202 HOW TO KEEP BEES 



wine-red stubble. Buckwheat is usually sown late 

 in the season, often on ground where oats have al- 

 ready been grown earlier in the year. It blossoms 

 in August and even in September, and furnishes a 

 wealth of nectar when there is little to be found else- 

 where. The honey made from buckwheat is dark, 

 reddish brown and brings a lower price in most 

 markets than- do the lighter-coloured varieties. 

 Though it is strong in flavour, it is preferred by 

 many, and on our table it alternates with basswood 

 and clover. It has always seemed poetic justice 

 that the plant which produces buckwheat cakes 

 should produce the honey to eat with them. The 

 following are the good points of buckwheat as a 

 crop: It is profitable, the grain always brings a 

 good price; it grows well on poor soil; it is one of the 

 best agencies for ridding a field of weeds. There is 

 a certain gameness about buckwheat which we have 

 always admired and which was thus characterised 

 by a farmer of our acquaintance: "Buckwheat is a 

 gritty plant; if it can get its head above ground it will 

 blossom. I have seen it, during dry seasons, blossom 

 when its stalks were so short that the bees had to get 

 doum on their hands and knees to gather the honey." 

 While this may be putting the case rather strongly, 

 yet it expresses well the habits of the plant. 



Black mustard, rape and turnips all furnish nectar 

 for excellent honey. The seed of mustard and rape 

 brings a good price, and the root of the turnip is 

 always valuable. 



The blossoms of the red raspberry yield a delicious 



