AUSTEALIAN HONEY PLANTS 283 



have purple-coloured pollen, but the majority have cream- 

 coloured. Thistle honey is very mild in flavour and 

 generally mixed with that of other plants and is rarely 

 gathered pure, though honey from "Spotted thistles" 

 is included in the list analysed by the Victorian Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture. 



Tree clover, {Goodia lotifolia, Salisb.). A native shrub 

 bearing yellow flowers and foliage somewhat like clover. 

 It is a suitable fodder plant for poor, neglected land. 

 Bees gather nice pale honey from the blossoms in Spring. 



Tea tree, (Coast), (Leptospermum Icevigatum). There 

 are many varieties of tea tree in Australia. Some of 

 them yield a small supply of pollen, a dull orange colour. 

 In Victoria — as in other States — it blooms very irregu- 

 larly. Sometimes in the spring, other times in the 

 autumn, but more often just before Christmas. In West 

 Australia the Tea tree blooms every second year, and 

 while not noticeable for pollen, it yields a fair flow of 

 honey, medium-amber in colour. The bloom, which opens 

 about the middle . of October, lasts until the end of 

 November. There is also a prickly Tea tree. 



Tea tree, (Manuka or Prickly), (L. scoparium) . This 

 is very common, especially about the "Grampians," in 

 fact the Tea trees are characteristic of the Australian 

 landscape. Known also in New Zealand as manuka. 



Tea tree, {Woolly), {L.lanigerum). In various places 

 this is often called "Manuka" scrub. Mr. E. Garratt, an 

 apiarist of many years' experience, was once located on 

 a belt of Tea tree. He had no fault to find with the 

 quantity, but the quality was very inferior. It is almost 

 the darkest honey produced in Australia, in colour some- 

 thing like treacle. As mentioned under "Extracting," 

 the honey will not readily leave the combs, and Mr. 

 Garrett was forced to adopt an original plan in 

 harvesting his crop. He had all combs built on wired 

 heavy foundation. When filled with honey they were 

 taken from the hive and held over a drainer. The side 

 walls were then scraped down to the midrib with a three- 

 cornered implement. This tool was made from a piece 



