322 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



Dec. 



bees take both readily when separate, we 

 have not as yet succeeded in producing a 

 ''stiifl of life" for the little fellows that will 

 not cost to exceed .5c. per lb. 



CAUTION IN REGARD TO CANDY MAKING. 



Before you commence, make up your mind 

 you will not get one drop of sugar or syrup 

 on the floor or table. Keep your hands clean, 

 and every thing else clean, and let the w^o- 

 inen folks see that men have common sense ; 

 some of them at least. If you should forget 

 yourself, and let the (^ndy boil over on the 

 stove, it would be very apt to get on the 

 floor, and then you would be very likely to 

 get "your foot in it," and before you got 

 through, you might wish you had never 

 heard of bees or candy either; and your wife, 

 if she did not say so, might wish she had 

 never heard of anything that brought a man 

 into the kitchen. I have had a little experi- 

 ence in the line of feet sticking to the floor 

 and snapping at every step you take, and 

 with door knobs sticking to the fingers when 

 touched, but it was in the honey house. We 

 have got a 50 cent stove — came from the tin- 

 smith's old iron heaii — that has been made 

 to look quite respectable, and it proves very 

 handy for melting candied honey, making 

 candy, warming syrup in cold weather, &c., 

 and if you keep a wash basin and towel 

 near by, and keep the honey house neat and 

 clean, it is a real pleasure to do all this kind 

 of work. 



n^VSrO^T. {S:rofukiria Nodosa). This 

 plant is variously known as Square Stalk, 

 Heal All, Carpenter's Square, Rattle Weed, 

 &c., the name indicating some of its peculi- 

 arities, or real or supposed valuable medical 

 properties. Much has been recently said in 

 regard to it, under the name of the Simpson 

 Honey Plant, J. A. Simpson, of Alexis, Ills., 

 having first called attention to it. 



The engraving given above, will give a 

 fair idea of it, and will enable any one to 

 distinguish it at once, if growing in their lo- 

 cality. The pretty little ball shaped flower, 

 with a. lip somewhat like the Pitclier plant, 

 is usually found filled Avith honey, unless the 

 bees are so numerous as to prevent its accu- 

 mulation. This honey is of course thin, like 

 that from clover or other plants, when first 

 gathered, and is in fact rather sweetened 

 water, but still it is crude honey, and the 

 plant promises to furnish a larger quantity 

 than any thing else I have met with. We 

 have had one report from a single i)lant un- 

 der cultivation, and as might be expected, 

 the (quantity of honey yielded was very much 

 iucr?ased, and the plant grew to a great 



height continuing to bloom and yield honey 

 for full four months. The little flower when 



THE SIMPSON HONEY PLANT. 



examined closely, is found to be very beau- 

 tiful. The following is Mr. Simpson's de- 

 scription of the plant : 



It U a larg-e coarse grower from 4 to 8 feet in 

 height, coarse leaf, and branchinia: top covered with 

 innumerable little balls about tht size of No. 1 shot. 

 When in bloom there is .iust one little tlower leaf on 

 each ball which is dai-k purple, or violet at the outer 

 point and lighter as it aupronches the seed 'lall. The 

 ball has nn opening in it nt the base of the leaf. The 

 ball is hollow. It is seldom seen in the forenoon 

 without honey shining in it. Take a branch off and 

 turn it down with a sharp shake and the honey will 

 fall in drops. It commen'^es to bloom abo\it the 15th 

 of.Tulyand remains until frost. Bees fve(pient it 

 from morning till night. The honey is a little dark, 

 but of very good quality. I think it would be best 

 to sow in seed bed and transplant. 



It grows in its natural state among brush 

 heaps, in fence comers, and amid hedges, to 

 the height of from 8 to 6 feet. The seed is 

 easily gathered in Sept. and Oct. As they 

 vary much in size, it is likely that we could, 

 under ctiltivatiou, produce a variety "with 

 much larger balls, by a careful selection of 

 the seeds. In doing this, we should be car:»- 

 ful to select also such as produce much honey, 

 and if possible, much good honey. Bees and 

 plants too, are like wax in our hands, if we 

 go to work understandingly. 



