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AMERICAN HONEY PLANTS 



Blooming as it does in the winter months, it is invaluable to the bee- 

 keeper whose bees have access to it. If no surplus is secured, it serves to 

 fill the hives with bees and honey at an important season and to prepare 

 for the later crops to follow. 



WILD RADISH, see Radish. 



WILD SUNFLOWER, see Sunflower. 



WILD SWEET POTATO VINE, see Bluevine. 



WILD THYME, see Thyme. 



WILLOW (Salix). 



In the Northern States the blooming of the pussy willow (Salix dis- 

 color) is among the first signs of spring. It is a small tree, growing along 

 streams and on wet lands. Furnishing as it does about the first honey of 

 the season, as well as pollen in abundance, it is highly regarded by the 

 beekeepers. 



There are about 160 species of willows, mostly confined to the cooler 

 and temperate regions of North America. Some species extend their 

 ranges into the Arctic regions, where the vegetation is sparse. While 

 the number of varieties is not so great in the Southern States, it is re- 

 garded as valuable in the Gulf States and in California. As an example of 

 the comparative abundance of willows North and South, it may be men- 

 tioned that four species are recorded for Alabama and eighteen for Con- 

 necticut. The willows bloom too early in the spring in the Northern 

 States for the bees to store surplus from this source, but both nectar and 

 pollen are supplied for early brood-rearing. 



