12 



their stores, a bee keeper should have some knowledge of the honey 

 plants of his locality and their honey value. 



White clover. — Among the several clovers, white clover ranks first. 

 It is found in nearly all quarters of the State, but flourishes best on 

 limed or limestone soils, and is j^articularly abundant in the northern 

 and western parts of the State. Just over the line in the Champlain 

 Valley of Vermont the chief source of honey is white clover, which 

 grows there in tangles and mats. "\Miite clover honey ranks high 

 in the market ; its color and flavor make it one of the finest of Ameri- 

 can honeys. 



Alsike clover. — This is frequently sown for forage, and is becoming 

 more and more renowned as a honey source. Under favorable con- 

 ditions it yields not only a good quality of nectar, but large quanti- 

 ties of it. It rivals the red clover, on which bees work to a limited 

 extent, but in which the vast stores of nectar are too deep in the 

 flower tubes to be within reach of the bee's tongue. Alsike blooms 

 with white clover and will bloom a second time when white clover 

 has ceased, thus prolonging the honey flow from clover. 



Red clover. — This is also a more or less continuous bloomer, wdiich, 

 inasmuch as the second flowering brings smaller, shorter-tubed heads, 

 is somewhat accessible to bees. 



Sweet clover. — There are two species, white and yellow, but neither 

 is abundant in Massachusetts. It is a boimtiful source of honey else- 

 where, and may become so in this State. 



Crimson clover. — As a honey plant this is of slight importance 

 as far north as Massachusetts. 



Golden-rod and asters. — These plants, as reported in this State, 

 rank close to the clovers in nectar secretions. Both begin to flower 

 in July and continue until frost. The early bloom, however, is not 

 visited by bees to any extent, and it is not until September that the 

 flow begins, when the hive takes on a characteristic strong and pleas- 

 ant odor. The honey, though rather dark and thick, has a rich, 

 aromatic flavor, which man}^ people consider superior. In Massachu- 

 setts a marketable surplus is frequently taken in September. 



Fruit hloom. — Apple, pear, cherry, plum, peach, etc., wdiich are 

 found in abundance throughout the State, are next in importance. 

 Fruit bloom is the source of early stores upon which the colonies 

 build up for the clover harvest. Insufficient numbers of bees at this 

 season and unfavorable weather make it difficult to secure a surplus 

 from this source, but the fortunate bee keeper who does secure a crop 

 should realize that he has a superior product. The body is heavy, the 

 color is clear and light (usually an amber), and the flow comes with 

 a rush which insures handsome sections; but best of all is the exquisite 

 aroma of the apple blossom, which places fruit-bloom honey in a 

 class by itself. 



