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AMERICAN BEK JOURNAL. 



enrolled. A communication was read 

 from Mrs. Jennie Atchley, of Greenville, 

 Texas. Letters were read from Messrs. 

 J. H. Mullin & Son, of Oakland, Mr. J. 

 W. Eckman, of Richmond, and Messrs. 

 W. R. Graham & Son, of Greenville, 

 wishing success to the Association, and 

 tendering their regrets for not being 

 able to attend. 



A five-banded untested queen was 

 donated by Mrs. Jennie Atchley, to be 

 presented to the most handsome bee- 

 keeper present ; upon ballot the honor 

 fell to Mr. R. A. Armstrong, Jr. 



Mr. W. O. Victor also donated a three- 

 banded untested queen for the ugliest 

 bee-keeper present ; upon ballot, Judge 

 M. H. Sanders was awarded the prize. 



There were on exhibition two patterns 

 of improved bee-hives, one made by W. 

 R. Graham, and the other is called the 

 "Root dovetailed hive," presented by 

 W. O. Victor. The preference was 

 given to the last-named. 



The opinion was in general discussion, 

 that the season had been unfavorable to 

 bee-culture — the weather too cool, and 

 too much rain for a full out-put of the 

 honey product. A return of dry weather 

 induces the hope of abetter prospect for 

 a large yield. 



The convention adjourned to meet 

 again at the apiary of Mr. W. O. Victor, 

 of Wharton, on the first Tuesday in 

 May, 1894. All bee-keepers are invited 

 to attend and become members of the 

 Association. 



H. J. Moses, Sec. pro tern. 



The Honey-Plants of Northern Texas, 

 and How to Utilize Them. 



Bead at the late Texas State Convention 

 BY DB. WM. K. HOWABD. 



(Continued from page 782.) 

 Milkweed {anantherlx connivens, 

 Feay), commences flowering early in 

 May, with a succession of flowers up to 

 the middle of June, and sometimes later. 

 It furnishes an abundance of honey of 

 an inferior quality, being strong and 

 pungent. It yields no pollen ; its pollen 

 cohering in masses, called pollinia, are 

 suspended by a thread-like beak, in the 

 sides of the connate mass of anthers, 

 which are five-angled, truncate, opening 

 by five longitudinal fissures, which, 

 when the flower opens and comes to 

 maturity, release the pollinia, throwing 

 them out, and being furnished with 

 wings, so to speak, and a heavy viscid 

 beak will scarcely escape the cup-like 



flower without coming in contact with 

 the stigma. 



These pollen-masses are of great in- 

 convenience to the bees, as in visiting 

 the flower for the nectar, their feet come 

 in contact with these pollinia, and by 

 the viscid fluid they become firmly at- 

 tached ; and in going from flower to 

 flower, every pair that touches, sticks. 

 As soon as the viscid liquid dries, it be- 

 comes brittle, and soon falls off. They 

 do not kill the bees, as asserted by some, 

 but I am satisfied that bees are consid- 

 erably disabled for the time being, by 

 these unnatural and clumsy appendages, 

 and I am of the opinion that bees would 

 do as well, or perhaps better, without 

 this plant; but where it is to be found, 

 bees will invariably visit it, notwith- 

 standing the deleterious consequences ; 

 but, were it not for this plant, some sea- 

 sons, many apiaries would starve out, 

 as it stands the drouth well, and is often 

 the only honey-plant we have. 



Persimmon {diospyros virginiana) com- 

 mences to bloom early in May, with a 

 succession of flowers for rather more 

 than a month, early varieties sometimes 

 have half-grown fruit by the time the 

 later varieties are in bloom. It affords 

 an excellent quality of honey ; in locali- 

 ties where there are a few acres of these 

 trees, bees will become rich in stores in 

 a very short time. 



Black sumac [rhiis) commences to 

 bloom about the first of June, with a 

 succession of flowers for one month ; 

 white sumac 10 or 15 days later, both 

 furnishing honey and pollen of fair 

 quality. 



Cottton-plant {gossypium herbacum) 

 commences to bloom about June 15th, 

 with a succession of flowers until frost, 

 furnishing both pollen and honey. The 

 blossom expands its petals of rich 

 creamy-white, about 10 o'clock a.m. 

 As soon as the flower is open enough, 

 the bees visit it, gathering both pollen 

 and honey ; prior to the opening of new 

 flowers, early in the morning, the bees 

 seek the flowers of the day before, which 

 have closed, and are of a pale-red color ; 

 diving down outside at the base, and 

 lapping up the delicious nectar, which 

 is no longer necessary for the develop- 

 ment of floral organs. Bees gather 

 more honey from this flower after it be- 

 gins to close, say after 11 o'clock a.m. 

 until 9 a.m. next day, than from the 

 freshly-opened flower, which furnishes 

 mostly pollen. The honey from this 

 plant is dark, like that of buckwheat, 

 but of good flavor, very thick, and 

 granulating shortly after it is extracted. 



Jamestown weed {datura stramonium). 



