AUGUST 1, 1914 



591 



plant continues to bloom late in November. 

 No matter what the season is, we get some 

 honey from this plant, and it comes when 

 there is nothing else for the bees to work 

 on. We never get strictly pure buckwheat 

 honey from our home yard, as it is always 

 part *' savory " honey ; and after the buck- 

 wheat harvest is over the bees continue 

 carrying honey from the " summer savory " 

 (this is the name it goes by here), and 

 nearly every fall in September we extract 

 from the body of the hives from two to five 

 frames of savory honey, and the empty 

 frames are returned for the bees to fill later 

 for their winter stores. 



I have been keeping bees for 20 years, 

 and have never failed to get some honey 

 from this plant when I failed from all other 

 sources. Five years ago from 60 colonies, 

 sirring count, I produced over four thousand 

 i;)ounds of comb honey besides increasing to 

 85 colonies. 



This was not a record-breaker, but better 

 than none in a poor season. Last season 

 was the poorest in this 

 section that we have 

 had in many years. We 

 had cold freezing 

 weather up to June, 

 freezing back fruit, lo- 

 cust, basswood, etc., so 

 we got no honey from 

 these. One of the driest 

 of summers followed. 

 However, from 170 

 colonies, spring count, 

 we secured 6000 lbs. of 

 honey ; while several 

 miles from here, and 

 just outside this thyme 

 belt, a beekeeiDer with 

 75 colonies, and run- 

 ning for comb honey, 

 failed to get an ounce. 

 Another party, in the 

 thyme section, just a 

 few miles from me, se- 

 cured 800 pounds of 

 oomb honey from 60 

 colonies. 



We have one draw- 

 back. There are no 

 early honey-flows here 

 excepting from dande- 

 lion and fruit bloom, 

 and it is only by mov- 

 ing the bees to out- 

 yards, and careful 

 manipulation, that we 

 get them built up for 

 clover bloom. I don't 

 know that we can call 



this a drawback; for in one way, by having 

 the locality a little overstocked at this sea- 

 son it puts a damper to swarming. We had 

 only five natural swarms from 170 colonies 

 the past season. 



The honey from wild thyme is of the 

 finest quality and a good seller. " A cus- 

 tomer once, always a customer." 



I have heard a good many people say that 

 this plant resembles heather; so, after I 

 decided to write this article I wrote to John 

 Burroughs, the naturalist (who has a sum- 

 mer home not far from my place), enquir- 

 ing in what way this plant resembled heath- 

 er, and asking if he had ever found it gi'ow- 

 ing in other localities. The following is the 

 reply : 



The plant you refer to is a species of mint. It is 

 not related to the heather. The heather is much 

 larger and more showy. Our arbutus, wintergreen, 

 laurel, and many others are of this family. I noticed 

 this mint covering the pasture and roadside.s last 

 summer when I drove to Prattsville and to Jolmson 

 Hollow. I forget its specific name. I have never 

 seen it elsewhere. I have tried your honey, and like 

 it. John Burrough.s. 



West Park, New York, Dec. 17. 



Wild thyme, or summer savory, which is a sure yielder in the eastern part 

 of Delaware County, N. Y. 



