FIFTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART VIII. 



553 



the best of all the honey plants. Though it be ever so dry it furnishes a 

 good supply of honey during the entire blooming season, till nipped by 

 the frost. The yellow sweet clover is also a good honey plant, though 

 not as good as the white flowered species. The basswood is one of 

 the best of our honey plants, though its season is short. The tree might 

 very profitably be planted as a shade tree more than it is. There is no 



Fig. 16. 



Canadian Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis). Pollinated by bees and in some 

 places furnishes honey. (Iowa Agrl. Exp. Station.) 



better shade tree. Simpson honey plant, though a homely weed is an 

 excellent honey plant. The Motherwort (Leonurus Cardiaca) and catnip 

 are most excellent honey plants, though both are rather troublesome 

 weeds. The Persicoaria, Pennsylvania smartweed or Heartsease, is a 

 most excellent honey plant. Buckwheat in its season is a splendid honey 

 plant, although the honey is dark in color. One of our very common 

 pasture weeds the Vervain (Verbena striata) is one of the best of the 

 dry season honey plants. The honey is of good quality. Of the com- 

 posites, I have mentioned the dandelion. We should also mention com- 

 mon Boneset (EupatoriuTn ageratoides) , Spanish Needle (Bidens aurea), 

 perhaps the best of all of our composites is common in Southern Iowa. 

 Those of northern Iowa (B. cerniiua) in sloughs, and the purple bone; 

 set of similar places are excellent. I do not think that our goldenrod 

 and asters furnish as much honey as some people believe but this year 

 in places they furnished some. Snowberry ( Symphoricarpos occidentalis) 

 and Buckbrush (Symphoricai-pos orbiculatus) furnish much honey of 



