14 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 



There are some localities where bees do tolerably 

 well, and others whei-e they will scarcely make a 

 living. There are some localities in this part of 

 Oreiron where white clover has come in naturally in 

 large quantities; on that, bees do quite well, and 

 make quite a lot of white-clover honey. 



White clover blossoms here about the middle of 

 May, and continues in bloom about 2 months, when 

 the dry weather drys the blossoms up for the season. 



THE PURPLK - BLOSSOMED FIUEWEEP, AGAIN. (SEE 

 PAGE 514, OCT. NO. 



There are other localities, mostly in the mountain- 

 ous regions, where there have been tires in the tim- 

 ber, where there grow large quantities of elkweed, 

 culled by some flrcweed. In such locations bees 

 make large quantities of elkweed honey, which is of 

 a clear, greonish-white color, and has a peculiar fla- 

 vor which does not suit my taste hs well as clover 

 honey. It grows from 4 to 7 feci high, and each 

 stalk terminates in a long spike of piak blossoms. 

 In the center of each blossom is a small drop of hon- 

 ey. Elkweed blossoms about July 1st, and continues 

 in blossom about 3 months, when it soon all ripens, 

 and the air is filled with Its feathery seeds. The pol- 

 len from elkweed is bright green. 



In the Coast region, which lies between the Coast 

 Range and the ocean, there is considerable maple 

 timber, which blossoms about April 1st, and stays in 

 bloom about a month, rom which bees make large 

 quantities of honey of good quality, fully equal to 

 clover, I think. 



There is also much huckleberry, from which they 

 gather considerable honey, of good quality. 



Bees swarm here mostly in May and June. A 

 moderately large swarm of bees requires about 15 

 lbs. of honey to keep them through the winter here. 

 I think bees would do well here, If any one would 

 sow artificial pasturage for them, so they could have 

 plenty of flowers to work on all summer, 



EXPERIMENTING WITH nONEY-PLANTS. 



1 have been experimenting some on several kinds 

 of plants that have been recommended for bees, and 

 I will tell you the result: 



1. White clover is a good honey- plant, and the 

 honey is of good quality; but I think there are sev- 

 ei-al plants that will yield more honey to the acre. 



a. Alsike clover. From what I have seen of alsike 

 I do not think it as good a honey-plant here as white 

 clover. 



3. Ked clover. I have never known bees to gather 

 much honey from red clover In this country, not 

 even the Italians, except In one Instance, when the 

 blossoms were filled so full of honey that the blacks 

 worked freely on It; It was the first crop too. 



4. Sweet clover; blue, or bee clover. I have test- 

 ed this, and the b'-es did not work much on It, and it 

 stayed in blossom jrt a short time. 



5. Sweet clover, wh^te. Bees work on it consid- 

 erably part of the time, but it does not seem to 

 yield a very lar quantity of honey. 



6. Bokhara clover, white, is a little different from 

 white sweet clover, and blossoms about 10 days 

 earlier, but yields about the same quantity of honey, 

 and keeps in blossom about the same length of time 

 — about six weeks here. 



7. Sweet clover, yellow. I sent to you 3 years ago 

 for some seed of this variety, and you had some sent 

 to me from " Plant Seed Company," St. Louis, Mo.; 

 but the seed was not genuine. After it came up it 



spread all over the ground, and blossomed the first 

 season; it had very small yellow blossoms, and was 

 no account for bees. 1 think It must have been yel- 

 low trefoil. Then I threw the remainder of the seed 

 away in a waste place among some trees, where it 

 came up, and there were three or four plants of the 

 genuine yellow sweet clover came up among the 

 rest, which I did not notice until the next season, 

 when It blossomed; but being In the shade, the seed 

 dropped off before It ripened. From what I see of 

 it, I think It is a better honey-plant than the white. 

 The blossoms are larger and more fragrant, and it 

 blossoms about 3 weeks earlier. I should like to 

 get some of the seed. If you know of any one who 

 has |the genuine yellow sweet-clover seed to sell, 

 please inform me. 



8. Sainfoin. This has not proved to be of much 

 account for bees. 



9. Scarlet clover. The bees did not work on this 

 at all. 



10. Catnip. Good for white-faced bumble-bees, but 

 not for honey-bees. 



11. Phacelia. The bumble-bees seemed very fond 

 of it, but the honey-bees did not notice It at all. 



13. Hoarhound. Bees work well on It, but the 

 honey has a bitter taste. 



13. Motherwort. Bees work considerably on it, 

 more than they do on catnip, but not as much as 

 they do on hoarhound. 



14 Buckwheat Is not of much value as a honey- 

 plant In this country. Oftentimes they will scarce- 

 ly notice It at all, and I have never known it to yield 

 large quantities of honey hero as it did in Wiscon- 

 sin, where I used to live. 



15. Sunflower. Bees vei-y seldom work much on 

 them here. 



16. Borage is a good honey-plant. AVhcn It does 

 well it will yield the most honey to the acre of any 

 plant that I have tried; but it needs careful cultiva- 

 tion to give the best results. Its only fault seems to 

 he in shedding its blossoms too quickly in dry hot 

 weather, or when not properly cultivated. It blos- 

 soms In about 3 months after sowing, and continues 

 in bloom 3 months or over. It will live through the 

 winter when sown late, and blngsom early In the 

 spring. By planting three times during the season, 

 it can be kept in blossom from the middle of April 

 until the middle of November ; it is also a good herb ; 

 and drinking the tea made of the leaves or flowers 

 will keep any one In a healthy condition. 



17. Blue thistle. I sowed some of the seed this 

 spring. It came up, and has formed large spread- 

 ing plants, but does not seem inclined to blossom 

 the first season. It looks as If It might furnish an 

 abundance of blossoms next season. It is about the 

 same nature as borage, but does not require as care- 

 ful cultivation. I have no doubt It will be a good 

 honey-plant. If the blossoms yield honey equal to 

 borage-blossoms. 



18. Mustard. Bees work pretty well on mustard, 

 and seem to gather quite large quantities, both of 

 honey and pollen, but it does not yield as much hon- 

 ey to the same ground as borage. 



19. Rape. Bees work some on rape, but It does 

 not seem to be nearly equal to borage as a honey- 

 producing plant, and keeps in blossom only 3 weeks 

 here. 



30. Evergreen-blackberry is a good honey-plant; 

 It keeps in blossom over 3 months, and yields large 

 quantities of honey, but not much pollen; bees work 

 on It continually "from early morn till dewy eve," 



