26 



AMERICAN HONEY PLANTS 



distance from the hives. The amount of 'smell' is such a good criterion 

 as to the amount of honey that one can tell the quantity he is getting 

 from these indications alone." — W. H. Reed, Herrodsburg, Ky., page 

 228, Gleanings, 1911. 



"In the Shenandoah Valley, in Virginia, where I lived for fourteen 

 years, there w^ere many acres of white aster. There were several 

 years when the bloom was in sheets, affording a good yield of surplus. 

 The honey was very light amber, of fine quality, and was considered 

 next to white clover. At such times a strong odor, which was distinctly 

 sour, could be noticed."— Burdet Hassett. Page 257, Gleanings, 1911. 



Much has been written concerning the danger of aster honey for win- 

 ter stores. So many reports of disastrous results from wintering on aster 

 honey have been published, that it is generally understood not to be safe 

 for winter stores. However, it is probable that the trouble comes from 

 honey gathered too late to be properly ripened, rather than because the 

 honey is of poor quality. The fact that the honey granulates readily also 

 probably accounts for the trouble in some cases. 



In some localities, asters seem to be a dependable source of surplus, 



r . , r-T-i while in others they yield in ap- 



preciable quantity only in rare 

 seasons. Kentucky seems to be 

 in the heart of the territory where 

 asters are important. The follow- 

 ing are typical reports : 



"We have never failed to get 

 a good crop of surplus honey, 

 and plenty left for the bees, 

 from aster for more than twenty 

 years, till this year." — H. C. 

 demons, Boyd, Ky. Page 90, 

 Gleanings, 1909. 



"In this section the asters are 

 invaluable as fall forage for bees. 

 Let the season be cold or hot, 

 we are certain to have a con- 

 tinuous bloom from early in 

 September until a really hard 

 frost occurs. My Italian bees 

 have never failed to secure 

 enough honey from aster to 

 carry them through the winter, 

 even when there was hardly a 

 pound of honey in the hives at 

 the end of August — Daniel M. 

 Worthington, Elkridge, Md., 

 American Bee Journal, page 125, 

 1869. 



"Blue aster (Aster azureus), 

 ed aster (Aster sayitH- ^nown among farmers as _ blue 

 folius). devil, or stickweed, in my judg- 



ment, is one of the best we have, from the fact that it produces honey 

 in the fall of the year. It is usually in full bloom until about the mid- 

 dle of October, and if the weather is warm enough for the bees to fly, 

 they get plenty of honey to winter on from this flower." — West Vir- 

 ginia. Page 869, American Bee Journal, 1906. 



