BEE MANUAL. 291 



gathered, it has, like the honey of most other fall flowers, a 

 rather rank, weedy taste ; but after it has thoroughly ripened 

 it is very rich. 



Spider plant (Gleome pungens) (Fig. 137) is another common 

 weed in some parts of the United States, which yields a good 

 quantity of nectar ; it is allied to, and very much like, the Eocky 

 Mountain bee plant (Gleome integrif olio). Ihe peculiarity about 

 this plant is that it only yields nectar at night, commencing late 

 in the evening, at which time and very early morning the bees 



Fig, 135.— THREE VARIETIES OF GOLDEN-ROSS (Solidago). 



visit it. I have had some very good reports of this plant from 

 those I have supplied with seeds. It lasts a long time in blos- 

 som, and is rather handsome when in flower. Mr. Eoot speaks 

 very highly of both the plant and the quality of the nectar it 

 yields. The seeds of the foregoing plants — that is, figwort, 

 horse-mint, golden-rods, asters, and spider plant — together with 

 any of the herbs, such as horehound, catnip, etc., might be 

 scattered about in waste places and odd corners, without doing 

 any harm, and with profit to bee-keepers. 



