AMERICAN HONEY PLANTS 153 



MANZANITA or BEARBERRY (Arctostaphylos). 



Figure 90 shows the blossoms and leaves of the manzanita, which is 

 seldom heard of as a honey plant east of California. The following infor- 

 mation is copied from Richter's "Honey Plants of California": 



"Arctostaphylos, manzanita, bearberry. Throughout coast ranges, 

 Sierra Nevada foothills and San Bernardino Mountains (2,000 to 9,000 

 feet), November to February. 



"The honey is amber and of excellent flavor, much like manzanita 

 itself (Colusa County) ; pollen. San Diego County reports a white 

 honey from the manzanita. One of the most important honey plants 

 to induce bees to early breeding. In some parts of Monterey, Colusa 

 and Eldorado Counties, a 20 to 40 pound surplus is obtained, and on 

 very warm days (Monterey County) nectar can be shaken from the 

 bloom. A beekeeper from Applegate reports it to be his best honey 

 yielder." 



The Arctostaphylos uva ursi, bearberry or bear grape, according to 

 Gray, occurs on the rocks and bare hills from New Jersey and Pennsyl- 

 vania to Missouri and far north and westward. It is also said to be com- 

 mon in Europe and Asia. It is recorded in the local lists of plants of 

 Connecticut and Ontario, although, probably because nowhere abundant, 

 it is not known as a source of honey. Although Richter's list does not 

 give the species from which their honey is secured, it is probably A. 

 manzanita or A. tomentosa, or other species peculiar to the West Coast. 



The leaves of the eastern species are much used in medicine. It is 

 said to be an astringent tonic, used in diseases of the liver. 



MAPLE (Acer). 



Almost all of the early pollen and nectar comes from trees, and most 

 of the trees bloom early. The maples are mostly large trees confined to 

 North America and temperate regions of the old world. Two species are 

 commonly planted for shade and ornament — the sugar maple or hard 

 maple (Acer saccharinum) and the red maple or soft maple (Acer rubrum). 

 The photographs show the blossoms of the soft maple, (Fig. 91.) 



Maple lumber is commonly used in the manufacture of furniture, floor- 

 ing and finishings. The blossoms come very early, when especially valuable 

 in building up colonies for the main honey flow. If the bees were as 

 numerous as later, the nectar stored from maple blossoms would make a 

 creditable yield. Mr. C. L. Pinney, of Iowa, reports that one year his 

 scale hive showed a gain of from one to two pounds daily from soft maple, 

 when the ground was still covered with snow. 



If it were possible to have colonies come through the winter with as 

 many bees as they have at the beginning of winter, beekeeping would 

 be a bonanza. Instead of having one or two flows, there would be first a 

 flow from maple and willow, followed by one from dandelion and fruit 

 bloom, ahead of the big clover flow. However, the beekeeper whose apiary 

 is situated near plenty of such trees as willow, maple, elm and box-elder 

 is fortunate, indeed, for the bees get a splendid stimulation very early, 

 and should be in prime condition for business when clover conies on. 



The big-leaf maple of the Pacific Coast (Acer macrophyllum), also 



