ArRii,, 1921 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



213 



ing a large drop tliat can V)C shaken from the 

 2)lant. 



An examination of fireweod flowers in 

 many places in northern Ontario by the 

 writer in July and August, 1918, showed 

 that they secreted nectar more readily and 

 under a greater variety of soil and weatlier 

 conditions than alsike and white clover. The 

 lioney flow also lasts longer than that of 

 clover. In the Gatineau Valley it begins one 

 or two weeks later than clover, about July 

 10, and goes on until about Sept. 5. It thus 

 covers the whole of the best part of the sum- 

 mer after the bees have had plenty of time 

 to build up. Each main stem carries numer- 

 ous flower buds; those at the bottom open 

 first, and the flowers slowly ascend so that 

 several weeks elapse before the top buds 

 open. Flowering side shoots also develop. 



In the warmer valleys of the southern 

 part of British Columbia the plants start 

 to grow so early and develop so quickly that 

 many come to an end of flowering a good 

 while before the end of the summer; but in 

 the north, they continue flowering until 

 there comes about five degrees of frost, 

 which is severe enough to destroy the bloom. 

 In northern Ontario, this killing frost often 

 comes as early as the last, week of August. 



Fireweed likes moist ground and a cool 

 temperature. As in the case of other plants, 

 cool nights and warm days cause the greatest 

 nectar secretion. Mr. Turnbull's statement 

 that his fireweed yields best on the edge of 

 a swamp is in line with a remark made to 

 the writer by F. Dundas Todd, that it 

 "needs to have its feet wet," and with ob- 

 servations made at Monteith, Ont., whore in 

 burned-over clay ground that was so moist 



that it was covered with green moss and 

 liverwort, a very copious secretion of nectar 

 had taken place on a sunny morning, Aug. 7, 

 1918. 



Drainage is probablj' important, as I have 

 frequently noticed poor growth and poor 

 secretion in undrained swamps. 



Unfortunately, the best areas for fireweeil- 

 honey production are often hard to reach 

 and are seldom utilized by beekeepers. The 

 loss of the apiary by a fresh forest fire must 

 be guarded against in some places. 

 Different Methods of Propagation in Differ- 

 ent Regions. 



In eastern Canada rei)eated dry, warm 

 seasons weaken the plants and cause them 

 to die out. In the frequently dry and warm 

 region near the junction of the Ottawa and 

 Gatineau Eivers at Chelsea, Quebec, it was 

 noticed that, after a fire the fireweed devel- 

 oped, not from the seed which was blown 

 all over the country in the fall, but from 

 the rootstocks of scattered plants that had 

 been existing in the bush in a languishing 

 state without flowering. Directly after the 

 fire, these rootstocks threw up strong plants 

 and developed rapid root growth, which 

 traveled over 20 feet in diff'crent directions 

 and produced buds at short intervals. The 

 following year each bud produced a flower- 

 ing plant and a further extensive network 

 of rootstocks. Numerous seedlings were 

 watched; it was noticed that all died except 

 those that were kept continuously moist on 

 the borders of streams in wet places. 



On the other hand, at Monteith, Ontario, 

 in a cooler moister country about 200 miles 

 further north, a splendid stand of fireweed 

 was found in a moist clay bush land that 



Hiboi-iiiilint; rootstocks of fireweed fi-otii near Ottawa, Out., in Octol)ej-. 1. Iii 

 older root. :i. An ibolated old root from tlie l)\isli, no longer flowering-. Tli< 



plentiful as the root grows older. 



bu ( 



liurnt uround. 'J. An 

 are smaller an<l less 



