518 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



the past 15 years, I should say about 

 one-tenth ; some years more, and 

 some years not a single pound. In 

 1877 I got the largest yield, while 

 from 1878 to 1884 little if any was 

 obtained. 



Mr. Camp, on page 458, seems to 

 think that I am trying to keep the 

 matter of teasel as a honey-plant a 

 secret ; but such is not the case. I 

 have sent out package after package 

 of the seed to different individuals, 

 and have written hosts of letters giv- 

 ing instructions how to grow it, and 

 had supposed that all were aware of 

 what 1 had witten. 



In conclusion let me say that I have 

 no seed to sell, nor the time to write 

 further on the subject, for there is iu 

 this article all I know about the 

 plant. If any are desirous of trying 

 teasel in their locality, I presume Mr. 

 Goodspeed will furnish any farther 

 instructions that they may desire. 



Borodino,© N. Y. 



GnelDt Central Conyention, 



The Guelph Mercury of August 5, 

 reports the proceedings of a meeting 

 held the day previous for the purpose 

 of organizing a bee-keepers' associa- 

 tion. Mr. Thos. Simpson was elected 

 chairman, and A. Gilchrist was ap- 

 pointed secretary, pro tern. 



Mr. R. L. Mead spoke of the advan- 

 tages to be derived from such an or- 

 ganization. The Rev. W. F. Clarke, 

 R. F. Holtermann, of Brantford, and 

 others made some remarks on the 

 same subject. It was then moved by 

 Mr. Clarke that a bee-keepers associ- 

 ation be formed, called the " Guelph 

 Central Bee-Keepers' Association." 



The following ofHcers were then 

 elected: President, the Rev. Wm. F. 

 Clarke ; Vice-President, J. Ramsey ; 

 Secretary-Treasurer, A. Gilchrist. 



A discussion followed on the hiber- 

 nation theory. R. L. Mead did not 

 believe in the theory. He explained 

 his method of wintering bees, with 

 which he had been very successful. 

 He keeps the temperature of his bee- 

 house at 45'^ to .50^. J. Ramsey wished 

 Mr. Clarke to explain his theory of 

 hibernation, as he did not understand 

 how bees could enter such a state. 



Mr. Clarke then explained at some 

 length his experience and views on 

 the theory which he claimed to be the 

 father of, until recently, when he dis- 

 covered to his surprise that Prof. A. 

 J. Cook had enunciated the theory in 

 February, 1875. 



A general discussion followed on 

 the marketing of honey, all taking a 

 part. The convention adjourned to 

 Mr. James Goldie's grounds to see a 

 new honey-plant, fifty specimens of 

 which had been sent to Rev. W. F. 

 Clarke in the spring; for trial, by Mr. 

 Iliram Chapman, of Versailles, N. Y., 

 and of which Mr. Goldie had kindly 

 taken charge. Though it was late in 

 the afternoon, bees of all sorts and 

 sizes were working on it very busily. 

 It was generally agreed that, from all 

 appearances, the bees must be getting 

 considerable honey from the plant, 

 but whether it was desirable or safe 



to have it generally cultivated could 

 not be determined without further 

 knowledge of it, 



Mr. Goldie's grounds and garden 

 looked their best. The evergreens, 

 shrubs and trees were carefully in- 

 spected, but the aviary, in which are 

 many choice foreign birds, seemed to 

 take the eye. All present were very 

 much delighted with their visit. A 

 vote of thanks was tendered Mr. 

 Goldie for his kindness and attention. 

 This brought to a close the first and 

 very successful meeting of our new 

 Association. 



For Uie American Bee JoumaL 



TheCliapanHoiiey-PM, 



N. w. m'lain. 



The committee appointed by the 

 North American Bee-Keepers' Society 

 to investigate the merits of a honey- 

 producing plant now being cultivated 

 by Mr. Hiram Chapman, of Versailles, 

 ^. Y., met at that place on July 28. 

 One member of the committee, Mr. 

 Manum, of Vermont, was unavoid- 

 ably detained at home. Mr. Chap- 

 man exhibited a specimen of this 

 plant and made representations con- 

 cerning its value to bee-keepers at 

 the Detroit convention in December, 

 1885, which led to the appointment of 

 a committee which was instructed to 

 investigate and report at the next 

 annual meeting of the society. 



This plant, which Dr. Beal, of the 

 Michigan State Agricultural College, 

 tells us is Hchinops iSpherocephalus, 

 and native of Central France, is, by 

 common consent, beginning to be 

 known as the Chapman honey-plant, 

 thus designated on account of Mr. 

 Chapman being first to cultivate the 

 plant in this country, and first to call 

 the attention of those engaged in bee- 

 keeping to its value as a honey-bear- 

 ing plant. 



The appearance of the plant has 

 been well described by Mr. T. F. 

 Bingham, on page 487, where he says : 

 " It grows from 3 to 4J^ feet high, 

 each root or crown bearing from 6 to 

 16 round buds or heads, from 1 to IJi 

 inches in diameter. These heads all 

 stand upright, and the entire surface 

 is covered with small white flowers 

 having bluish stamens." The stalks 

 and leaves so nearly resemble those 

 of the thistle that were it not for the 

 head, this plant might easily be mis- 

 taken for the thistle. There is, how- 

 ever, in this particular, a very marked 

 difference, the appearance of the head 

 being aptly described by its bontani- 

 cal name— round headed, and in ap- 

 pearance like a hedge-hog. 



The flowerets on the top of the 

 head open first, then they open later 

 along the sides, continuing in the 

 order of nature around the entire 

 surface of the sphere. Near to the 

 stem the last flowerets open, after the 

 blossoms on the top of the heads have 

 disappeared, and the seed capules of 

 the first blossoms have hardened. 

 Unlike the thistle the seeds are pro- 

 vided with no balloon by which they 

 may be borne by the wind. The seed 



is in weight and appearance very 

 like a small grain of rye, is enclosed 

 in a capsule and falls directly to the 

 ground if not seasonably gathered, not 

 spreading more than oats if left to 

 fall without harvesting. 



From the time of the first appear- 

 ance of bloom upon the top of indi- 

 vidual heads until the fading of the 

 last blossoms on the lower half of the 

 head near to the stem, is about eight 

 days, the continuance of bloom de- 

 pending upon the nature of the soil 

 and the season ; but the heads or buds 

 sent out from each individual shoot 

 and forming each individual cluster, 

 vary in age and size, so that the nat- 

 ural term of blooming and honey- 

 bearing may safely be reckoned at 

 from 20 to 30 days. 



The term of blooming may, how- 

 ever, be prolonged to a considerable 

 extent by cutting back a portion of 

 the plants, and the facility with 

 which the honey harvest may thus be 

 prolonged, constitutes an important 

 feature when estimating the value of 

 this plant. 



The plant is hardy, easily propa- 

 gated, and perennial, and appears to 

 flourish in all kinds of soil, and there 

 is no danger of it becoming a pest or 

 noxious weed. It does not bloom 

 until the second season, and as it 

 does not spread, its extirpation would 

 be easily accomplished. It may be 

 planted in waste places, or it may be 

 sown in drills or hills like onion seed. 

 It seems to be characteristic of the 

 plant to root out all other vegetation 

 and take possession of the soil. No 

 weeds and but very little grass whs 

 seen growing in the three-acre plat 

 observed. 



As to the value of the plant to the 

 honey-producer, there appears to be 

 no room for doubt, whether guality 

 or quantity, or both be considered. 

 Within reach of Mr. Chapman's api- 

 ary no other resources were accessible 

 for honey-gathering, the severe and 

 prolonged drouth having destroyed 

 all other honey-yielding blossoms, and 

 yet in some instances the bees were 

 making an excellent showing in the 

 hives. 



The number of colonies (about 200) 

 foraging upon the three acres in 

 bloom was, however, so great that no 

 definite conclusion could be reached 

 as to the probable returns iu pounds 

 of honey from a given area. That 

 the returns would be highly satis- 

 factory is evidenced by the fact that 

 the entire area was " alive with bees," 

 and they visited the flowers from day- 

 light until dark, and sometimes eight 

 or ten bees were upon a single head 

 at one time. Mr. Hubbard, who is 

 cultivating some of these plants ob- 

 tained from Mr. Chapman, reported 

 that he had counted the number of 

 visits made by bees to a single head 

 from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. He reported 

 the number as being 2,135, actual 

 count. 



In order that the committee might 

 have some idea of the quantity of 

 nectar secreted in the flowerets of a 

 single head,the day before our arrival, 

 Mr. Chapman had wrapped a thiu 

 paper about a head, the half of which 

 was in full bloom, and tied the paper 



