164 APIARIES. 



addition to the gooseberry, currant, and raspberry 

 bushes, and the several orchard trees, the flower- 

 borders in bis garden should be well stocked with 

 snow-drops, crocuses, wall-flower, and, above all, with 

 mignonette, which affords honey of the richest flavour, 

 and which continues flowering till the near approach 

 of winter. The rich melliferous blossoms of the 

 Buddlea globosa, too, the bees are very fond of; and 

 some of the Cacalia tribe afford an ample store. 

 <c The Cacalia suaveolens," says Darwin, ff produces 

 so much honey, that on some days it may be smelt 

 at a great distance from the plant. I remember once 

 counting on one of these plants, besides bees of vari- 

 ous kinds without number, above 200 painted butter- 

 flies, which gave it the beautiful appearance of being 

 covered with additional flowers/'* Besides these, the 

 plants of Borage, (Borago,) and viper's Bugloss, 

 (Echium vulgare) yield a very considerable quantity 

 of the rich liquid. The former is eagerly resorted to 

 by the Bees ; it is an annual, and blossoms during the 

 whole season till destroyed by frost. In cold and 

 showery weather, the Bees feed on it in preference 

 to every other plant, owing to its flowers being pendu- 

 lous. The Bugloss appears as a troublesome weed 

 among corn, and grows on dry soils in great profusion ; 

 it is a biennial plant. Turnips, particularly the early 

 garden kind, should be sown and allowed to remain 

 in their beds during the winter; and they will m 

 consequence, by their early flowering, afford a seasoi> 



* Economy of Vegetation. Canto I V. 



