10 Farmers’ Bulletin 1222. 
TYPE OF HONEY TO BE PRODUCED. 
It has been pointed out that the honey from the tulip-tree is dark 
amber in color and of strong flavor. Such a honey should not be put 
on the market in the form of comb-honey; extracted honey alone 
should be produced from this source. Some beekeepers now produce 
bulk comb-honey (“chunk honey”) in this region, but as beekeeping 
advances there will be a tendency for this type of product to disappear. 
The honey-flow from the tulip-tree is short, and, as it comes so early 
in the season, comb-honey production with profit would tax the bee- 
keeper’s skill. Unfortunately most beekeepers when taking up modern 
beekeeping with movable-frame hives get equipment suitable for 
comb-honey production. Profitable comb-honey production requires 
more skill than does the production of extracted honey, and it may 
therefore better be left to the skilled beekeepers. Dark honeys should 
be extracted, as the general honey markets demand lght-colored 
comb-honeys. There is no demand for bulk comb-honey in the larger 
honey markets. 
OTHER PLANTS IN THE REGION WHICH FURNISH 
NECTAR. 
Throughout the range of the tulip-tree other plants add to the bee- 
keeper’s profits. The black locust * is found in open fields throughout 
the area, blooming at the same time or a little later than the tulip- 
tree. Sourwood,® which does not bloom until July, is abundant in the 
foothills of the Southern States. In a few localities the clovers con- 
tribute somewhat to the honey resources, blooming soon after the 
tulip-tree has ceased. Asters?® and goldenrods*! are usually abun- 
dant in the fall, in some localities furnishing surplus honey. The 
linden or basswood ¥” is occasionally encountered in the mountains, 
blooming after the tulip-tree has ceased. Viper’s bugloss or blue- 
weed ™ is valuable in the Shenandoah Valley and in the surrounding 
hills, blooming in August. Buckwheat '* is grown to some extent in 
the mountain regions of West Virginia and North Carolina and offers 
a supply of nectar for the bees long after the tulip-tree has ceased ; 
it usually blooms in August. Fruit bloom, red-bud,'* persimmon,’® 
sweet clover 7 in limited areas, willowherb,'* holly,?® sumac,?° smart- 
weed *! and Spanish needle** are also sources of honey in the chief 
range of the tulip-tree. In some parts of the tulip-tree region cotton 
contributes some nectar. 
8 Robinia pseudacacia. 13 Hchium vulgare. 18 Chamaenerion angustifolium, 
®Orydendrum arboreum. 4% Fagopyrum esculentum. 1 Ilex opaca, 
10 Aster spp. 1% Oercis canadensis. 20 Rhus spp. 
1 Solidago spp. 186 Diospros virginiana. 21 Polygonum spp. 
12 Tilia spp. 17 Melilotus officinalis. 22 Bidens spp. 
