CATCLAW. 85 



civilization will not displace these honey- 

 trees with more profitable farm crops. We 

 may reasonably conclude that catclaw wiU 

 remain one of the permanent sources of 

 honey supply, whatever we think may 1 e the 

 possible or probable future of the basswood 

 of the Xorthem States. 



I am not sure but it would pay to intro- 

 duce these valuable honey-bearing trees in 

 other semi-arid regions. It has b€en intr<> 

 •luced iijt' • SoutLem Ein-OT:>e. whence large 



CEXTURY -PLANT. 



quantities of its flowei^ are exported to 

 Frauce and En^and. It is there known as 

 mimosa. 



fiAq'WTT Xepeta Colaria . This is a 

 near relative of Gnx-ovEE-XHE-GEOU^rD. 

 which see. Qoinby has said that, if he 

 were to grow any plant exclusively for the 

 honey it prodaees. that plant would be cat- 



nip : and very likely he was not far from 

 right. But as we have never yet had any 

 definite report from a sufficient field of it to 

 test it alone, either as to quality or quantity of 

 the honey, we remain almost as much in the 

 dark in regard to it as we were at the time 

 he made the statement, many years ago. 

 Several have cultivated it in small patches, 

 and have reported that in a state of cultiva- 

 tion it apparently yielded more honey than 

 in its wild state, for bees were found on it al- 

 most constantly, during several 

 months in the year: yet no one. we 

 believe, is prepared to say posi- 

 tively that it would pay X'' fi'ln- 

 vate it for this purpose. 



CAUCASIAJTS. S^- Bek-. 



AniATicona. American aloe, cr 

 maguey, is undoubtedly the most 

 liberal yielder of nectar among the 

 long list of An-erican honey-plants. 

 Unluckily for us it is limited in 

 this country to the extreme South 

 and Southwest, but is very com- 

 mon in old Mexico, where it is one 

 of the most common and most 

 sought-after plants in the country, 

 being the source from which Mex- 

 icans derive their beer ^pulque], 

 and also their brandy mescal). 

 The sweet juice is tapped from the 

 plant, and this is conveited into 

 liquor? of varying degrees of in- 

 toxicating power. When in flower 

 this juic-e ascends to the immense 

 flower i>anicle5. where it exudes 

 througii the nectaries, setting the 

 bees wild with delight. It exudes 

 5C» liberally it may \^ <itAlec\iA 

 without the aid of l^ees at all. In 

 addition, the agaves are liberal 

 yielders of fine fibers, all of the 

 sisal of commerce being collected 

 from them: but the one here men- 

 ticmed is seldom used for this pur- 

 pose. The species commonly cul- 

 tivated for sisal in Mexico Agace 

 ixili dees not produce nectar at alL 

 X. -^x.. 24J far as the writer has seen. This 

 plant is -^^-^^r ii?ter«t!Dg to a bee-keeper, 

 because 'uly plant which 



can be jntry exclusively 



for the honey it wlii yield. It thrives on 

 semi-arid land which can be had free, and 

 the culture required is merely nominal, hence 

 it prfflnises l<etter returns than any plant yet 

 tried exclusively for the honey it will produce. 

 In spite of its name it blocdns as often as 



