AMERICAN HONEY PLANTS 229 



At another time Mr. Cook wrote that the honey from all sages is so 

 much alike that it would be indistinguishable. — American Bee Journal, 

 August 3, 1905. 



Richter, in his Honey Plants of California, speaks of the white sage 

 (Salvia apiana) Jep., as "very common on the dry plains toward the foot- 

 hills, and ascending these to about 3,000 feet." (Fig. 121). 



Writing in Gleanings in Bee Culture, P. C. Chadwick describes a jour- 

 ney which he made in the San Bernardino Mountains with the intent to 

 l':nd out the highest elevation at which bloom could be found in sufficient 

 quantities to support bees. Up to an elevation of 7,000 feet he found white 

 sage in abundance, and all alive with bees. (Western Honey Bee, Septem- 

 ber, 1914.) Richter gives its range as common from Santa Barbara County 

 southward, blooming from April to July. "As abundant as the black sage, 

 but not as good a yielder, nor has the honey as fine a flavor." 



Black sage (Salvia mellifera), Greene, also known as ball sage, or but- 

 ton sage (Fig. 122), is generally credited as being the principal source of 

 sage honey, most of the honey which goes to market under the name of 

 white sage being produced from this plant. Quite probably it is the best 

 honey plant on the Pacific Coast. Richter says of it: "As a general rule, 

 every fifth year an excellent crop is obtained, and every third or fourth 

 year a total failure is experienced, the flow being dependent upon winter 

 rains, with warm spring quite free from cold winds and fog. When in 

 bloom a certain amount of warm weather is required before it produces 

 nectar." 



The range of black sage is given as "Mt. Diablo, Los Trampas Ridge, 

 near Hayward, San Mateo County, Glenwood and Brieta, southward to 

 southern California. April-May." (Jepson). "Coast ranges and ascending 

 to 5,000 feet in the San Bernardino Mountains. March to June. San Diego 

 County, February to May." 



Mr. J. E. Pleasants, of Orange, California, writing in American Bee 

 Journal (June, 1914) describes the peculiarities of the sages as follows: 



"The black sage is king of them all. When climatic conditions are 

 favorable I think black sage can be relied upon to produce more 'gilt 

 edge' than any other plant in the West, and for body and flavor it is 

 hard to excel. It blooms for weeks. The blossom is small and incon- 

 spicuous, but what a flow of nectar it can yield. 



"The white sage is a much prettier plant. Its soft, grey leaves and 

 tall blossom spikes make it quite showy, while its pleasing aromatic 

 odor breathes the very essence of wild perfumes. But this queenly 

 plant is much more inconstant than its plainer sister. Some years it 

 produces a good harvest, others very light. 



"The silver or purple sage, which has silvery leaves and brilliant 

 light purple blossoms, is usually a good producer, but is much restricted 

 as to locality." 



The purple sage (Salvia leucophylla) (Fig. 123), also called white-leaved 

 sage, or silver sage, is reported as a good yielder, although not as abund- 

 ant as either of the foregoing species. The Richter catalog gives the 

 range as occasional in the foothills of the Santa Monica and San Fernando 

 Mountains, April to July, and from San Luis Obispo to San Diego Counties 

 and not extending inland beyond the coast ranges. 



