it could be cut nearly twice as often after a few ew years the experiment was made of plowing lowing it up and ana planting pla wall grain rain it place AN ABUNDANT CROP CHOP was the result since learning these facts the writer has been not a little surprised that the results of these experiments have not been laid before the public before through the medium ef cf our home papers if sweet clover will do elsewhere in the territory what it has done in the regi regions ans named and we see no BO reason why it should not it will prove a blessing to the t f amers a mers of this great intermountain inter mountain basin what particular chemical c flanges take place whereby this plant reduces the we know not having never investigated the matter but it would seem here is a neld of experiment peri ment for the practical chemist that would redound to his praise and increase the prosperity of the community in tha meanwhile it is enough for the wide awake farmer to know that certain causes will produce certain effects and he will not lay idly icily by till he learns the why we should like to see the I 1 experience of those who have in this or any other manner been successful in redeeming their land from the en croach ments of alkali sweet clover ca over we may say is twice blessed it blesses the land that bears it and the bees that Z gather her its honey so much on bees and b bee pasturage A few weeks ago the necessity of establishing tab lishing A DAIRY in evera town to take up the superfluous milk and make cheese instead of so se much butter was ably argued and a feasible plan laid down clowa by a correspondent of the NEWS now let us hear from every dairy es conformity to such a plan we dont think mr editor you need tremble for tear fear you will not have space however we take the pleasure of reporting the only one we know of and that is at benjamin under the able direction of mr warner starting with a nucleus of some forty cows made by joining his own ibera with that of mr A J stewart jr he intends extending his business b by y driving a milk cart night and morn morning to evory every house in benjamin that is able to spare any milk the pecuniary profits accruing not only to the dairyman but to the whole community will readily be seen by th the fact that it takes only one gallon of milk to make a pound of cheese and four or five at least to make a pound of butter and the latter at this season of the year sells for very little more than the former we see no reason why every town should not follow suit we learn from mr A J president of the utah county stock association that there is a probability that the contemplated utah county stock fair will develop into A territorial MOVEMENT all the details are not yet settled but leading stockmen stoc kmen are working to t that ht end the D A M society offer the free use of their driving park and fair grounds rounds in salt lake city for ten ays days all exhibits necessitating the erection of buildings will be excluded the fair is to open 0 october tober 1 mr stewart has made overtures to the railroad companies to secure reduced rates he nas has been offered full rates down and free rates back for both stock and passengers but is convinced that nothing short of one third rates down and back with the privilege of driving home on foot will secure such an exhibit from all parts of the territory as will make the fair a success access in driving over benjamin and lake S shore hore ONE IS STRUCK na with the great number of blowin flowing 9 wells be meets with everywhere the they y have literally proved the redemption of this once greasewood grease wood waste houses are springing up like magic everywhere and improvement is going on at a rapid rate A circumstance not so fraught with hopefulness bo however wever is the myriads of young grasshoppers just hatched out in conversation on the subject mr A J stewart declared that he lost last year on their theia account 2500 in lucern alone and he was fearful that he would not escape unscathed this year thus are our gains and losses hopes and fears joys and sorrows blended in this life like the lights and thadows of a summer day N L N |