82 



(^LEANING8 IN BEE CULTUUE. 



Jan. 



KEPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE 

 CHAPMAN HONEY-PLANT. 



WRITTEN OUT BY PHOF. MCI.AIN. 



T|--' iS considerable space lias already been 

 i|]bi given to reports in regard to this plant, 



j^' we thouglit it hardly worth while to 

 ■^^ go over the ground again ; l)ut as 

 Friend Cliapman particularly wishes a 

 full report from all the meml)er.s comprising 

 said committee, we subjoin the following : 



The committee appointt^d by the North-American 

 Bee-Keepers' Society, at the "auiiual meeting- held 

 in Detroit, Mich., December, 1885, to investigate 

 the merits ol a honey-bearing- plant now being- cul- 

 tivated h^■ Mr. Hiram Chapman, of Versailles, N. Y., 

 met at that place July 28, 1886. One member of the 

 committee, Mr. Manum, of Bristol, Vt., was not able 

 to be present; but as each member of your com- 

 mittee was furnished with a sufflcient number of 

 plants to affoi-d opportunity for observing their 

 growth and habits, and also to gain some informa- 

 tion concerning the value of the ]>lant as a honey- 

 producer, a letter from Mr. Manum, in which he 

 gives the result of his experience and observ-ation, 

 is herewith appended. This plant, which Dr. Beal, 

 of the Michigan State Agricultural College, and Mr. 

 Scribner, Asst. Botanist of the U. S. Department of 

 Agriculture, tell us is Erliinops Sph(vriicii}h(tlit!<, is 

 an imported perennial, native in Central France, 

 and, like all of the family to which it belongs, verj- 

 rich in honey. 



This plant will probably be popularly known in 

 this country as the "Chapman honey-plant," so 

 named on account of Mr. Chapman being tirst to cul- 

 tivate it, and being first to bring it to the notice of 

 liee-keeperg. We found three acres of the plant in 

 bloom. The height of the mature plant is from 

 ;5 to 4^2 feet, and each root bears from 5 to 15 round 

 balls, or heads, from one inch to l'« inches in diam- 

 eter. These heads stand upright, and the entire 

 surface is covered with small white Howers having 

 bluish stamens. 



The stalks and leaves so nearly resemble those of 

 the common thistle, that, were it not for the head, 

 the difference would not be easily noticed. There 

 is, however, in this particular, a vei'y marked differ- 

 ence, the appearance of the head being aptly de- 

 scribed by its botanical name, which signifies round- 

 headed, and in appearance like a hedgehog. The 

 flowerets on top of the head open fii-st, then they 

 open later along the sides of the ball, continuing 

 in the order of nature around the entire surface of 

 the sphere. Near to the stem the last flowerets 

 open after the blossoms on the tops of the heads 

 have disappeai'ed, and the seed-capsules of the first 

 blossoms have hardened. 



Unlike the thistle, the seeds are provided with no 

 balloon by which they may be borne by the wind. 

 The seed is, in weight' and appearance, very much 

 like a small grain of rye; is inclosed in a capsule, 

 and falls directly to the ground, if not seasonably 

 gathered, not spreading more than oats, if left to 

 fall without harvesting. 



From the time of the aijpearance of the bloom 

 upon the tops of individual heads until the fading 

 of the last blossoms upon the lower part of the 

 head near to the stalk, is about eight days; the con- 

 tinuance of the blooming depending upon the na- 

 ture of the soil and the season; but the heads, or 

 buds sentoutfrom each individual shoot, and form- 

 ing each individual cluster, vary in degree and size, 

 so that the natural term of blooming and honey- 

 bearing may safely be reckoned at from ~0 to 30 

 days. The term of blooming may also be prolonged 

 to a considerable extent by cutting liack a i)ortion 

 of the plants, and the facility with which the honey- 

 harvest may thus be prolonged constitutes an im- 

 portant feature when estimating the value of this 

 plant. The plant is hardy, easilj' propagated, peren- 

 nial, and appears to fiourish in all kinds of soil, and 

 there is no danger of its becoming a pest or a nox- 

 ious weed. It does not bloom until the second sea- 

 son; and as it does not spresJd in seeding, its extir- 

 pation would be easily accomplished. Its seed may 

 be scattered in waste places, or it may be sown in 

 drills or hills, like onion seed. It seems to be char- 

 acteristic of the plant to root out all other vegeta- 

 tion, and take possession of the soil. No weeds, and 

 but very little grass, was seengTOwing in the three- 



acre plot observed. A ten-acre field, sown broad- 

 east and harrowed in like rye, has also made a vig- 

 orous growth, and seems to be taking possession of 

 the soil, in opposition to ijuack-grass and weeds. 

 As to the value of the plant to the honey-producer, 

 there appears to be no room for doubt, whether 

 quantity or quality, or both, be considered. 



Within reach of Mr. Chapman's apiary, no other 

 resources were accessible for honey-gathering. 

 The severe and prolonged drought destroyed all 

 other honey -yielding blossoms, and yet in some in- 

 stances the liees were making an excellent showing 

 in the hives. No definite conclusion could be reach- 

 ed as to the probalile returns in pounds of honey 

 from a given area. That the returns would be sat- 

 isfactory, was evidenced by the fact that the entire 

 area was " alive with bees," and they visited the 

 flowers from daylight until dark, and sometimes 

 eight or ten bees were ujton a single head at one 

 time. Mr. Hubbard, who cultivated some of these 

 plants obtained from Mr. Chapman, represented 

 that he had counted the number of visits made by 

 bees to a single head from 5 a. m. to 7 r. m. He re- 

 ported the number as being 2135, actual count. In 

 order that the committee might have some idea of 

 the quantity of- nectar secreted in the flowers of 

 a single head, the daj' before ovir arrival Mr. Chap- 

 man had wrapped a thin paper about a head, the 

 half of which was in full bloom, and tied the paper 

 around the stem with tape, thus preventing the 

 bees from appropriating the nectar for 34 hours. 

 Upon removing the paper on the forenoon of the 

 day of our visit, the flowerets were found to be 

 dripping with nectar, and the drops sjiarkled in the 

 morning sun. Each of us have made similar tests 

 with like results since that time. We cheerfully 

 and confidently recommend this plant to the bee- 

 keepers of North America as a most valuable ac- 

 qr.isition to the list of bee-forage plants. 



We believe that a trial of the plant will, better 

 than any further words of approval from us, pub- 

 lish its own commendation. 



Rt'spectfnlbi submitted. 



N. W. McLain. 



A. I. KooT. 

 L. C. Root. 



The following is a report in regard to the 

 plant, from Mr. Manum, who was absent at 

 the time the other members of the commit- 

 tee asseml)led at Mr. Chai)man"s: 



L. C. Root, ChairiiKitt of Committee on the Chap- 

 man Homy-Plant— Dear Sir;— As I failed to put in 

 an appearance when the committee met at Mr. 

 Chapman's, in July last, it is not only due you, but 

 to Mr. Chapman aiid the convention as well, that I 

 make a short report of my experience with the 

 Chapman honey-plant, 50 roots of which Mr. Chap- 

 man so kindly sent me last spring-. The plants 

 thrived well through the summer, under moderate 

 cultivation, and planted on light sandy soil. I did 

 not take extra pains with them, as I wished to test 

 their hardiness. The plants commenced to bloom 

 July 14, and contiinied to bloom until Aug. 21, 

 making 39 days that they continued in bloom; and 

 from the first day of their blooming until the last, 

 the little flowei--balls were covered with bees every 

 day from early morning until dark, rain or shine 

 (we had no very heavy rains during this period), 

 the bees constantly going and coming. I have 

 counted 16 bees on one ball at one time, all sucking 

 the sweet nectar from the richly laden flowers of 

 the Chapman honey-plant. At Mr. Chapman's re- 

 ((uest I covei-ed 8 of the balls with tissue paper, and 

 2 with muslin. On the following day there were 

 several bee-keepers here. I removed the paper 

 fi-oin the balls, and. lo and behold! the flowers were 

 filled— ies, covered, as it were, with honey. We 

 found, by holding the hand under one of the balls, 

 and jarring it, the honey dropped in the hand 

 enough to make sevi;ral dn^ps. In a moment a bee 

 alighted on one of the uncovered balls, and never 

 mo\-ed until its sacK was filled, when it flew iiv\iiy. 

 On timing them I found that five bees filled them- 

 selves and flew away in two minutes and twenty 

 seconds fi-om the time the fir?t bee alighted on the 

 plant. The two balls that were covered with mus- 

 lin were now uncovered; but the honey seemeil to 

 have evaporated, as there was but little visible, 

 although 1 had noticed bees alight on the muslin, 

 and try to suck honey through the cloth. This fact 

 was conclusive to me that the bees could smell the 

 honey through the cloth. I find ;that, by cutting- 



