BEE PASTURAGE. 137 



brittle, and every wind breaks off and rolls along the 

 ground a portion of these little seed-pods, until they 

 meet some obstruction ; here they will germinate. 

 Thus they are scattered in every direction. I have 

 frequently seen them driven furiously on the crust 

 of a shallow snow, through which the heads would 

 project. The value of this clover is entirely under- 

 rated as a pasture for cattle or horses, as well as 

 bees ; it is always selected by stock in preference to 

 the red clover. The honey gathered from it is of 

 the highest excellence, both in beauty and flavor; 

 and I believe in good seasons all the bees, in any 

 neighborhood where it abounds, could not gather 

 the fourth part, so great is the quantity produced. 



The tulip tree (liriodendrori), or poplar, as it is 

 called by some, by others white-wood, is a great pro- 

 ducer of honey. Nothing of the tree kind that I 

 have ever seen, exceeds it; the flowers expand in 

 succession, are of a bell-like shape, mouth upward. 

 In dry, warm weather, I have seen a teaspoonful of 

 pure honey or saccharine matter, in a single cup or 

 flower. Bees work upon it with the same vigor they 

 manifest when carrying honey from some other hive, 

 or when fed to them. I have frequently seen our 

 bees carrying in this honey from the first peep of 

 day until long after the sun had set, on warm, moon- 

 light nights. Where this timber abounds, bees reap 

 a rich harvest from it. 



The yellow and black locust tree yield large 

 quantities of honey. It is a tree every farmer should 

 cultivate for posts; it will ere long be in great de- 

 12* 



