EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 207 



to find a plant that would secrete nectar every year, especially in times of 

 drouth, that would grow with little or no care on the part of the bee- 

 keeper, and would yield bountifully of nectar. As the Chapman honey 

 plant was loudly praised, and was reported a success upon actual trial, and 

 as the seed had been distributed by the government, it occurred to me that 

 it should be one of the plants first tested. The Rocky Mountain bee plant 

 flourishes on the dry plains of Colorado, where it is said to give prodig- 

 ious yields of nectar, and as I had been quite successful in growing it in 

 small plats for years, where it seemed to attract the bees from early July 

 till frost, I looked upon that plant as well worthy a trial. This plant is 

 also reported as growing wild in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and as afford- 

 ing much nectar. The Melissa belongs to the mint family — a family of 

 honey plants — is strongly praised by those who have tried it, and who 

 have no pecuniary interest in its becoming popular, so I conclude to make 

 it third in the list to be adopted. 



THE CHAPMAN HONEY PLANT. 



I have planted in all four or five acres of the 

 seed of this plant, some on clay and others on sand. 

 When the seed came the plants made a very 

 vigorous growth, but did not blossom at all the 

 first year. Thus the plant is a biennial. No nec- 



tAiA >\l 'Vii^ tar can be secured from it till the second year after 

 ^5*4^ ^ planting. The plant (Fig. 1) looks like a thistle, 



. nt^ w * the spines doubtless suggesting the generic name 

 '^^y^C ^ Echinops. The flowers form a very perfect globe 



\/^ 'jWlF^f J or sphere, hence the specific name spherocephalus 

 Yy^ \^ i ^^ ^^ ^^^y appropriate. The plant, if cultivated till 



■ ^J^fJr once well started, will care for itself, as it is very 



^A Aj>>Ur i vigorous. It begins to bloom here at the Michi- 



yuf "^^iVy^^ S^^ Agricultural college about the middle of July, 

 ^^ ^^ and continues to blossom till the middle of 



August. The blossoms commence to open at the 

 lower margin of the head, and continue to open 

 toward the centre. The seasons have been very 

 dry, yet the bees visited the Echinops very freely, 

 and secured considerable honey, and this too just 

 at the most desirable period of the year. 

 FIG. i.-ckapn.an Honey Plant. ^ ^^^^ ^^^.^^^ objection to the general adop- 

 tion of this plant is the difficulty of securing the seed. The chaff has 

 barbed awns, that are very minute. These fly everywhere as we clean the 

 seed, and except one is protected better than he will be unless previously 

 taught by experience, these awns are sure to enter the eyes and pierce the 

 skin at every possible opportunity. The effect of this is almost madden- 

 ing. For three or four days, the pain in the wounded eyes and skin is 

 almost unendurable. 



After the plants bear a full crop of seed, they seem exhausted, and very 

 few survive to blossom the second year. Our plants in 1889 were wonder- 

 fully fine and vigorous; the plants on the same area this year are very few 

 and scattering. To be sure, young plants have come up thickly from seed; 

 but they will bear no bloom till 1891. Thus we see that we can not grow 



