AMERICAN HONEY PLANTS 273 



d'Alene in a very limited way, where it yields considerable nectar, con- 

 sidering its abundance. 



Horehound and catnip. Both plants are found in considerable abund- 

 ance in all parts of the State where there is sufficient moisture. Both 

 seem to yield considerable nectar. 



Huckleberry. Several species of huckleberries are found in the State 

 and are very abundant in many sections, as, for example, Mason County. 

 They have been reported as honey plants, but their relative value is un- 

 known. — H. A. Scullen. 



WATER-GUM, see Tupelo. 



WATERMELON (Citrullus citrullus). 



Where grown on a commercial scale the watermelon is the source 

 of some honey. The bees visit the blossoms eagerly for both pollen and 

 nectar. Important only in a few localities. 



WATER PEPPER, see Heartsease. 



WATERWEED (Jussiaea californica). 



The California waterweed is common to wet lands in the lower Sacra- 

 mento and San Joaquin Valleys, where, according to Richter, it is the 

 source of considerable ill-tasting honey. 



WATTLE, see Acacia. 

 WAXBERRY, see Snowberry. 



WEATHER AND HONEY PRODUCTION. 



It is a well-known fact that nectar secretion is very sensitive to 

 weather conditions. However, the same conditions are not most favorable 

 for all plants. 



J. L. Strong, a beekeeper of Clarinda, Iowa, kept a careful record of 

 weather conditions in connection with the daily gain or loss of a colony 

 en scales for 29 years, from 1885 to 1914. In his locality, in southwestern 

 Iowa, white clover is the principal source of honey. While the bees begin 

 the season with the willows, maples, fruit bloom and dandelion, there is 

 little surplus stored until the blooming of clover. Leslie A. Kenoyer, of 

 the Iowa College of Agriculture, made a careful study of the Strong rec- 

 ords and prepared a bulletin outlining his conclusions. While the records 

 kept by Mr. Strong for a long period give material for fairly accurate 

 conclusions regarding the effect of the weather on nectar secretion in 

 white clover, it can hardly be expected that the same conclusions will ap- 

 ply to all other plants. (Bulletin 169, Agricultural Experiment Station, 

 Ames, Iowa.) From the foregoing the following conclusions are extracted: 



Rain. 



Abundant rain seems essential to stimulate plants to the vigor neces- 

 sary to nectar production and to furnish the water contained in the se- 

 cretion. 



