144 BEEKEEPING 



ease, a member of the smartweed family. 

 It grows in swamps and in wet places near 

 stream banks. Often it occurs to sucb an 

 extent that profitable yields are obtained 

 and in a few locations tremendous surplus 

 has been recorded. The honey is light am- 

 ber in color, stronger than clover but still 

 mild enough to find a ready market. A 

 great variation in the honey is liable to 

 occur because there are several varieties 

 of the plant and other honey is liable to 

 be mixed with it. 



Asters of many kinds, goldenrod and 

 numerous sorts of "wild sunflowers" fur- 

 nish the bulk of the fall honey. Many of 

 these plants live in low wet places and the 

 northern Indiana marshes have long been 

 a favorite location for commercial bee- 

 keepers. With such a wealth of flora to 

 draw upon it is to be expected that there 

 will be a blend from many flowers. For 

 this reason we seldom ever find samples 

 of "pure" aster, goldenrod or sunflower 

 honey. All of them furnish a dark col- 



