SAGE 
737 
produce a vigorous growth and a profusion 
of flowers there must be a sufficient rain¬ 
fall. The honey is white and heavy, and 
does not candy; while the quality is nearly 
as fine as that of the black sage. Much of 
the white sage honey so-called comes from 
the black sage. At Caldwell, Idaho, white 
sage is reported to yield a surplus of honey. 
A colony of bees carried eight or nine miles 
away from the alfalfa fields to a sage 
range gathered fully as large a crop as 
colonies near alfalfa. The honey was wa¬ 
ter-white and its flavor was excellent 
(Gleanings in Bee Culture, Sept. 15, 1908). 
The larger portion of the surplus comes 
from the three species described above. The 
black and purple sages yield almost equally 
well, but the white sage is not a heavy yield- 
er altho the surplus varies in different years. 
Black sage is practically the only species 
of Salvia found in Monterey County. It 
grows plentifully along the coast and on 
southeast and southwest slopes, decreasing 
inland as ridge after ridge is passed, and 
disappearing in eastern San Benito Coun¬ 
ty. In the Salinas Valley it blooms from 
April 15 to June 5; in the northern part 
of the county it remains in bloom until 
July 1, and along the coast until July 15. 
In the Gavilan Mountains northeast of- 
Gonzales seed of the white sage was sown 
in 1885, and this species still perpetuates 
itself in this locality. Purple sage has 
been reported near Monterey. In San 
Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties 
all three species occur, but white sage is 
not common in San Luis Obispo County. 
The distribution of the sages in Ventura 
County is described by M. H. Mendleson as 
follows: “Purple sage is. most abundant in 
this county, altho there is a large amount 
of black sage scattered thru the interior; 
but there is only a small amount along the 
coast. The white sage is the rarest in this 
county. Following a wet winter the black 
and purple sages are about equally valuable 
for the production of honey. The black 
sage blooms first, then the purple, and last 
of all the white sage, the blooming periods 
usually overlapping. The white sage can 
seldom be depended upon for a crop, and 
the honey is inferior to the flavor of that 
stored from the other two species. The 
white sage honey invariably granulates 
while the black and purple, when well rip- 
24 
ened and gathered in the interior, remain 
liquid; but on the coast they invariably 
candy. The time of blooming varies from 
March 1 to June 1, depending on climatic 
conditions, as rain and a cold or warm 
winter and spring; but usually it begins 
from April 15 to 30, and closes between 
June 20 and July 10.” 
“According to my experience of 41 years 
most of the sage honey comes from the 
black and purple species and only a small 
percentage from the white. All of the 
sage honeys darken with age, and become 
the color of molasses, altho still remaining 
translucent. A bottle of sage honey, 36 
years old, has lost its sage flavor but has 
the flavor of a delicious syrup.” 
“Many thousands of acres of the sages 
are destroyed annually by stockmen, and 
in the near future good sage ranges will be 
at a premium. The great destruction of 
brush by fire is lessening our rainfall. The 
government should take steps to reforest 
the State promptly, as the good soil washes 
away during heavy rains leaving a soil so 
poor that it will not maintain a new 
growth.” (Ventura, August, 1921.) 
In Los Angeles County the white sage 
is most abundant, and the black sage the 
rarest. White sage is found on the mesas 
adjacent to the footljills, and as high as 
2,000 feet above sea level. The black and 
purple sages occur in the canyons and high 
hills up to an elevation of 4,000 feet. The 
sages bloom in May, June, and July, and 
the duration of the honey flow depends 
upon rainfall and temperature. The black 
and purple sages bloom at nearly the same 
time, but the white sage blooms several 
weeks later, and remains in bloom for a 
month or six weeks. 
In San Diego County in the southwest 
corner white sage is estimated to be three 
times more abundant than black sage. Pur¬ 
ple sage is less common than northward. 
The black and white sages occur in San Ber¬ 
nardino County on the foothills in the 
southwest portion. The black sage is the 
better honey plant, blooming several weeks 
before the white. 
In Riverside County, according to T. O. 
Andrews, the black sage, which is found on 
the foothills and mountain slopes up to 
3,500 feet, is most abundant and the best 
yielder of nectar. It often begins to bloom 
