26 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



state in the Union, and have re- 

 ceived man}' flattering testimonials 

 unsolicited on my part. I now 

 claim for it without fear of sne- 

 cessful contradiction, that it is the 

 best hone}' plant in existence, 

 thriving last season (the dryest 

 ever known in the history of our 

 State) and producing an abund- 

 ance of honey after all other flow- 

 ers were either killed by drought or 

 failed to secrete nectar. During 

 the latter part of the honey sea- 

 son in 1886 a severe drought pre- 

 vailed, but Melissa was not injured 

 in the least in this locality. The 

 seeds are sure to germinate under 

 the most unfavorable conditions. 

 Plants root deep, are very hardy, 

 free from insect ravages, grow with 

 very little care, bloom profusely^ 

 and the exquisite fragrance from 

 the flowers is imi)arted to the honey. 

 Despite the severe drought here all 

 •summer my plants were a marvel 

 to behold. 



August 15, I sent to the "Amer- 

 ican Bee Journal" a mammoth 

 ■stalk which measured two feet and 

 seven inches in height, eight feet 

 and ten inches in circumference, 

 and had up to that date put forth 

 thirty tlionsand flowers. The editor 

 commented on the plant as follows : 

 " We find the plant to be j^lst as 

 it is described above by Mr. Tyr- 

 j.g}^ * * * * j^ YV'as known to the 

 ancient Greeks to possess a won- 

 derful attraction to the bees, hence 

 they named it Melissa, or the 

 " Honey Producer." It is also 

 called balm, balm-leaf, etc. It is 

 credited with being a hardy grower, 

 is fragrant and very productive, 

 as is also shown by the above 

 where Mr. Tyrrel says that the 

 plant sent us has already put forth 

 thirty thousand flowers, not count- 

 ing the smaller laterals or buds of 

 which there are several thousands 

 in various stages of development. 

 It will thrive on either wet or dry 

 soil, and will pay for cultivation 



for its honey alone." Being a^ 

 annual, the plants are of much 

 greater value than the perennial 

 varieties. Bear in mind that 

 Melissa is not a noxious weed, that 

 will, if allowed, take possession of 

 your farm or garden, but a flower- 

 ing plant fit to grace any lady's 

 flower bed, for its exquisite fra- 

 grance, even the stalks and leaves 

 emitting a grateful perfume. If at 

 any time you wish to exterminate 

 the plants, cut them oflf' close to 

 the ground, and they die, root and 

 branch ; but I believe no beekeeper 

 after one trial will beorudsre the 

 ground they grow upon. 



Seeds should be sown or plants 

 set, if the soil is rich, thirty-six 

 inches apart each way, and tended 

 to produce the best results, like 

 other flowers or vegetables. Once 

 sowing is sufficient as plants spring 

 up so thickly the following season 

 from seed self-sown, that few if 

 any weeds can grow. If the seeds 

 are sown and lightly covered in the 

 fall, just liefore the ground freezes, 

 plants will spring up before the 

 frost is fairly out of the ground, 

 and before weeds start. 



Young plants grow rapidly and 

 strong, and shortly after tiiey spring 

 up can be cultivated with a horse. 



If your ground has been kept 

 free from weeds the first season, no 

 further attention is necessary for 

 years to come, unless perhaps, to 

 drag the ground every si)ring there- 

 after, to mellow the soil and thin 

 out the plants which will come up 

 so thickly as to entirely hide the 

 ground. Remember you are not 

 obliged to sow time and time again 

 to insure a good stand, as is the 

 case with Melilot or sweet clover, 

 and it will thrive as well as, if not 

 better than melilot, in waste places. 

 I have to-day sown half a bushel 

 of melissa seed on the snow in 

 waste places along th(*creek banks, 

 a few rods from my apiary. Seeds 

 can be sown in the spring as soon 



