388 



GLEANINGS IN BEE C> LTURE 



June 15 



are white and the other half of other colors. 

 Here thev are: 



l{ed, 1; poppy; papaver rhtvas. 



l^ilac, 3; niargosa-tree: Azodariohta Indlca: 

 thyme, thymus vulgaris; clover, trifolluni. 



Violet, 3; agnus oastus, bitex agnus oastus; pepper- 

 mint, mentha piperita; melUot, melilotus otticlna- 

 Us. 



Blue, 8; rosemary, rosmarlnus officinalis; French 

 lavender; laveudula splca;borage,borago officinalis; 

 viper's bugloss; borago officinalis; common sage, 

 salvia officinalis; thistle, carduus; common laven- 

 der, lavendula vera; endive or chicory, cichoriuui 

 intybu.s. 



Rose-colored, i); dofj-ro.w; rosa canina; heather, 

 erica; peach-tree, amygdalus Perslca; apple-tree, 

 pyrus mains; quince-tree, cydonla vulgaris; sain- 

 foin, onobrychis; lucerne, niedicago; rock-rose, cis- 

 tus cretlscus; radish, raphanus satlvus. 



Yellow, 10; prickly pear, opuntia vulgaris; broom, 

 genista; dandelion, leontodon taraxacum; mustard, 

 sinapls allia; ureal mullein, verbascum thapsus; 

 vegetable marrow, cucurbita maxima; mririoold or 

 pumpkin, calendula officinalis; rochet, lepidum; 

 cauliflower, brasslca cauliflora; inule, inula vls- 

 cosa. 



Greenisli-white, 14; common horehound, marru- 

 brum vulgare; mignonette, reseda odorata; linden, 

 or lime, tillia Europtea: leak, allium porrum; broad 

 beans, faba; plum-tree, prunus domestica; onion, 

 allium cepa; olive-tree (rarely gives honey or pol- 

 len) olea Europtea; chestnut-tree,castanea vulgaris; 

 wormwood, artemisia absinthium; ivy, hedera he- 

 lix; saxifrage, saxifraga; henbane, hyoscyamus; lo- 

 quat, eriobotrya Japonica. 



White, 15; beaver-tree, magnolia glauca; almond- 

 tree, amygdalus communis; eucalyptvis, eucalyptus 

 globulus; cherry-tree, prunus cerasus; pear-tree, 

 pyrus coainuinis; hawthorn, prurius splnosa; 

 American locust-lree, robinia pseud-acacia; pitto- 

 sporum,iiitt<)sp()rum; oran ge-tree, citrus aurantium; 

 .myrtle, niyrtus communis; clematis, clematis; 

 white clover, trifolium; bramble-blackberry, rubus 

 fructicosus; savory, tliymus serpyllum; rock-rose, 

 cistus ladaniferus. 



The ]:)ollen gathered on those flowers by 

 the bees has not always the same color as 

 the tiower, but varies often. The red poppy 

 gives almost black pollen; borage has green- 

 ish pollen; pumpkins and others of the cu- 

 cumber class have orange pollen, and so on, 

 while many have the same pollen as the 

 color of the flowers; as the marigold, yellow; 

 llie myrtle, white; the beaver-tree, white; 

 the saxifrage, greenish, etc. 



For our aljjine region. May is the big pol- 

 len month, and it is most pleasing to the 

 eye to contemplate the full colors and the 

 intermediate ones represented in the rain- 

 bow — certainly not in the same order, as the 

 bees' smartness does not reach so far, 

 though, as we shall see, never a bee mixes 

 two kinds of pollen in one journey, and gen- 

 erally she does not mix it in the cells. How 

 often, when taking out such a beautiful 

 comb of pollen, have I regretted being un- 

 able to show it to as many friends of nature 

 as ])ossible, as the brilliant hues soon be- 

 come deteriorated as they are ex])osed to 

 heat or dampness. 



DifTerent flowers, as everybody knows, 

 give different odors, and some have greater 

 powers of attraction than others, some by 

 color, but many more by odor; and as the 

 scent goes a considerable distance it draws 

 the insects to the field of labor from very 

 far. Most likely one scent counteracts 

 another one, and bees neglect some flowers 

 altogether where the strongest-scented pre- 

 vail. In this case it is the perfume which 

 forms the only attraction, and doubtless the 



sense of smelling is highly developed, 

 though, as will be seen further on, the sense 

 of sight is a great factor in the life of the 

 bee. Certainly bees of weak hives remain 

 near home and sij) the sweet nectar from 

 minor honey-plants, as their lives are too 

 precious for the defense of their hives. 

 Nice, France, .Ian. 7. 



To be continued. 



HONEY-DEW RARELY AN EXCRETION. 



Some Authorities who Believe that Honey-dew is 

 Generally a Secretion or an Exudation. 



BY D. M. MACDONALD. 



The editor of Gleanings loves to look at 

 both sides of the shield, even Mhen a con- 

 troversy leads to views contrary to his own 

 conclusions; and a favorite phrase of his is, 

 "Let us have the truth, strike where it 

 may." That is the true spirit in which this 

 subject should be ai)i)roached; because the 

 question of honey-dew has two sides. In 

 my original article, reprinted in Gleanings, 

 p. 76;^, '09, I distinctly stated that there are 

 two kinds, differing considerably in compo- 

 sition. I am chiefly interested in the ques- 

 tion circling round the question of ixoreiion 

 vs. secretion. Dr. Gordon-Hewitt, on page 

 176, gives it as his opinion that honey-dew 

 is an "excretory product;"and Dr. I*liillips' 

 conclusion is, page 177, " Most of it is in the 

 nature of an excretion." Tiie latter goes 

 further, and asserts that I am mistaken 

 when I state that the leaves "secrete a sweet 

 liquid." On these points I join issue with 

 both authorities. I know plants secrete 

 such a saccharine juice. I have seen it. 

 Seeing is believing. I have tasted it, and 

 therefore I know it tastes sweet. 



I support my own limited knowledge by 

 the following trustworthy authorities. The 

 Abbe lioissier de Sauvages, who, in 17G.'>, 

 first wrote extensively on honey-dew, de- 

 scribed two kinds: "One species flows from 

 the leaves of trees," i. e., it is then indepen- 

 dent of any aphides. 



From Leibeg I quote the following: "In 

 a hot summer the leaves of the lime and 

 other trees are covered with a liquid contain- 

 ing a large quantity of sugar. The genera- 

 tion of sugar takes place in the leaves." 



Langlois observed that, during a dry sum- 

 mer, "the leaves of the linden-tree became 

 covered with a thick and Huuet liquid in such 

 quantities that for several hours a day it ran 

 off the leaves like drops of rain." 



Dr. Darwin regarded honey-dew "as an 

 excretion or a secretioti from the surface of 

 the leaves." 



Sir .T. S. Smith states that he frequently 

 observed "drops of a clear liquid trickle from 

 the leaves, and this secretion is of a saccha- 

 rine nature." 



Dr. IJevan, an excellent authority, recog- 

 nized two sorts of honey-dew, " the one a se- 

 cretion from the surface of the leaf." 



The venerated Langstroth wrote, "It is 

 very difficult to ascertain, at all times, the 



