738 
SAINFOIN 
in February and in some seasons continues 
to bloom until July 2D. The white sage 
grows on more level land and on better soil 
at the foot of the hills. It begins to bloom 
in May and may last thru June. There is 
little purple sage. This species is central 
in Ventura County near the mountains and 
is less widely distributed then either the 
black or white sage. In 1920 there was in 
Riverside County the best flow from black 
sage in 25 years. Strong colonies averaged 
over four pounds per day for 15 days. The 
honey was water-white and very heavy. 
The purple and white sages also yielded 
well. 
There are several other species of sage, 
which deserve mention. The creeping sage 
(S. sonomensis ), or ramona, covers the 
ground with a mat-like growth, from which 
arise flowering stems four or five inches 
tall bearing light-violet flowers. This spe¬ 
cies is rare, but it is widely distributed in 
the Sierra Nevada and Coast Ranges and 
in localities is important. The honey is 
like that of the other sages. Annual sage 
(S. columbariae) , or chia, is common in the 
foothills and mountains of the Coast 
Ranges, and in some districts yields a sur¬ 
plus. The seeds were formerly used for 
food, and were also considered of medici¬ 
nal value in cases of/fever. It blooms in 
April and May. Thistle sage ( S. cardua- 
cea ) likewise yield? a white honey of fine 
flavor. Two or three stems rise from a 
rosette of root-leaves, and bear from 1 to 
4 whorls or “buttons,” of light-blue flow¬ 
ers. The leaves are more or less spiny- 
toothed, whence the English name common 
in southern California and the San Joa¬ 
quin valley. It blooms in June. 
The common garden sage (S. officinalis) 
is reported to yield a white honey, where it 
is extensively cultivated as a culinary herb. 
Lance-leaved sage ( S. lanceolata ) grows in 
bare fields and on dry plains from Nebras¬ 
ka and Kansas to Texas and Arizona. It 
is about a foot tall, with lance-shaped 
leaves and blue flowers, and yields nectar 
from early in June until frost. It is help¬ 
ful in maintaining the strength of the colo¬ 
nies. The blue sage ( S . azurea) is, listed 
as a honey plant in Texas. In Australia 
the verbena sage ( S . verbenacea ), intro¬ 
duced from Europe, yields a little honey 
during the dry months of the year. But 
many species of Salvia have a corolla tube 
so long that they are adapted to bumble¬ 
bees. Other species, as the crimson sage 
of California, the cardinal sage of Mexico, 
and various Brazilian species with scarlet 
or bright corollas, are humming-bird flow¬ 
ers ; and the nectar is secreted at the bottom 
of a tube 2 inches long, far beyond the 
reach of bees. 
The opinions of the early leaders in bee 
culture in this country on the different 
kinds of honey are always of interest. 
Langstroth’s description of the flavor of 
sage honey is recorded by A. I. Root as fol¬ 
lows: “We well remember the first taste 
we had of the mountain-sage honey. Mr. 
Langstroth was visiting us at the time, and 
his exclamations were much like our own, 
only that he declared that it was almost 
identical with the famed honey of Hymet- 
tus, of which he had received a sample 
some years before. This honey of Hymet- 
tus, which has been celebrated both in 
poetry and prose for ages past, is gath¬ 
ered from mountain thyme; and thyme 
and sage not only belong to the same fam¬ 
ily but are closely related. Therefore, it 
would not be strange if Mr. Langstroth 
was right in declaring our California honey 
to be almost identical in flavor with the 
honey of Hymettus.” 
SAINFOIN ( Onobrychis sativa). —Also 
called crocetta, asperset, esparsette, French 
grass, and hen’s-bill. Sainfoin is the 
French word for wholesome hay. It has 
been extensively grown for a long time in 
England, France, and Belgium; and it is 
successfully cultivated in Ontario, Canada, 
and various parts of the United States. It 
succeeds best on a light, dry, calcareous 
soil, but it will thrive in places where clover 
fails. It makes an excellent hay and is suit¬ 
able for grazing, especially for sheep; but 
it is not suitable for a semiarid country. 
The stems of sainfoin are shorter and 
smaller than those of alfalfa, and it does 
not yield as many tons of fodder per acre. 
Like the clovers, alfalfa, and sweet clover 
it belongs to the pulse family.' 
The spikes of light-pink flowers appeal' 
in summer, and bees gather nectar from 
them very eagerly. The honey is pale yel¬ 
low, very clear, and does not granulate 
readily. Its quality is excellent and com-* 
