The Apiary
Lonely, a belated bee
Hies him homeward drearily -
There's no clover in the lanes-
Cold winds set him shivering;
Sad, he fails to querying:
What for bees remains?

BOTANY FOR BEE-KEEPERS.

I have made the action of behaviour of
insects on flowers a study for years.
Some flowers are only 'visited in the
morning or forenoon, as the dandelion;
others in the afternoon, others at all
times of the day when not raining. I
tell no news by saying that basswood and

raspberries afford good honey, while
tulip tree and lobelia afford honey which
is unpleasant or unwholesome to some
persons.
The Ranunculaceæ, crowfoot family,
afford us 80 species or more upon which
bees work; some of them open very early
in the spring. The Cruciferæ, or mustard family, about 70 species; Malvaceae,
or mallow family, over 20 species; Geraniaceœ, or geranium family, 13; Anacardiaceœ, or sumachs, 6; Tiliaceœ, or vine
family, 7; Sapindaceae, or maples, &c., 11;
Leguminosae, or pulse family, 110 or more
natives, besides some exotics; Rosaceœ,
or rose family, 83, and several exotics;
Saxifragaceæ, honeysuckle, &c., about
30; Compositae, sunflowers, asters &c.,
perhaps 325, besides many in cultivation;
Lobeliaceœ, lobelia family 13; Campanulaceae, bellflowers, 7; Ericaceae, heath
family, 60; Scrophularicaceœ, fig worts,
about 60; Verbenaceœ, verbenas, 10; Labratae, mints, many of much value, 78;
Borragihaceœ, borage family, 28; Asclepradaceae, milkweed family, 25; Polygonaceœ, buckwheat family, 38; Lihaceæ,
lily family 50. Besides these there are
many where there is only one or two,
or a few in a small order, perhaps not
far from 570. Then, probably, there are
a hundred or more about which I am
uncertain. If I have added correctly, I
give above, about 1,775 species from
which bees get more or less honey or
pollen. These grow east of the Mississippi river and north of Kentucky in the
United States. Some, like the grasses
and pines, have no showy or fragrant
flowers, and afford little or no honey.
As a general rule, those plants which
produce odorous or showy flowers afford
honey, and will be visited by honey bees,
unless the flower is of a shape which
makes it impossible for the bee to reach
the food .- PROFESSOR BEAL in Country
Gentleman.