166 SMALL ANIMALS AND INSECTS. [Chap. II 



. t . — . 



IS")", the yield of lionoy and wax, in the Empire of Austria, was estimated 

 to be worth over seven millions of dollars ! !" 



Could not still more favorable results be obtained in this country, under 

 a rational system of management availinj^ itself of the aid of science, art, and 

 skill { The island of Corsica i^roduces about 8UU lbs. of honey to the square 

 mile, per annum. 



There is no probability t.hat any section of this country will reach such a 

 state of productiveness in this generation. Yet we hope all who read these 

 extracts will think what an immense loss is sustained annually by our neg- 

 lect to employ harvesters to gather the great crop of sweets that might be 

 saved if our bee population were large enough to gather it all. 



Upon the sulyect of bee-pasturage, and those plants from which bees draw 

 their stores of honey, we find some useful hints in Harbison's work on Bees 

 and Bee-keeping. He says : 



" The best kinds of early pasturage are the alders, hazel, and willows, some 

 of which yield honey and others pollen ; most species of flowers yield both. 

 Mv observations lead me to believe that the male flower yields pollen, and 

 the female honey ; I have frequently seen bees gathering both honey aiul 

 pollen from the same kind of flowers at the same time. It can be tested by 

 examining both the honey-sack and the baskets on the thigh. These trees 

 arc the first to afford the bees jirovision in the spring ; where these abound, 

 the bees advance earlier than elsewhere. The soft maple {acer ruhrum) 

 yields a considerable quantity of honey very early, if the weather is fine; 

 the golden or yellow willow also yields supplies quite early ; peach, cherry, 

 and pear trees put forth early ; gooseberries, currants, strawberries, etc., uU 

 afford rich supplies. To close this list of early flowers, the dandelion and 

 apple come forth in rich profusion, all of which are of the utmost importance 

 for the prosperity of the bees during the season. If this early pasturage 

 fails, or if the weather should be so unfavorable as to prevent the bees from 

 gathering a supply of provisions, they will fail to rear a sufficient quantity 

 of brood to swarm early or to harvest the clover honey to advantage. 



" It is but seldom, if ever, that a sutficient quantity of honey is gathered 

 from these early flowers to cause the bees to store it in surplus boxes, yet 

 enough is frequently obtained to fill up a lai-ge portion of the combs from 

 which the honey has been consumed during the winter, and serves to supply 

 their immediate wants until clover blooms. 



" The next pasturage comes from turnips, cabbage, and the hard maple 

 {acer sat'c/xirinum), Mhich yield a considerable quantity of honey, but later 

 than the soft maple. Turnij)s produce a very copious supply of both honey 

 and pollen, and if left standing in the ground over winter, they bloom just 

 at a time to fill the interval between the fruit-tree flowers and the clover. 

 This is also the case with the cabbage family, all of which yield large quan- 

 tities of honey. A field of either turnips or cabbage at this early season is 

 of greater value to the bees than the same quantity of either clover or buck- 

 wheat. 



