MOVING BEES. 312 



any bee disease, American or European foul 

 brood, is present; otherwise the shipper 

 would be liable to the action of the State 

 law in any State into which he might ship 

 the bees. He would lose liis bees, and l)e out 

 his freight and other expenses. 



CAUTION. 



J3efore closing, let us add a caution. In 

 moving bees, be sure that you have tixed all 

 the entrances so that not a bee can by any 

 possiV)ility escape. Do not have your wire 

 cloth too short, and then splice it out with 

 leaves. Be sure to have it cut exactly the 

 right length. For further particulars, see 

 Out-apiaries. 



IMIUSTARD [Brass'ka arvensis). This 

 belongs to the same family as the turnip, 

 cabbage, rape, etc., all of which, we believe, 

 almost invariably furnish honey while they 

 are in bloom. We have a good opportunity 

 of testing these plants, because acres of 



NECTAR. 



them are raised for other purposes besides 

 the honey. It will be a hard matter to de- 

 termine which is best for your locality, with- 

 out trying some of every kind. Find out 

 what market you have for your seed, and 

 then proceed to raise it as if you were going 

 to depend on the seed alone to pay expenses. 

 Should you secure a good crop of honey from 

 it, you will then be so much ahead, and 

 there is little chance of any great loss. 



The honey from these plants is said to be 

 very light, equal to any in tlavor, and to 

 command the highest price in the market. 

 The seed should be sown very early in the 

 spring, either in shallow drills so far apart 

 that the cultivator can be used between 

 them, or broadcast. The former plan is, of 

 course, the better one for nearly all honey- 

 plants, but is more trouble. From B to 10 

 lbs. per acre will be needed, sown in drills, 

 and from 15 to 20 when sewn broadcast. If 

 you wish to save the seed, it should be sown 

 not later than July 1st. 



N. 



NECTAR. Many times has honey been 

 analyzed by competent chemists, but very 

 seldom has there been an attempt to analyze 

 nectar, owing to the difficulty of securing a 

 sufficient quantity for experimental pur- 

 poses. 



The only satisfactory experiments of the 

 kind which have yet appeared are those of 

 Prof. Planta, of the university of Zurich, 

 Switzerland, wiio was not only one of the 

 best chemists in Europe, but also a compe- 

 tent bee-keeper besides. 



It will be noted he experimented with the 

 nectar of two American plants. Agave 

 Americaym (century plant) and Bignonia 

 Radicans (trumpet-creeper). The former is 

 a prodigious yielder of honey, far excelling 

 any plant we know of in the North, and 

 excelled only by some tropical trees such as 

 Frotea melUfera, Hakeas, and Leucodendron^ 

 and perhaps others not yet known. It grows 

 in the southwest part of the United States 

 and is common in Mexico. 



Several translations of Dr. Planta's article 

 on nectar analysis have appeared, and we 



give one which we deem best for our pur- 

 pose. 



Probably nectars do not all analyze alike; 

 but Dr. Planta's analysis will be found suf- 

 ficiently near an average to satisfy all prac- 

 tical requirements. 



lu the Zeitschrift fuer Phyfiiulogische Chcmie, Band 

 X., Heft 3, Dr. A. de Planta describes his re- 

 searches on the chemical composition of some of the 

 nectars in plants. He says it was a g'reat pleasure 

 for liim during- liis i-esearches on tlie life of bees to 

 liave established the relation which exists between 

 npctar and lioney, nectar serving- for the prepara- 

 tion of honey. There was a great difficulty in get- 

 ting a sufficient quantity of nectar, as plants yield 

 it usually in small quantities, but there are some 

 exceptions. Among- these are Protect melliferai I 

 Hojia cam 'Sn, aud Tfxcoma radicans, or trumpet- ^ 

 creeper, which contain such larg-e quantities of nec- 

 tar that it is easily collected. Thunberg- says in ins 

 "Flora Capeusis" of Proica meUiferaiZiiijicerhoscfUK, 

 Zuijkerhonm, Tulijbuom) that it flowers in autumn; 

 that is to say, in March and the following- months. 

 The flowers are often half filled with watery honey 

 which furnishes an excellent syrup a Iter it has been 

 Altered to rid it of insects and impiii-itics, and 

 slightly evaporated by gentle heat. 



This syrup is an article of commerce at t'ape 

 Town. Two bottles of it were produced, the specific 



