1902 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



555 



NOTES OF TRAVEL 



The Black Sage of California ; Mclntyre's Automat- 

 ic Water-power Extractor. 



BY E. R. ROOT. 



In our last issue I explained that I would 

 g-ive a view of the California black sage, 

 from which most of the so-called white-sage 

 honey of California comes. It very much 

 resembles, as will be seen, the button sage 

 — so much so that there is a possibility that 

 I have confused one for the other. I secur- 

 ed a two-thirds life-sized photo, which, 

 though not very clear, gives a very fair 

 idea of the shape of the plant and of the 

 iiower-clusters. This particular specimen 



as shown in Fig. 1 has "gone to seed."' 

 But there are a few white flowers that 

 stand out from the side of the heads. It 

 will be noticed that the corolla-tubes (or 

 would be if life-size) are quite deep; and it 

 is doubtful whether the average bees, Ital- 

 ians or blacks, could reach the full depth 

 of these tubes. It is, therefore, important 

 that we stretch the tongues of the bees if we 

 possibly can. 



Black sage is another example of the fact 

 that some of the best honey-bearing flora 

 are very insignificant in appearance ; for, 

 as I have heretofore explained, nature ei- 

 ther puts out something very gaudy in the 

 way of a flower to attract insects or else 

 holds out some choice morsels of nectar in 

 little wee insignificant flowers whose color 



BLACK SAGE OF CALIFORNIA. 



