634 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



placed upon (he hives, and in 30 days the 

 bitterness was all gone. 1 am much obliged 

 to him for the suggestion; but my bitter 

 honey came from a different source, Helen- 

 ium tenuifolhiw, the sneezeweed or bitter- 

 weed of the South, a poisonous perennial 

 which can be killed only by mowing it for 

 two years so often tliat it cannot go to seed. 

 It seldom kills cattle, but it makes the milk 

 too bitter for use. It is a nuisance, for 

 even when there is other grazing some cat- 

 tle will eat it. I might say that, though it 

 resembles dog- fennel {Anthemis cotula), it 

 is of a different family. 



Well, I put about a dozen bitter supei's 

 on the hives, next to the brood-chamber, 



though some warned me it would kill the 

 bees. I have just extracted those supers. 

 All the yellow honey was gone, and they 

 were filled with young bees and rich amber 

 lioney. Two supers were rejected, as they 

 still had a slight bitter flavor. So there, you 

 see, are two questions answered. It will 

 not kill bees, for I lost but one colony in the 

 eight montlis of my absence; and you can 

 never be sure of getting rid of the bitter 

 taste. I have never known it to be gath- 

 ered when there was any other nectar, and 

 if re]ilaced on the hives all other honey 

 should be taken away, so that they will be 

 obliged to use it. 

 Florence, Ala. 



THE COMMON LOCUST 



BY J. H. BOWMAN 



The locust yields much honey usually at 

 a time when it is greatly needed by the bees. 

 Ordinarily it blooms about the middle of 

 April in Kentucky, although it sometimes 

 blossoms late in Marcli. This makes it of 

 much value in building up colonies in the 

 spring. Sometimes it yields a nice surplus. 



The honey made from the locust is water- 



wliite and of very fine flavor. Owing to 

 the value of locust timber for fencing jDur- 

 poses it is being cut down very rapidly, and 

 is decreasing in value as a honey-yielder. 

 On the otlier hand the locust grows rapidly, 

 and yields some nectar while it is very 

 young — a partial compensation. 

 Mortonsville, Ky. 



iriut laryt luniiber; 



(1 nectar 

 of bees. 



)!' locust lilossoius at- 



An u^^t'il locust tree in lieavy lilooiu. 



