1878. 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



119 



It transpired in later years, that tliis plant 

 yielded a great deal of honey, and in some 

 localities favorable to its growth, such as 

 the beds of streams where there is plenty of 

 rich vegetable mould, it has furnished so 

 much honey that it has been extracted in 

 considerable quantities. Coming in as it 

 does, between fruit blossoms and clover, I 

 think it might well be given a place on our 

 honey farm, even if it does hold so tena- 

 ciously to the soil when it once gets a start. 

 That you all may recognize it I give you be- 

 low a cut of roots, branches and leaves. Our 

 engraver will show you a flower, as soon as 

 it comes into bloom. 



GILL-OVER-THE-G ROUND. 



The honey is rather dark, and I believe a 

 little strong but if it is allowed to become 

 perfectly ripened, I think it will pass very 

 well, but perhaps the greatest benefit to be 

 derived from it, will be to keep the bees un- 

 inteniptedly rearing brooil, right along, un- 

 til clover and locusts begin to furnish a 

 supply. 



Tliis plant is a near relative of the catnip, 

 which it closely resembles in the shape of 

 the leaf. Both were originally from Nepata, 

 in Germany, hence the Latin names, Neii- 

 <da Cotaria, and Xcqxita Glechmna. 1 pre- 

 sume it would be an easy matter to raise 

 this plant from the seed, but I would hesi- 

 tate some in sending out such seed. It 

 spreads much more rapidly than tlie catnip, 

 because it catches in the soil like strawberry 

 plants, from the little rootlets shown in the 

 engraving. 



GOIJIElf l^OB. [Solklago). This, in 

 some localiaties, furnishes the bulk of the 

 great yield of fall lioney. It grows almost 



all over the U. S., and there are so many 

 different varieties that it would be almost 

 out of the question to try to give you a pic- 

 ture of it at all ; the botany describes .53 dif- 

 ferent varieties, and it is conanon to And a 

 half dozen growing within a few rods. Its 

 name describes it, so that almost any one 

 should be able to identify it. If you see 

 autumn flowers as yellow as gold, growing 

 on the top of tall rods, you may be pretty 

 sure they belong to this family. The flow- 

 ers are very small, but grow in great mass- 

 es, sometimes in long racimes, and again in 

 dense bunches. The general characteristics 

 are such that after a little practice, you can 

 readily identify any one of the family. 



Bees are almost incessantly humming 

 over the flowers in some localities, in others, 

 they seem to pass them entirely unnoticed, 

 and I have passed it in localities where bee- 

 keepers say they have never seen a bee on 

 it at all. Bees are seen on it, occasionally, 

 in our locality, but I do not think they get 

 enough honey from it in ordinary seasons, 

 to make it perceptible in the hive. 



The honey is usually very thick, and of a 

 rich golden color, much like the blossoms. 

 When first gathered, it has, like most other 

 fall flowers, a rather rank weedy smell and 

 taste, but after it has throughly ripened, it 

 is rich and pleasant to the taste. On getting 

 the first taste of Golden Rod honey, one 

 might think they would never like any oth- 

 er, but like many other kinds, one soon tires 

 of the peculiar aromatic flavor, and goes 

 back to the clover honey as the great uni- 

 versal staple to be used with bread and but- 

 ter. A patch of Golden Rod might have a 

 place on our honey farm, and perhaps with 

 cultivation it might do better, and give a 

 surer crop in all localities ; but as it is only 

 a common weed on our farms, I would hard- 

 ly favor a general distribution of the seed. 



#'IRE: ! FIRE ! FIRE ! 



fim FEW days ago I arose about 5 o'clock, 

 '-*\\ as usual, and went up street to see how 

 the "night hands" had got along. Just 

 about daylight, I was told the honey house 

 was on fire and you may be sure that never 

 did "bees swarming" call forth any livelier 

 time than I made that moniing down to tlie 

 apiary. My boots are rather large and awk- 

 ward, — I expect going through the mud 10 

 miles every Sunday, has stretched them 

 somewhat — and had it not been too early in 

 the morning for dogs, chickens, or small 

 children, some of them would surely have 

 been hurt, or so badly frightened that they 

 would not have forgotten it in all day. 

 When I came in sight, the volumes of smoke 

 pouring forth would liave made me redouble 



