550 



IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



The fourth point I desire to make is this. Let us plant more honey 

 plants. A few friends of mine have lately been discussing the desir- 

 ability of reducing the width of the Iowa roads. Another friend, Sena- 

 tor Larrabee, has been advocating the planting of the highways with 

 useful forage plants to make the highways useful. I believe this is a 

 very sensible proposition. It would bring in several million dollars an- 

 nually to the farmers of Iowa. The beekeepers of Iowa should encourage 

 Senator Larrabee and advocate the sowing of such plants as the al'sike 

 clover, which is a most excellent honey plant and a most useful forage 



Fig. 12. 



Bartlett Pear, an enlarged flower. Sp, sepals; v, petals: a, ant'.K-r of flairi?ns 

 f. filament; s, stigma; d, disk where nectar is secreted; ov, ovary. (Waits 

 U. S. Dept. of Agrl.) 



plant. There are many places on our highways that cannot be reclaimed 

 for meadow purposes. I refer to the slopes of hills and banks. These 

 should. not be left bare, but can be planted with trees and shrubs useful 

 for the beekeepers and at the same time furnish an excellent honey 

 crop. In many places in Iowa, such places can be planted with the wild 

 crab, a splendid honey plant. The Russian Oleaster, which blooms later 

 than the wild crab, and in many places the basswood would be a most suit- 



