232 



July, 1915. 



American l^ee Journal 



of insect and plant life to each other. 

 The color and odor of flowers is de- 

 signed to attract insects in order to 

 compel cross-poUenation. 



Thus, Divine economy has neglected 

 nothing for the benefit of all creatures 

 from the lowest to the highest. The 

 beautiful markings of the blossom with 

 dots, lines, and other curious markings 

 of a contrasting color leading to the 

 nectaries of honey-yielding plants is a 

 study in itself. Many of these special 

 adaptations are as curious as they are 

 beautiful. One notices this in the long 

 curved lower lip of the white sage 

 blossom, which turns up over the short 

 upper lip closing the entrance com- 

 pletely to the tube of the flower which 

 contains the nectar. This bars the door 

 to the unwelcome guest. When the 

 bee seeks entrance she alights upon 

 this lower lip of the flower, and her 

 weight bears it down, thus opening the 

 flower and holding it open while she 



sips the nectar. '^ 



The sages and kindred plants have 

 thus in the order of evolution devel- 

 oped certain types of blossom which 

 fit them for accommodating the insect 

 suited to their benefit. These groups 

 which have such highly specialized 

 flowers are termed the high-class fami- 

 lies of plants by botanists. The me- 

 chanical device of opening the petals 

 of the flower where nectar exists, as in 

 alfalfa and many of the clovers, is an- 

 other wonderful thing. By tearing 

 open the flower one can see just how 

 the "trick" is done, and observe the 

 little projections that fit into pockets. 

 When the bee inserts her tongue, she 

 springs the trap, which causes the 

 stamens to yield their pollen, which is 

 carried by her to other blossoms. This 

 also admits her to the feast of nectar. 

 These are only a few of the brief and 

 interesting sources of pleasure open to 

 the beekeeper besides material gains. 



Notes From W Abroad 



By C. P Dadant. 



We are Hearing the end of our trip. 

 We have already mentioned, in our 

 number of November, the Couterel api- 

 ary, at the Pusocq, in Gascony. This 

 is one of the most progressive in 

 France, while just by it are numbers of 

 apiaries, in the heather country, man- 

 aged by the brimstone method. The 

 old style hives, of which we show two 

 located in a dark nook, at the foot of a 

 bluff, are just wicker baskets, sugar- 

 loaf in shape, coated with cow dung 

 and clay mixed and sheltered addi- 

 tionally with a bundle of rye straw. 



In another picture we show an ex- 

 perimental apiary, the hives of which 



are composed of three Dadant supers. 

 These are 12-frame hives, an experi- 

 ment of Mr. Couterel. The most in- 

 teresting feature of this apiary consists 

 in the hive roofs and bottoms made of 

 concrete. The roofs are of asbestos 

 and cement, only about V-inch in 

 thickness, very strong and apparently 

 unbreakable, owing to the elasticity of 

 the asbestos. The hive stands or bot- 

 toms are of ordinary concrete about 4 

 inches thick. 



In our number for November, 1913, 

 we have described how, in the heather 

 country, the old colonies in wicker 

 hives are brimstoned and the contents 



sold to a factory. We will now de 

 scribe the factory. 



On the morning of Sept. 27, 1913, we 

 started with our host, from the village 

 of Barbaste, in an autobus, a "jitney," 



I. Couterel 



for Casteljaloux, some 25 miles distant. 

 The road leads through the heather 

 country, the " Landes," described by us 

 before. Passing through several vil- 

 lages and a forest, over a fine road, we 

 reached the little city above named, 

 the former home of the lords of Albret. 

 The factory, of whose main building 

 we give a picture, handles the principal 

 products of the region, the resin of the 

 pines, from which they distil turpen- 

 tine, and the honey of the heather 

 lands. In addition they make soap and 

 candles. The Usine de Lirac, as t'nis 

 factory is called, employs some 150 

 persons and covers several acres of 

 ground. We were very heartily wel- 

 comed by the manager, whose wife is a 

 practical beekeeper and has movable- 

 frame hives. As he was exceedingly 



TWO WICKER BASKET HIVKS (BOURNACS) IN SOUTHFRN FRANCE 

 Messrs, l.aussucQ and Couterel, owners of several apiaries. 



Bouquet Tendered Mrs. Dadant at the 

 Bordeaux Banquet 



