FLOWERS AND BEES 55 
spring and summer their work never ceases. 
In August the heather gives them a busy time 
until the autumn brings the resting season 
round again. 
Generally speaking the source from which 
honey is gathered may be recognised by its 
colour and flavour. Many flowers, indeed, 
exude nectar of a similar colour to their own, 
although it must be remembered that the 
honey always becomes lighter as it candies 
or granulates. But, approximately speaking, 
it may be taken that white clover honey 
should be very light in colour; sainfoin honey 
should be yellow, lime a greenish yellow, 
while heather honey will vary from orange 
to purplish red. 
The flavour of honey varies in like manner, 
though it is an undoubted fact that the 
weather at the time of its gathering and 
storing by the bees influences it greatly. The 
warmer and sunnier the day the more pro- 
nounced the flavour of the honey. 
White clover honey is esteemed the best 
for table and exhibition purposes, for its purity 
of colour, fineness of grain, and mild flavour. 
At the other extreme is heather honey—dark 
in colour, strong in flavour, and a texture so 
thick that it will not ‘‘run’’; so thick, indeed, 
