CULTIVATING HONEY CBOPS. 49 



In most places, there are, even in the best hone)' years, times 

 i.f scarcity, during which few flowers can be found. These va- 

 cancies may be profitably filled and immense stores of honey se- 

 cured by planting out flower-trees, shrubs, and cultivating field 

 crops with especial reference to this object. 



For bee pasturage, as well as for fruit, the cherry tree has 

 never been rightly appreciated. Several of the early improved 

 varieties bloom in a time when most needed by the bees, and 

 even the latest are fully improved by them. The raspberry 

 continues in bloom about three weeks, and few flowers fu T nish 

 so large a quantity of purest nectar. The fruit is a surer crop 

 even than the cherry, and every one knows that "purple cane," 

 "black cap" and "orange" raspberries, and "sweet cherries," 

 do not always need to be taken to market to find purchasers. 



Let your lanes and avenues and the front of your grounds be 

 lined with the locust, linden, hard and soft maple, tulip and chest- 

 nut. These are beautiful shade and ornamental trees and will 

 increase the value of your property ten times the expense of 

 planting them. A pleasing contrast is produced by interspersing 

 among them cherry, apple and other fruit trees, all affording large 

 supplies of delicious honey. 



CULTIVATING nONEY CROPS. 



White clover stands first on the list of honey crops. When 

 sown with other grasses it is valuable for hay, and for pasture 

 it cannot be excelled. Where it is abundant there are never 

 bees enough to collect one-fourth of the honey it affords. Red 

 clover secretes much honey, yet it is mostly beyond the reach of 

 the common bees, but Italian bees store honey horn it to a much 



