1124 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



One of my yards built up wonderfully and 

 stored considerable surplus from this source 

 before clover commenced to yield. It grows 

 best in damp places along the bottoms of 

 gullies and small creeks. I cannot say 

 whether it would stand the severe winter of 

 the middle states. It will stand a certain 

 amount of frost, but I have seen the young 

 leaves cut by a severe late frost. The 

 flower is not as handsome as its South 

 American cousin, but it is more valuable 

 to the beekeeper as a sj^ring stimulant. 



2. Sopliora tetraptera, yellow kowhai, a 

 handsome tree attaining over 40 ft. in 

 height; pinnate leaves; large gold-colored 

 blossoms; trees often bare of leaves in 

 spring; flowers produced in axils of leaf- 

 less branches ; calyx greenish. It blooms in 

 September and October. The tree grows 

 best on dry stony places. It is slow-grow- 

 ing, but produces a very hard and durable 

 timber. The How of honey and pollen from 

 this source enables us to make an early 

 start with queen-rearing operations. The 

 photo shows year-old seed-pods, and the 

 new pods just forming. 



.S. Parsons'ia heterophylla. Native jes- 

 samine. This is a climbing plant which 

 produces great clusters of pale-cream 

 sweet-scented blossoms in October, and the 

 bees work hard on it for honey while it 

 lasts. The seed is produced in long pods. 

 A seed with wings can be seen on one pod 

 in the picture. 



Muhlenbeekia adpiessa 



4. Myoporum laettim. Native name 

 ugnio. A large tree (30 to 40 ft.) which 

 blooms in October and November. The 

 flowers are ineonspiQUQ^s, Some years 



it yields honey well. It grows readily 

 from seed, and comes up thick after a 

 forest fire. The timber is useless, and cattle 

 often get poisoned by eating the leaves. 



5. MiiJtlenbeekia adpiessa. A large 

 rambling climber with very small green 

 flowers which the bees work on in October. 



Leptosprrmum scoparium 



6. Leptospermuvi scoparium. — Native 

 name manuka, altho it is called tea-tree 

 by settlers. This is a sort of shrub 

 which grows on poor soils. The blossoms 

 vary in color from white to pink. There 

 is a tree which has similar but smaller 

 white blossoms. Both varieties bloom in 

 December, and the bees work them both 

 until the clover yields honey. It is not 

 a desirable honey, being dark and strong- 

 flavored, and too thick to extract. The 

 honey in its purity has a strong resem- 

 blance to Scottish heather honey. The 

 shrub has been called the New Zealand 

 heather, and a whole hillside in bloom 

 makes a very pretty sight. In some parts 

 of New Zealand fair quantities of this 

 honey are produced, mostly in sections. 



Wainui, New Zealand. 



