2G4 State Boakd ok Agriculture, &g. 



by these insects will reudily perceive the difference. As 

 before nientioncMJ, the flow of lioney is usually continued 

 from day to day after the opening of the flower until tlKi 

 petals wither and fall. This flow, howevei", depends very 

 largely upon the state of the atmosphere. It is not unfre- 

 quent that flowers may be in bloom several days before the 

 weather is such as to produce any honey at all, as was tlie 

 case the past season for more than a week after the open- 

 ing of white clover. There is a change in the atmosphere 

 (we cannot tell always what it is,) and honey flows into the 

 nectary of the flower rapidly. Again, it is excreted only 

 during the warmest part of the day, and again only morn- 

 ing and evening ; and sometimes I have noticed only in the 

 forenoon and at other times only in the latter part of the 

 day. At one hour of the day honey may be alnindant, and 

 the next literally none. Only in very rare cases does it 

 accumulate in the flower. 



Now, if, as I have shown, this substance is an excretion, 

 the plant certainly loses nothing by its abstraction ; besides 

 it is evident that if this nectar was not taken by insects it 

 could not be appropriated by the plant, as it would be 

 quickly dried by the atmosphere or washed away by the 

 rains. But, even if it could be retained by the plant, the 

 ' amount on each flower is, in most cases, too inflnitesimally 

 small to affect the flavor even of om' fraits, much less the 

 nutritive value of our forage plants. 



While a field of white or alsike clover is in bloom it is 

 usually swarming and musical with honey bees, but only a fo.w 

 dozen " droning humbles " will be found on an acre of red, 

 thouo;h in full bloom it is redolent with sweet flavors. If, 



