118 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



June 



is a large enough package in which to 

 retail extracted honey. With one or 

 two exceptions, I find that where peo- 

 ple commence eating honey in a 

 wholesale way, they very soon tire of 

 it and ■R'ant no more, for a while at 

 least 



Swift River, Mass., Feb. 18, 1904. 



HONEY PLANTS. 



By C. S. Harris. 



SHORTLY after becoming interest- 

 ed in bees I made quite a number 

 of experiments with the seeds ot' 

 various nectar secreting plants and 

 plants and weeds from the north, with 

 the hope of adding to the natural bee- 

 inisturage about me. Tliis, so far. I 

 have not succeeded in doing, but it 

 may be of interest to mention some of 

 the plants tried and the results. 



Sweet clover was the first and per- 

 haps the most extensive experimented 

 with, but, while it seeded itself, it 

 could not contend with the natural 

 growth about it and would finally be 

 crowded out. It made a vigorous growth 

 on our hanimoclv lands nnd even on the 

 lighter sand made a fair growth of 

 from three to four feet. Unlike its hab- 

 it north, it bloomed here the first sea- 

 son. The bees gave it but little atten- 

 tion. I am speaking of the white flow- 

 ered. The yellow variety grows here 

 naturally in abundance, but I have 

 never seen a bee on it. 



Alfalfa I found vei-y difficult to get 

 established, owing to the delicacy of 

 the young plants, but I succeeded in 

 growing several beds of it five or six 

 feet in width and fifty or sixty in 

 length. It bloomed nicely and the bees 

 worked on it lightly at times. It died 

 out gradually within three or four 

 years from the time of planting. 



Of catnip, Simpson's honey plant, 

 bornce and some other things. I suc- 

 ceeded in growing a few plants, but 

 they were not of stronc growth and 

 not in nuantity enough to attract the 

 bees, rieome grows well, particular- 

 ly on hammock soil, and is a generous 

 yielder of nectar, but would not take 

 care of itself and must be cultivated 

 for its nectar alone. 



MnstaT'd and seven-top turnins are 

 of free crowth on hammock land r>tid 

 the bees always work well upon fho 

 bloom. The sunflower does finoiy 

 soTne seasons, but the seed, as a rule. 



does not fill out well, although the 

 bees work faithfully upon the blos- 

 soms. 



Crimson clover made a line growth, 

 bloomed freely and the bees worked 

 strongly upon it. I hope to give it a 

 more extensive trial sometime in the 

 future. 



Of all the plants I have tested I 

 think perhaps the sunflower, crimson 

 clover, buckwheat, velvet bean and 

 mustard might be worth cultivation 

 for their nectar in connection with 

 their crop value in other respects. 



I have tried about all of the clovers 

 and so-called clovers and think the 

 crimson the most promising here. 

 White clover grows and seeds itself 

 to some extent along th(? road sides in 

 low ground, but does not do so well 

 in the field. 



Holly Hill. Fla., Nov. 



1903. 



The "Irish Bee Guide'' is the Jiame 

 of a new work on apiculture ,1ust from 

 the press. Its aiithor is our friend 

 and brother editor. Rev. J. G. Digges, 

 M.A., of the Irish Bee .lommal. and 

 member of the examining board of the 

 Irish Bee-Keepers' Association, com- 

 posed of experts. The work comprises 

 210 pages, with 1.50 illustrations, and is 

 the most exhaustive treatise on api- 

 culture ever issued in that country. 

 We have not yet received a copy, but 

 are anxiously awaiting its arrival, as 

 we are familiar with Dr. Digges' en- 

 tertaining and instructive style. 



The St. Croix Valley Honey Produc- 

 ers Association was recently organized 

 in Wisconsin. The management of the 

 new organization is in the hands of 

 that hustling apiarist. Leo F. Hane- 

 gan, of Glenwood. In the circular 

 which is being put out by the Associ- 

 ation the American Bee-Keeper is said 

 to be the "l)est bee .iournal for the 

 price in the Ignited States." Thanks! 

 We hope the St. Croix boys may help 

 us to make it even better. 



June is here and we are now ready 

 to "do things". 



W. M. Gerrish, R. F. D.. Eppinar. N. H., 

 keeps 1 complete supply of our goods, and 

 Eastern customers will save freight by order- 

 ing of him. 



The W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co. 



