JUNE 15, 1914 



A field of white aster in Kentuclcy. 



ASTEM IN KENTUCKY 



BY JAMES S. JOHNSON 



In the mountains of Kentucky we have 

 two distinct honey-flows. The white flow 

 begins with fruit-bloom, and lasts until the 

 middle of July and closes with the sour- 

 wood flow. We may then have a dearth, 

 owing to weather conditions. If it is rainy 

 weather bees store no surplus until about 

 September 10, when asters come in bloom, 

 lasting until the last of October. 



It should be the object of beekeepers to 

 see that all colonies are kept populous by 

 stimulative feeding, or by leaying enough 

 white honey on the hives to keep up brood- 

 rearing. Last year I looked after my hives 

 to see that all queens were kept busy laying, 

 and tried to have all brood-fraraes full of 

 sealed or hatching brood by September 1. 

 Every thing worked just as I planned. 

 Every colony was rousing strong in bees 

 and lots of brood and eggs. 



The flow began five days later than in the 

 four 2)receding years, owing to the dry sea- 

 son, which made the plants a few days late. 

 Bees do not store much honey from this 

 plant until the fields get as white as snow. 

 My hive on scales showed the heaviest gain 



October 2, 3, 4, 5. The exact gain was 25 

 lbs. for the four days. The whole gain per 

 hive from Sept. 15 until the last of October 

 was 67 lbs., taking the hive on scales for a 

 unit. The 48 colonies in my yard stored 

 3000 lbs. of the golden goods. I harvested 

 about 1500 lbs. of surplus. 



Some brood-frames which I weighed aver- 

 aged 5 lbs. each, making 40 lbs. to the 

 brood-chamber of 8 frames. This shows 

 that all colonies stored about the same 

 amount. 



There were about 95 acres of white aster 

 within reach of my bees. 



Picture No. 1 was taken in my apple- 

 orchard, showing the plants just as the 

 flowers began to open September 17. This 

 land was cultivated in corn in 1911. The 

 majority of the plants came up in the fall 

 of 1912. Last year it bloomed some, and 

 this year it gave a full crop of bloom. This 

 plant follows cultivation. To get a full crop 

 a piece of land should lie at least two years 

 after being plowed. It blooms the heaviest 

 the second year after cultivation. 



I tried saving some seed. The plants were 



