The Bulletin. 



17 



Aster sp.; 12, Robinia pseudacacia; 13, Aster sp.; 14, Gossypium 

 herbaceum; 15, Bidens sp.; 16, . . . . ; 17, Vigna catjang; 18, Rhus 

 sp.; 19, . . . . ; 20, Soldago sp.; 21, probably Berchemia scandens; 22, 

 Rubus sp.; 23, ^.cer sp.; 24, Medicago sp. 



Of the above-named plants it is probable that fruit trees, sumac, 

 nut trees, golden-rod, blackberry, and maple are visited by the bees 

 principally for the purpose of gathering pollen or to get honey merely 

 for brood-rearing. A large number of other plants receive mention 

 only a few times, indicating that they are worked by the bees only 

 very little or under circumstances of need. 



The first fourteen plants named (down to and including cotton) 

 may be regarded as our real leaders in producing honey, and include 

 the main dependence of our bee-keepers of all sections. Of these 

 fourteen we find that the eastern section gets a full share of eight, the 

 piedmont gets the benefit of eight, though the cotton does not grow 

 throughout all the section, and clover, persimmon and ironweed are 

 rather limited, and the western section has six. This showing gives 

 the east a decided advantage, especially when we consider that several 

 of the leading honey producers (gallberry, black-gum, and persim- 

 mon) are chiefly confined to the east. Tabulating these facts to show 

 the plants with which each section is favored, we find these fourteen 

 leading plants distributed as follows : 



FOURTEEN LEADING HONEY PLANTS. 



Here we see that, while the piedmont section has as many of these 

 plants as the east, they are more limited, so that the east really takes 

 the lead in abundance and variety of honey plants. "While the moun- 

 tain section has basswood and buckwheat peculiar to itself, the pied- 

 mont, with its famous sourwood, can still hold its own, at least in all 

 the localities where this plant is found. 



