isy, 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



373 



Report of the North American Convention Held 

 at St. Joseph, Mo., Oct. 10-12, 1894. 



RKl'ORTED BT I.OUIS R. IJGHTON. 



[Continued from page 358.1 

 WHAT SHALL WE PLANT FOR HONEY ? 



Melilot or Sweet Clover (.Ucn7otus otoa). The white meli- 

 lot or Bokhara clover is an excellent honey-plant, yielding from 

 early iu July until frost. There are a few plants of this near 

 my apiary and my bees were on them during the whole period 

 of bloom, but especially in July and August when there was 

 nothing else for them. I have purchast a bushel of the seed 

 to sow next spring. The plant sends its roots deep, hence 

 stands drouth well. In the South it is used extensively as a 

 forage crop, for early spring pasturage, and as a soil renova- 

 tor, while if cut before the stems become woody the hay is ex- 

 cellent. It will thrive on any soil containing lime, and often 

 yields five to six tons per acre when cut two or three times. 

 Even if not desirable, in a given case, to cultivate sweet clover 

 *s a forage plant, bee-keepers will do well to scatter the seed 

 in waste places anywhere within a mile of their apiaries, es- 

 pecially where summer pasturage is lacking. 



Fuller's Teasel (Dipsacus fuUomim) yields honey abun- 

 dantly during the months of July and August, lasting some 

 throe weeks. The price of the heads (used by fullers in rais- 

 ing the nap on cloth) is now scarcely oue-tenth what it used 

 to be in this country owing to the invention of machinery to 

 <lo the same work, so that it is doubtful about there being 

 much profit in cultivating it. 



Winter Rape {Brassica '»iapi(.«) sown in the summer or au- 

 tumn (according to the latitude) blossoms the following April 

 or May and yields houey abundantly. The seed of the Dwarf 

 Essex variety is now much sought after for sowing to produce 

 autumn or early spring pasturage, especially for sheep, or for 

 soiling purposes. A valuable oil can also be made from it. It 

 is raised extensively in Germany for this purpose, and bee- 

 keepers there secure considerable yields of honey from this, 

 a- y<ell as from the annual or summer variety. 



Turnips and Cabbages, when planted out to secure seed, 

 furnish an early yield of good honey. 



Parsnip {Pastiiuiea sativa). — When permitted to run up to 

 seed this plant is said to yield honey abundantly. Personally 

 I do not know anything about its honey-producing capacities. 

 But one of our honorary members, Mr. George de Layens, of 

 France, places it in the front rank. If his observation is cor- 

 rect, why should not our bee-keepers raise the parsnip seed 



for the country. 



Annuals: — 



Crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum) . This has been 

 raised most extensively in Delaware and farther south, but 

 may be sown in the spring anywhere in the North. It would 

 surely thrive in Pennsylvania, Ohio and westward, and will 

 grow on light sandy soils too poor to raise other clovers ; also 

 on light clay soils, and soils lacking in lime. It is an excellent 

 renovator of the soil, a good forage plant, furnishing good 

 pasturage and a fair crop of hay, while our bees are busy on 

 It for some time — even as early as April in the South when the 

 seed has been sown in August or September. 



Japanese or Bush clover {Lenpedeza striata) is another leg- 

 uminous plant largely grown in the South for forage and as a 

 renovator of worn soils. It can be raised farther north — sure- 

 ly as far as the Ohio and likely beyond this limit if sown after 

 all danger of frost is past. Moist clay soil seems best adapted 

 to it, but it will grow on very poor land — anything but pure 

 sand — and stand drouth well. The North Carolina Experi- 

 ment Station says of Japan Clover : "The ability to grow on 

 land too poor to produce even broomsedge, and to crowd out 

 all other plants: its dying each winter and leaving its roots to 

 fertilize the soil ; and its possessing the nitrogen-fixing power 

 peculiar to the pulse family of plants, place Japan clover at 

 the head of renovating plants adapted to the climate of South- 

 ern States. It Is unequaled as a restorer of worn fields, such 



as are generally turned out to grow up in pines." The ex- 

 tended cultivation of this crop will greatly benefit our agri- 

 culturists, and bee-keepers will also derive advantage from It. 



Yellow Melilot (Melllutus offiflnalin) and Black Medkk or 

 Yellow Trefoil (Medicayo luijulina) are leguminous plants 

 more often met with in the South than in the North, yet both 

 of which may also be grown almost anywhere in the Union, 

 and will vary from annual to biennial according to latitude. 

 They are honey-plants as well as forage and soil-renovating 

 crops. 



Summer Rape (Brassica campcstris var. cnlza.) This var- 

 iety of rape sown in the spring blossoms from six to eight 

 weeks. It is not nearly so valuable as the winter rape for for- 

 age, but is raised for its seed and from which a useful oil is 

 exprest. Where the summer heat and drouth are not too great 

 for it, this plant may be made to render good service to the 

 bees, when sown so as to fill the mid-season gap in the har- 

 vest. 



Melon, cucumber, gourd, squash, and pumpkin vines yield 

 honey all summer, and where some acres are devoted to these 

 the return is considerable. Nor is it a one-sided aflair alto- 

 gether, for the cultivator of these cucurbits is greatly in- 

 debted to the bee-keeper for the complete fertilization of the 

 blossoms and consequent productiveness of his vines — a state- 

 ment which, for that matter, applies to many other crops as 

 well. 



Onion {Allium cepa) yields honey. No doubt also other 

 plants of the same genus, as for example, Chives (A. slio'no- 

 prasum) Shallot (^-1. ascalonicum) , Garden Garlic (A.satitmm), 

 and Garden Leek (A. porrum). The Wild Leek {A. tricoccmn) 

 is an abundant yielder, and tho I never harvested honey from 

 any other species or genus, my bees once gathered several hun- 

 dred pounds of honey from the wild leek, which, tho it had a 

 good body and was rather light-colored, was at first so strong 

 in taste and odor as to be very repugnant, but became after 

 exposure for some days iu open buckets quite palatable. Since 

 the leek is one of the strongest of these plants, I judge the 

 honey from the other? would also lose any disagreeable quali- 

 ties it might at first possess. 



Buckwheat {Fagopyrum esculcntum) produces large yields 

 of honey some seasons. The honey is dark and strong-flavor- 

 ed, but is relisht by some. The only caution to be observed by 

 the bee-keeper is not to sow it at a time or in a locality where 

 it would interfere with a yield of light honey. It blooms in 

 about five weeks from the time of sowing, and remains usually 

 about three weeks, or until frost is sown in midsummer. I 

 have found, contrary to the view entertained by some and fre- 

 quently repeated in print, that it is excellent for winter stores. 

 My bees have wintered on buckwheat honey alone some sea- 

 sons in a cold climate, too. I would recommend its. cultiva- 

 tion in good, rich soil, in localities not likely to experience 

 great drouths with high temperature. 



Cotton {Qossypium herbaceum] begins to blossom in June, 

 and, tho each flower fades within about three days after open- 

 ing, others develop successively until late autumn, furnishing, 

 under favorable circumstances, good yields. Unfortunately in 

 those States where cotton growing is followed extensively, api- 

 culture is one of the neglected industries. 



Orka or Gumbo (Hibiscus esculcntus). This plant belongs 

 to the same family, Malvace;e or Mallow family, as cotton, 

 and the hollyhock, so common everywhere, as well as the abu- 

 tilons prized as ornaments, all of which are very acceptable to 

 our bees. Okra pods are excellent for soups and stews, and 

 they may be dried and used during winter. If one is located 

 near a city he might raise this extensively and find a market 

 for it. Perhaps the dried product would find a profitable sale 

 if shipt to our larger cities. 



Indian Corn (Zca mays) yields honey and pollen. 



Vetches (T'icio spp.),Cow-Pea( rii/iia [Doliclios] (sinensis), 

 Lentil {Lens escuienta) and Lupines tLupinus spp.) are all le- 

 guminous annuals, valuable for forage, as nitrogen-collect- 

 ing soil-renovators, and for their honey. They are mostly 

 grown in the South, but may also be raised successfully in the 

 North. The Russian or Hairy Vetch (T'icin villosa) is the har- 

 diest and has been found the most valuable of all vetches for 

 this country. The Common Vetch ( 1'. satirnl is of smaller 

 growth, and may be known by its smooth light-green leaves, 

 with pink flowers, while the Russian vetch has purple flowers 

 in larger clusters, and dark-green leaves which are hairy. 

 What are known as "Winter Vetch," and " Chinese Vetch," 

 are species of Lathyrus or perennial peas, valuable as forage- 

 plants, but not to be confounded with true vetches. Honey is 

 secreted, under favorable circumstances by glands located at 

 the bases of the leaves of vetches. 



The Cow Pea extensively grown in the South for forage, 

 hay, and green manuring, also yields honey from similar extra 

 floral glands. The Massachusetts and Connecticut experl- 



