AMERICAN HONEY PLANTS 159 



some sorts which stand two feet high, the spikes being from eight to 

 'ten inches long. * * * 



"A correspondent from California stated that he thought an acre 

 of mignonette would be adequate for a hundred colonies. * * * 



"When you give them this in addi'tion to what they would other- 

 wise have, it will certainly secure an immense addition to the honey 

 produced. There is no plant within the range of our knowledge as 

 valuable for bee forage as mignonette. It will bloom year after year 

 if not disturbed by frost and gives a longer period of bloom than any 

 other plant. It gives more blossoms in a given space and more forage 

 than any plant we have ever seen. Honey from this plant has the most 

 delicious fragrance of any we have ever tasted." — William Thompson. 

 It was later tested at the Michigan Agricultural College, but Professor 

 Cook failed to bear out the above claims. He reported as follows: 



"I expected great things of this plant, as the bee papers were very 

 high in their praise of its qualities. June 23 it began to blossom, and 

 it was not till the 27th that the bees began their work upon it. They 

 did not seem to take to it very readily, for on every occasion that I 

 made observations, I found very few bees present. With us it proved a 

 failure. Others have corroborated this statement. * * * It is rather 

 a delicate plant for this climate."— Page 83, A. B. J., 1878. 

 It is listed by Richter in Bulletin 217, "Honey Plants of California," 



v/ith the statement that it is "very much visited by bees whenever in 



bloom." 



MILK VETCH (Astragalus). 



The milk vetch is a close relative of the loco (see Loco), and like 

 the loco is visited by the bees. Some species are of some value for honey, 

 especially in the plains region west of the Missouri River. 



MILKWEED (Asclepias). 



The milkweeds are a large family of plants common to the temperate 

 and tropical regions of many parts of the world. North America alone has 

 55 recognized species. These plants are also known as butterfly weeds 

 and milkweeds. The blossoms are borne in large ball-shaped clusters as 

 shown in Figure 92. The seeds are attached to silken parachutes, on 

 which they are carried by the wind. It is these silky attachments that 

 give rise to the name "silkweed." Remarkable yields of honey are some- 

 times secured from milkweeds. An average yield of 100 pounds per colony 

 from 'this source is occasionally reported through the bee magazines. 



Much has been written about the entangling of bees in the pollen 

 masses of milkweed. It frequently happens that bees thus entangled are 

 unable to free 'themselves and die as a result. Some species of milkweed 

 is included in nearly every list of honey plants which the author has con- 

 sulted. Apparently it may be regarded as of some value almost every- 

 where. The honey is said to be light in color and of good quality. 



It is of special importance in northern Michigan, where it grows in 

 great abundance, as shown by Figure 93. In some locations beekeepers 

 report an average per colony production of 50 pounds, year after year, 

 from milkweed. 



