spring beauty, the corydalis, etc., woo all lovers of nature, but
seldom woo the honey-loving bee. The arbutus, lying low and keeping
green all winter, attains to perfume and honey, but only once have I
seen it frequented by bees.

The first honey is perhaps obtained from the flowers of the red maple
and the golden willow. The latter sends forth a wild, delicious
perfume. The sugar maple blooms a little later, and from its silken
tassels a rich nectar is gathered. My bees will not label these
different varieties for me, as I really wish they would. Honey from the
maple, a tree so clean and wholesome, and full of such virtues every
way, would be something to put one's tongue to. Or that from the
blossoms of the apple, the peach, the cherry, the quince, the currant,
--one would like a card of each of these varieties to note their
peculiar qualities. The apple-blossom is very important to the bees. A
single swarm has been known to gain twenty pounds in weight during its
continuance. Bees love the ripened fruit, too, and in August and
September will such themselves tipsy upon varieties such as the sops-
of-wine.

The interval between the blooming of the fruit-trees and that of the
clover and the raspberry is bridged over in many localities by the
honey locust. What a delightful summer murmur these trees send forth at
this season! I know nothing about the quality of the honey, but it
ought to keep well. But when the red raspberry blooms, the fountains of
plenty are unsealed indeed; what a commotion about the hives then,
especially in localities where it is extensively cultivated, as in
places along the Hudson! The delicate white clover, which begins to
bloom about the same time, is neglected; even honey itself is passed by
for this modest, colorless, all but odorless flower. A field of these