This year, the first spring I have been retired from teaching, I filled the porch with seed trays. I stole the shop lights from the basement, bought some more, and had quite the jolly display of green out there during a wretched cold early spring.
That's a cosmos intruding on the lemon balm :-)
One reason I did this is A. I. Root's catalog of seeds which offered them as bee plants. I am a fledgling beekeeper Anything I grow will probably be ignored by my bees as they look for large, economical to visit, patches of bee friendly flowers. (My yard does not lend itself to large patches of anything, being a glacial hillside of oaks and pines...) But maybe the plants I am growing will occasionally be at least an amuse-bouche!
Beekeepers around the late 1800s, were interested in identifying great bee plants as the idea of establishing bee pastures was being considered and tried. Just as you have pastures for cows, the bees could have pasture land devoted to their nectar and pollen plants. Later the beekeeping community decided it would not pay unless there was also money to be made from selling the pasture crop after the bees were done with it...like buckwheat.
Here is the info that made the beekeeper's ears perk up!
The Melissa honey plant is a very sweet mint, which grows about a foot high and bears a beautiful white blossom. It did well at the Michigan Station (B. 65), blossomed freely, and was very generally visited by the bees, blooming from early in July for a month or more. Unfortunately it is an annual, does not seed itself, and must be planted each year. It is considered doubtful if this would pay. On 3 acres of Melissa the bees had swarmed in early August—a thing unprecedented in the State. 1891 - American Bee Journal
The period of bloom of bee balm, July, August, is when there is generally a dearth of nectar and pollen, a time when beekeepers around me (New England) nowadays have to feed their bees to keep the numbers up to be ready to go out in early fall to gather the nectar available from fall flowers. If the hive is large enough they will gather in the fall the honey they need to live through the winter plus extra which the beekeeper harvests! Spring is a honey gathering season, summer is pathetic, and fall might be a honey gathering season.
But here is the kicker... the darn stuff now is NOT considered a bee plant especially!! And I thought I'd treat my bees to a patch of something nice. Sheesh...
Bee Culture - Volume 124 - Page 363 1996 - Snippet view Bee balm, Lemon balm or Bee-herb - these names all refer to the plant Melissa officinalis, an aromatic, perennial herb that has been associated with bees for centuries. This plant is native to regions of the northern Mediterranean, and the ancient Greeks called it Melissophyllon, which means "beloved by bees." Despite claims in many older books, the white flowers of Bee balm do not attract honey bees to any great extent, as the flower tubes appear to be too long and narrow for them ...
On the bright side, it makes a nice herbal tea. I'll treat me to something nice!
This manuscript from about 500 AD looks very much like my seedlings, doesn't it? Here is some fun stuff about lemon balm:
The name "Melissa" has a long history with roots reaching back to even before Ancient Greece. For this reason, in part, there are several versions of the story surrounding the mythological character Melissa, especially in how she came to care for the infant Zeus. In one version, Melissa, a mountain-nymph hid Zeus from his father, Cronus, who was intent on devouring his progeny.[9] She fed Zeus goat's milk from Amaltheaand fed him honey, giving him a permanent taste for it even once he came to rule on Mount Olympus. Cronus became aware of Melissa's role in thwarting his murderous design and changed her into an earthworm. Zeus, however, took pity and transformed her into a beautiful bee. Wikipedia
Over the centuries men and women have noted the plants that attracted their honeybees
and shared that knowledge. Most of us do not have the acreage to plant enough of a favored specie to support our hives, but it is still fascinating to grow suggested "honey plants" and see if the claims are true.
The idea of planting fields to support bees shows up often in journals around the 1880's with people arguing that we plan pastures for our other domesticated animals, why not the bees. The idea was not new then, but my thought is the increased business of beekeeping which was feeding the growing cities began to drive beekeepers towards any strategy that could increase or, at least, insure the honey flow. A. I. Root was certainly central to the business on many levels.
It sounds like fun to use Root as the source of a list, then find interesting testimonials to back him up...or not.
To start, the much lauded Simpson Honey-plant. A previous post covers a later discussion (1898) of the practicality of its use.
The following is text from A.I. Root's 1887 and 1888 catalogs' Bee Plant section, with Root as the writer.
"I have for years had dreams of a honey farm, with acres of flowers of different colors, blooming at different seasons, and keeping the bees away from the stores and groceries when we have a dry spell in the fall.
The dream has been partially realized with the Simpson honey-plant, Mollie O. Large's spider plant, and the seven-top turnip, and I am pretty well satisfied it will pay to cultivate these for honey alone. "
From copies of the The ABC of Bee Culture, an A. I. Root book, this description of the plant:
Fig-wort, or Simpson Honey Plant. (1887 and 1888)
This is a queer tall weed that grows In fields and woods, and it bears little cups full of honey. It has produced so much honey under cultivation on our honey farm during the past two years, that I am much inclined to place it at the head of the list of honey-plants.
It bears honey all the day long from July to October. Very hardy: blooms first year, and after that shoots up from the root every year, but needs planting anew, about every three years. The seed sometimes lies in the ground many months before germinating.
If sprinkled on the tub of damp leaf-mold, packed hard in a box, and rolled hard, being kept dark and damp in a warm place, they will sprout in a week or two. Then give all the light and air possible, but not too much water. Price of seed, from cultivated plants, 20c per oz., $2.00 per lb. If by mail, 18c per lb. extra, for postage.
It was a letter from James A. Simpson to A. I. Root which started the first substantial movement for planting for bee pasture in this country. Simpson described what he regarded as the coming honey plant, but he did not even know its name. For this reason it was described as "Simpson's Honey-plant". It is obvious why the plant had beekeepers pricking up their ears when Simpson described the plant!
" It is a large coarse grower from 4 to 8 feet in height, coarse leaf, and branching top covered with innumerable little balls about that size of No. 1 shot. When in bloom there is just one little flower leaf on each ball which is dark purple, or violet at the outer point and lighter as it approaches the seed ball. The ball has an opening in it at the base of the leaf. The ball is hollow. It is seldom seen in the forenoon without honey shining in it. Take a branch off and turn it down with a sharp shake and the honey will fall in drops. It commences to bloom about the 15th of July and remains until frost. Bees frequent it from morning till night. The honey is a little dark, but of very good quality. I think it would be best to sow in seed bed and transplant."
Webster Thomas, editor of the The Bee-keepers' Instructor: A Monthly Journal Devoted to the Science of Bee-keeping in All Its Branches, writes, in 1881:
"We have a small patch of the Simpson honey plant on which the bees have been busy for a month past. This plant, unless the weather is very dry, secretes honey during the entire day. It would certainly pay well to cultivate it largely, as it bridges over the gap between the summer and fall flow of honey, and continues on until killed by frosts.
Let those who have the land to spare and time to cultivate it, try the experiment and see if it does not pay well."
Once more people heard of Simpson's plant the specie name became known, with Scrophularia nodosa var. marylandica or Scrophularia marilandica being most used. I believe the plants in the New World do not have the nodules on the root.
King's Cure-all as a Honey-Plant.
I send you some pods of seed of a good honey plant. What is its botanical name? We call it "King's cure-all". It blooms a little on a single stalk, the first year; the next year it throws out branches, growing 6 or 8 feet high, and blooms about the middle of July, and continues blooming till frost. The flower is a small cup with a lid over it, keeping out the sun and rain. The bees work on it early and late. S. P. Sowers.Dunlap, Kansas. ("early and late" - June through September says a plant site)
[The plant seems to be Scrophularia nodosa (" Figwort," Simpson's Honey Plant). The fruit capsules are more densely produced than is common with the above species, but it cannot be far different, and there is no near relative known to me to which it may be referred. It is, probably, the variety known as Marilandica.—T. J. Burrill.]
1883 - American Bee Journal
I found that Scrophula was what tuberculosis was called, and this plant was used to treat it, and was so named. Also tuberculosis was called the King's Evil, which made the above writer's name for it make sense...except I think he was mistaken. Evening Primrose, another common weed, is called by many King's Cure-all.
Our plant has these other common names:Carpenter's-square, Rose-noble, Scrofula Plant, Square Stalk, Stinking Christopher and Throatwort.
I read it tastes and smells nasty if you make it into a medicine. Also, it likes a moist soil and grows in woods and hedges - in England. A contemporary site somewhere had a testimonial that it grows and overwinters in Minnesota and grew quite large!
LINK: A nice discussion of the usefulness of Simpson's Honey-plant which took place during the 6th Annual Meeting of the Indiana Bee Keepers Association in 1885. Several men were very impressed with it as a useful bee pasture plant.
Annual Report of the Indiana State Board of Agriculture
1886, The Bee-hive
I am puzzled with the result of my experiment with the Simpson's honey plant. I have a few plants in bloom near my bee stands. I can see the nectar in the flower and squeeze it out in great, sweet, honey-tasting drops, but I have never been able to see a bee work on it, while they will suck away at a few nearly dried up Catnip and Mignonette flowers at the foot of these plants, within two feet of them.
Why do they not work on the Simpson? The bees were very busy on Catnip and Motherwort this summer. These plants when once established will take care of themselves for years, as they are hardy, drought proof perennial plants, and are worthy of extensive planting. I shall continue my experiments with the Simpson honey plant as well as with others. S. B. Kokanour, Manhattan, Kansas.
If you look up Simpson's Honey-plant you will find interest in it continues far into the 20th and even the 21st century for bee pasturage. Planting specifically for honeybees lost traction as far as I can tell, as it was not seen as paying for the labor, the seeds or plants and the loss of the land which could be planted to something that paid. Encouraging good bee plants in areas not useful for other crops or animal pasture continues.
I had to include this manuscript from 1500-ish! What a wonderful illustration of Scrophularia nodosa.
Who was Mollie Large? Her name just rolls off your tongue! If a current horticultural business rule of thumb, that the name of a plant has a HUGE effect on its popularity, held true over a hundred years ago this bee plant had a leg up on the competition.
This illustration is from A.I. Root's 1882 ABC of Bee Culture, and he sold it in his seed catalog.
The first hint I found was the following from a 1909 Gleanings in Bee Culture.
MOLLIE O. LARGE'S HONEY-PLANT... Dear Friend:—Yes, such you seem to me, for I have read Gleanings, especially Home Papers, for years. I am a sister of the late G. G. Large, and was boarding with him when his wife (Mollie O.) sent you the spider-plant seed. In fact, he got the seed from me. ... Susie H. Megan, Owaneco, Ill.
The second source I found from 1884 clued me in she was a beekeeper!
IS HONEY FROM HEART'S - EASE UNFIT FOR WINTERING I find, in reading GLEANINGS and other journals, that “bees are doing well,” “bees booming,” and but very few discouraging reports, while I am making bee-keeping a failure this spring; and I ask myself the question, “Why is it?” There are several theories that come up; it may be this, that, or the other; but it is a genuine spring dwindle. I should like to have it solved, to avoid a repetition in the future. Some one in the A. B. J. states that heart's-ease honey is unfit to winter on; if that is a fact, it will give some clew to the trouble, as the great part of their stores was from that weed. MOLLIE O. LARGE, Millersville, Christian Co., Ill., May 16, 1884.
Finally, I went and looked where I should have known to go first thing, the ABC of Bee Culture by A.I Root himself. He tells the whole story.
The spider plant is Cleome pungens.
Henry Dobbie, in 1884, says:
Spider Plant (Cleome pungens)
American beekeepers speak in glowing terms of this plant for bee forage. The secretion of honey is described as enormous, and unlike most bee flowers, the blooms open early in the morning and the afternoon, thus pre-venting the evaporation of the nectar. In hot weather the evaporation of nectar from flowers is considerable; indeed, more so than is generally thought by bee-keepers. Therefore, honey-secreting plants that do not open their petals until after the scorching heat of the day is past, will be invaluable to the apiarist, especially as inthe case of the spiderplant, which produces honey in such abundance. Mr. Root says, in speaking about the spider plant (page 221,“A B C ”) : “ Not only does a single floweret produce a large drop, but some of them produce a great many drops.Last evening we made observations by lamp-light, and before nine o’clock the globules of honey were of the sizeof large shot.
The crowning experiment of all took place this morning. I was up a little after five o’clock, and with the aid of a teaspoon I dipped honey enough from three or four plants to fill a two-drachm phial, such as we use in the queen cages, a little more than half full. The honey in some of the flowerets had collected in a large quantity, so large that it spilled out, and actually streamed on the ground.
I have called this honey, but in reality it is raw nectar, such as is found in clover and other flowers. The taste is a pure sweet, slightly dashed with a most beautiful, delicate flavour, resembling somewhat that of the best new maple molasses. The honey will be as white as the whitest linden, so far as I can judge. With the aid of a lamp, I evaporated the nectar down to thick honey. You can see something of what the bees have to do, whenI tell you that I had in bulk only about one-fifth part as much as when I commenced. You can also see that we now have some accurate figures with which to estimate the amount of honey which may be obtained from an acre of honey plants.” The seed should be sown in April in a pan or box, using fine soil. Give the protection of a frame or greenhouse(see chapter on the raising of plants from seed).Plants raised from seed in April and grown on, will flower in August. Plant these two feet apart each way.
This wonderful photo of a bee on the spider flower is from the blog, It's Not Work, It's Gardening! There are more bee and flower photos for the spider plant. One clearly shows the HUGE droplet of nectar that forms at the center of the petals. Look closely at this photo and you may see a blur...that is the droplet.
Below is an ad from our old friend Samuel Wilson, not for Mollie O. Large, but for the specie. I just like the bees. Plus my favorite horticultural engraver, Albert Blanc, did the art work!
It self seeds with abandon. I don't mind as it is easy to pull, and, if you let it be, it looks good! The current CT data reports it attracts bumblebees like mad...34 contacts per minute...but did not mention honeybees.
My bees do like it, but not with noticeably greater than average enthusiasm. But then again, they did not show much enthusiasm for borage! (They do flock to anise hyssop, and, for one day only, covered my giant Cow Parsnip.) A. I. Root sold motherwort seeds in his honey plant section in his 1887 seed catalog. Back to motherwort, Root talks about it in the ABC of Bee Culture, 1882.
Motherwort (Leonurus Cardiaca) - Quite a number of the bee folks insist that
motherwort is superior, as a honey plant, to either catnip, hoarhound, balm, wild bergamot, or any of the large family of Labiate, and I presume such may be the case under some circumstances, or in favorable localities.
In comparing plants, it should be remembered, that those usually bear much honey may, at times, furnish none at all; and also those which usually furnish none may, under very favorable circumstances, yield largely."
This plant often flourishes about fence corners, and around the ruins of old dwellings, sheds, or even hog pens. The large leaf, taken by itself, much resembles the currant; the stalk is much like catnip; and the little flowers are in tufts, close to the stalk. It remains in blossom a long time, and may be as worthy of cultivation, as any of the plants of its class.
In 1853 Moses Quinby's Mysteries of Bee-keeping Explained: Being a Complete Analysis of the Whole Subject is the first book I could find in a simple online search which mentions motherwort as a bee plant.
Catnip (Nepeta Cataria), Motherwort (Leonurus Cardiaca), and Hoarhound (Marrubium Vulgare) about the middle of June, put forth their flowers, rich in sweetness, and like the raspberry, the bees visit them at all hours and in nearly all kinds of weather. They last from four to six weeks; the catnip I have known to last twelve in a few instances, yielding honey during the whole time.
After 1860 it is mentioned often. Keep in mind people tended to copy each others published opinions, so a great deal of this MIGHT be copycat behavior, not a sudden noticing that motherwort is attracting tons of bees. On the other hand the public's awareness of the economic possibilities of beekeeping was blossoming then, so folks were keeping an eye out for Here is an 1865 report that sounds good from The Bee-keeper's Guide: Or Manual of the Apiary by Albert John Cook.
MOTHERWORT AS A HONEY PLANT.
(Leonurus cardiaca L.)
Perhaps none of our common herbs promises better, as a honey plant, than the one-in question. It is a very hardy
Fig. 114.
perennial, and once introduced in waste places, it is sure to hold its own, until it becomes desirable to extirpate it, when, at man's bidding, it quickly lets go its hold, so that it is not a dangerous plant to introduce. The blossoms appear at this place about June 25th, and persist for a full month, and during the entire time are crowded with bees, whatever may be the character of the weather, whether wet or dry, warm or cool, whether the plant is in the midst of honey plants or isolated. We are thus assured that the plant is constantly secreting nectar, and is also a favorite with bees. Rape, mustards and borage seem indifferent to the weather, but are not favorites with the bees. Motherwort, then, has three admirable qualities: It is long in bloom, the flowers afford fine honey at all times, and it is a favorite with the bees.
Fig. 115.
If it could be made to bloom about three weeks later, coming in just after basswood, it would have nearly all the desired qualities. I think that we might bring this about by mowing the plants in May. I am led to this opinion from the fact that some plants which we set back by transplanting in May, are still in bloom this August 10th, and are now alive with bees, dividing their attention with the beautiful cleome, which is now in full bloom, and fairly noisy with bees
Fig. 116.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT.
The stalk is square (Fig. 114),'branching, and when cultivated, attains a height of some four feet; though, as it grows in waste places, it is seldom more than three feet.
The branches, and also the leaves, are opposite (Figs. 114 and 115), and in the axils of the latter are whorls of blossoms (Figs. 115 and 116), which succeed each other from below to the top of the branching stems.
The corolla is like that of all the mints, while the calyx has five teeth, which are sharp ands pine-like in the nutlets as they appear at the base of the leaves (Fig. 115). As they near the top, the whorls of blossoms and succeeding seeds are successively nearer together, and finally become very crowded at the apex (Fig. 116).
The leaves are long and palmately lobed (Fig. 115).
The small blossom is purple.
(My observation on the plant is that the seeds, (nutlets) are sharp!!! Use gloves when pulling a plant with dry seed heads.)
Now here is a plant I am familiar with already, although I don't grow it...yet. Connecticut is certainly within its range of zones 3 to 7. I have a hard scrabble hill property on glacial sand so I am always looking for plants that don't have to go in rich soil. The globe thistle named the Chapman Honey-plant is Echinops sphaerocephalus. It is also referred to as Chapman's Honey-plant.
The following is text from A.I. Root's 1888 catalog's Bee Plant section, with Root as the writer.
Chapman Honey-plant (1888)
This is called in European countries, "globe thistle". It was introduced by Mr. H. C. Chapman, of Versailles, N.Y., who cultivates it extensively for honey, and claims it is a paying investment. His seed has been turned over to the government, and may be obtainable free by any bee-keeper. Where it is more convenient to get it of us, however, we can furnish it in 5-cent packages.
Isn't YouTube wonderful? Remember the world before the internet? I do.
By the way, Hiram Chapman, member in 1885 of North American Bee-keepers' Society, died in 1890 at age 80.
The following articles, from Gleanings in Bee Culture, Vol. 15, 1887, speak to why the plant created such interest.
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE
CHAPMAN HONEY-PLANT
WRITTEN OUT BY PROF. McLAIN
AS considerable space has already been given to reports in regard to this plant, we thought it hardly worth while to go over the ground again; but as friend Chapman particularly wishes a full report from all the members comprising said committee, we subjoin the following:
The committee appointed by the North-American Bee-Keepers' Society, at the annual meeting held in Detroit, Mich., December, 1885, to investigate the merits of a honey-bearing plant now being cultivated by Mr. Hiram Chapman of Versailles, N. V., met at that place July 28, 1886.
One member of the committee, Mr. Manum, of Bristol, Vt.,was not able to be present; but as each member of your committee was furnished with a sufficient number of plants to afford opportunity for observing their growth and habits, and also to gain some information concerning the value of the plant as a honey producer, a letter from Mr. Manum, in which he gives the result of his experience and observation, is herewith appended. This plant, which Dr. Beal, of the Michigan State Agricultural College, and Mr. Scribner. Asst. Botanist of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, tell us is Echinops sphaerocephalus, is an imported perennial, native in Central France, and, like all of the family to which it belongs, very rich in honey.
This plant will probably be popularly known in this country as the "Chapman honey-plant", so named on account of Mr. Chapman being first to cultivate it,
and being first to bring it to the notice of bee-keepers. We found three acres of the plant in bloom. The height of the mature plant is from 3 to 4 1/2 feet, and each root bears from 5 to 15 round balls, or heads, from one inch to 1 7/8 inches in diameter. These heads stand upright, and the entire surface is covered with small white flowers having bluish stamens.
The stalks and leaves so nearly resemble those of the common thistle, that, were it not for the head, the difference would not be easily noticed. There is, however, in this particular, a very marked difference, the appearance of the head being aptly described by its botanical name, which signifies roundheaded, and in appearance like a hedgehog. The flowerets on top of the head open first, then they open later along the sides of the ball, continuing in the order of nature around the entire surface of the sphere. Near to the stem the last flowerets open after the blossoms on the tops of the heads have disappeared, and the seed-capsules of the first blossoms have hardened.
Unlike the thistle, the seeds are provided with no balloon by which they may be borne by the wind. The seed is, in weight and appearance, very much like a small grain of rye; is inclosed in a capsule, and falls directly to the ground, if not seasonably gathered, not spreading more than oats, if left to fall without harvesting.meeting held in Detroit, Mich., December, 1885, to investigate the merits of a honey-bearing plant now being cultivated by Mr. Hiram Chapman of Versailles, N. V., met at that place July 28, 1886.
One member of the committee.Mr. Manum, of Bristol, Vt.,was not able to be present; but as each member of your committee was furnished with a sufficient number of plants to afford opportunity for observing their growth and habits, and also to gain some information concerning tho value of the plant as a honey produeer, a letter from Mr. Manum, in which he gives tho result of his experience and observation, is herewith appended. This plant, which Dr. Heal, of the Michigan State Agricultural College, and Mr. Scribner. Asst. Botanist of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, tell us is Echinops sphaerocephalus, is an imported perennial, native in Central France, and, like all of the family to which it belongs, very rich in honey.
This plant will probably be popularly known in this country as the "Chapman honey-plant", so named on account of Mr. Chapman being first to cultivate it, and being first to bring it to the notice of bee-keepers. We found three acres of the plant in bloom. The height of the mature plant is from 3 to 4 1/2 feet, and each root bears from 5 to 15 round balls, or heads, from one inch to 1 7/8 inches in diameter. These heads stand upright, and the entire surface is covered
with small white flowers having bluish stamens.
From the time of the appearance of the bloom upon the tops of individual heads until the fading of the last blossoms upon the lower part of the head near to the stalk, is about eight days; the continuance of the blooming depending upon the nature of the soil and the season; but the heads, or buds sent out from each individual shoot, and forming each individual cluster, vary in degree and size, so that the natural term of blooming and honey bearing may safely to reckoned at from 20 to 30 days. The term of blooming may also be prolonged to a considerable extent by cutting back a portion of the plants, and the facility with which the honey harvest may thus be prolonged constitutes an important feature when estimating the value of this plant.
The plant is hardy, easily propagated, perennial, and appears to flourish in all kinds of soil, and there is no danger of its becoming a pest or a noxious weed. It does not bloom until the second season; and as it does not spread in seeding, its extirpation would be easily accomplished. Its seed may be scattered in waste places, or it may be sown in drills or hills, like onion seed. It seems to be characteristic of the plant to root out all other vegetation, and take possession of the soil. No weeds, and but very little grass, was seen growing in the three acre plot observed.
A ten-acre field, sown broadcast and harrowed in like rye, has also made a vigorous growth, and seems to be taking possession of the soil, in opposition to quack-grass and weeds. As to the value of the plant to the honey-producer, there appears to be no room for doubt, whether quantity or quality, or both, be considered.
Within reach of Mr. Chapman's apiary, no other resources were accessible for honey-gathering. The severe and prolonged drought destroyed all other honey-yielding blossoms, and yet in some instances the trees were making an excellent showing in the hives. No definite conclusion could be reached as to the probable returns in pounds of honey from a given area. That the returns would be satisfactory, was evidenced by the fact that the entire area was "alive with bees," and they visited the flowers from daylight until dark, and sometimes eight or ten bees were upon a single head at one time.
Mr. Hubbard, who cultivated some of these plants obtained from Mr. Chnpman, represented that he had counted the number of visits made by bees to a single head from 5 A. M. to 7 PM. He reported the number as being 2135, actual count. In order that the committee might have some idea of the quantity of nectar secreted in the flowers of a single head, the day before our arrival Mr. Chapman had wrapped a thin paper about a head, the . half of which was in full bloom, and tied the paper around the stem with tape, thus preventing the bees from appropriating the nectar for 24 hours. Upon removing the paper on the forenoon of the day of our visit, the flowerets were found to be dripping with nectar, and the drops sparkled in the morning sun. Each of us have made similar tests with like results since that time. We cheerfully and confidently recommend this plant to the beekeepers of North America as a most valuable acquisition to the list of bee-forage plants.
We believe that a trial of the plant will, better than any further words of approval from us. publish its own commendation.
Respectfully submitted,
N. W. McLain.
A. I. Root.
L. C. Root.
The following is a report in regard to the plant, from Mr. Manum, who was absent at the time the other members of the committee assembled at Mr. Chapman's:
L. C. Root, Chairman of the Committee on the Chapman Honey-Plant—
Dear Sir:
—As I failed to put in an appearance when the committee met at Mr. Chapman's, in July last, it is not only due you, but to Mr. Chapman and the convention as well, that I make a short report of my experience with the Chapman honey-plant, 50 roots of which Mr. Chapman so kindly sent me last spring.
The plants thrived well through the summer, under moderate cultivation, and planted on light sandy soil. I did not take extra pains with them, as I wished to test their hardiness. The plants commenced to bloom July 14, and continued to bloom until Aug. 21, making 39 days that they continued in bloom; and from the first day of their blooming until the last, the little flower-balls were covered with bees everyday from early morning until dark, rain or shine (we had no very heavy rains during this period), the bees constantly going and coming. I have counted 16 bees on one ball at one time, all sucking the sweet nectar from the richly laden flowers of the Chapman honey-plant.
At Mr. Chapman's request I covered of the balls with tissue paper, and 2 with muslin. On the following day there were several bee-keepers here. I removed the paper from the balls, and, lo and behold! the flowers were filled—yes, covered, as it were, with honey. We found, by holding the hand under one of the balls, and jarring it the honey dropped in the hand enough to make several drops. In a moment a bee alighted on one of the uncovered balls, and never moved until its sack was filled, when it flew away.
On timing them I found that the bees filled themselves and flew away in two minutes and twenty seconds from the time the first bee alighted on the plant. The two balls that were covered with muslin were now uncovered; but the honey seemed to have evaporated, as there was but little visible, although I had noticed bees alight on the muslin, and try to suck honey through the cloth. This fact was conclusive to me that the bees could smell the honey through the cloth. I find that by cutting back the plants in June, they will bloom later in the season. This would be of advantage, perhaps, to those who are favored with an abundance of buckwheat for their bees to work on during August, as, by cutting it back, it would then commence to bloom the last of August, thereby affording good pasturage for bees in September.
In conclusion, I must say that I am well pleased with the plant, judging from this first year's trial; and I venture to say that the time is not far distant when it will be extensively cultivated for its honey-producing qualities. I expect to plant an acre next spring. Were it possible for me to meet with you at the convention, I would move a vote of thanks to Mr. Chapman for having introduced this valuable plant.
It is valuable, not only to beekeepers, but to the florist as well, because it is a very beautiful plant, and so very rare withal.
I'll treat me to something nice!
