624 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



of the petals removed. 

 No. 4 is a flower 

 just coming to full 

 bloom. No. 5 is a 

 bloom at its fullest. 

 The dark spot in No. 

 5 is where the bees 

 enter for the nectar, 

 the depth of which can 

 be judged from No. 2. 

 I have seen as many 

 as three bees working 

 on a single bloom at 

 the same time. The 

 fuzzy petals interfere 

 with the progress of 

 the bees to some ex- 

 tent, as they are oblig- 

 ed to work their way 

 through to the honey- 

 cup. They get well 

 paid, as a rule, for 

 their work. 



Redlands, Cal. 



The eucalyptus is of vast importance in California. 



•-•-•^ 



A NATIONAL COLLECTION OF HONEY -PLANTS 



BY BURTON N. GATES; PH. D. 



The Massachusetts Agricultural College, 

 through the courtesy of the Botanical De- 

 partment, Prof. A. V. Osmun in charge, 

 has kindly consented to serve as a reposi- 

 tory for specimens of honey and pollen 

 plants from various parts of the country. 

 The year 1915 seems to be devoted to the 

 study of this subject, especiallj' by the bee- 

 keeping press. 



It is, moreover, fundamentally important, 

 and is so recognized by the progressive bee- 

 keepers, for only by a thorough understand- 

 ing of the flora can the most successful 

 honey-cropping be accomplished. From 

 time to time the flora of a given locality 

 changes. New honey sources appear. Some 

 seasons one honey-plant may predominate ; 

 in another season, other plants may pre- 

 dominate. Furthei'more, a given plant may 

 yield nectar, as, for instance, alfalfa, in one 

 hicality and not in another. The reasons 

 foi" some of these phenomena are not fully 

 understood. 



Tt is with a view to determine the range 

 of honey-plants and the locations of their 

 highest el'lieiency that this institution pro- 

 poses to serve the beekeepei-s. In so far 

 as possible, too, the institution will assist 

 beekeepers in the determination of unknown 

 honey-plants. I'urthermoi'e, s p e c i m e n s 

 I'eeeived according to tlie directions given 



below will be tiled in a permanent herbarium 

 of nectar and pollen yielding flora. This 

 collection should become invaluable as a 

 som'ce of reference during years to come. 



Beekeepers are, therefore, invited to 

 furnish for this collection, according to the 

 following directions, specimens of their 

 local sources of nectar and pollen. 



Plants should be pressed and dried for 

 shipping, as tliere is always danger that 

 when shipped in fi-esh condition they will 

 not reach their destination in good condition 

 for preserving and identification. 



DIRECTIONS. 



1. Plants for pressing should be in full 

 blossoms and should go into the ])iess while 

 fresh. 



2. Newspapers may be used as driers, 

 if care is taken to change them each day 

 until the plants are perfectly dr^^, otherwise 

 moldy specimens will be the result. Place 

 the plant between several thicknesses of pa- 

 per. If a plant is taller than the length of 

 the paper it may be folded over to fit. 



3. Use the margins of the newspapers on 

 which to write necessarj^ data, including 

 name of plant — common or scientific — place 

 and date of collection, name and address of 

 collector, and a note of tlie value of the 

 plant in your locality for honey or pollen. 



