OR, MANUAL OF THB APIARY. 



421 



hay and honey. Eight cuttings a season have been made, 

 though five are the average in Southern California. A yield 

 of three tons per cutting per acre is not exceptional. The hay 

 is the very best. It is pre-eminently a crop for irrigation, and 

 so is not stayed by the drouth. Bee-keepers in central Cali- 

 fornia and Arizona report two hundred pounds per colony 

 from alfalfa, even with very large apiaries. While most prefer 

 to cut before it is in full bloom, as it is eaten better, yet there 



Fig. 222. 



Fig. 223. 



Borage, — Original. 



Mignonette. 



is always much bloom where it is grown extensively. It is a 

 sure honey-producer in the famous San Joaquin Valley of 

 California. 



Borage (Borago officinalis), (Fig. 222), an excellent bee- 

 plant, blooms from June till frost, and is visited by bees even 

 in very rainy weather. It seems not to be a favorite, but is 

 eagerly visited when all others fail to yield nectar. 



Mignonette (Reseda odorata), (Fig. 223) blooms from the 

 middle of June till frost, is unparalleled for its sweet odor, 

 furnishes nectar in profusion, and is well worthy cultivation. 

 It does not secrete well in wet weather, but in favorable 



