HONEY PLANTS 133 



usually cut for hay just as it comes in 

 bloom and as a result the large hay ranches 

 do not furnish the bee pasturage that 

 might be expected. It is only where the 

 plant is allowed to ripen its seed that 

 great returns are obtained and in these 

 sections apiary locations are often at a 

 premium — so eagerly are they sought. 



There is no reason why alfalfa should 

 not occupy a more important place in 

 eastern agriculture than it does to-day. 

 In parts of the West and Central West it 

 is of great importance and to a lesser ex- 

 tent it should become important in the 

 East, Beekeepers can do much toward 

 this end by urging the planting of experi- 

 mental plots among their friends in sec- 

 tions where the plant is not already be- 

 ing grown. 



Among our native plants none ranks 

 higher than the American linden or bass- 

 wood. It is recorded as having furnished 

 nectar for a greater per day production 

 than any other plant. One colony has 



