1895 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



223 



sired, to facilitate the nlllng and removal of 

 frames or sections. 

 Washington, D. C. 



FLORIDA MOSS AND HONEY-PLANTS. 



By Mri<. L. Harrison. 



I read with much pleasure A. I. Root's notes 

 of travel in Florida. For four seasons it has 

 been my wintf^r home. This winter is very 

 materially different from previous ones that 

 I've known, for frost has robbed the orange 

 and lemon trees of their shiny green leaves, 

 and kept the roses from blooming. Whenever 

 I pass under the magiiilicent live-oaks, hung 

 with nature's drapery, I feel like raising my 

 hands in adoration to the Giver of all good, 

 with an invocation that this great work of his, 

 for centuries, may not be rudely destroyed. 

 "The groves were God's first temples." 



The botanies class Spanish moss as an air- 

 plant, and I fail to find any roots that would 

 indicate that it is a parasite; but it is said in 

 time to kill trees. To-day I passed through a 

 grove of live-oaks, and I noticed several great 

 trees, heavily laden with this moss, that were 

 entirely dead. If it is a parasite, it draws life 

 from both living and dead trees — from the sap 

 of the living and from the decaying wood of the 

 dead. I think it is a mistake, that it will grow 

 hung on a wire. Many observing persons think 

 that its presence indicates malaria, and, by a 

 wise provision of nature, absorbs it in some 

 way. It evidently thrives best where the fogs 

 are the thickest and most frequent, holding 

 moisture in its meshes. It does not grow nat- 

 urally on our own grounds; but when I put it 

 upon the limbs of scrub oaks it lives, but does 

 not thrive as it does in its native habitat. I 

 grow it as food for my fowls, for they are very 

 fond of it; so are cattle; and I wonder why the 

 residents do not pull it down for them, when 

 forage is so scarce that they will eat dagger- 

 pines. I've not been able to learn whether bees 

 work upon this moss while it is in bloom. 



If this moss is gathered and put into pillows 

 and mattresses in its green state it will soon 

 smell very offensive. The parasite must be 

 killed by burying in the ground, or by boiling, 

 before it can be utilized in this way, when it 

 will make good mattresses and pillows. 



The ti-ti is an excellent honey-plant, and 

 should be spelled with a hyphen. It may be 

 found in a Southern botany, and is known as 

 Cliftonia Ugustrina. It is an Indian word, 

 and means tangle, or thicket. The name is 

 given to the small trees; also the places where 

 it grows are known as ti-ties. It grows only in 



living water; and if the water is dammed up, 

 and becomes stagnant, it will perish. The 

 bloom is small and white, growing in racemes, 

 and is sweet and fragrant, yielding honey that 

 is white and of good flavor. It had commenced 

 to bloom before the great Valentine storm of 

 snow and sleet, which put an end to it; but it 

 is again opening, Feb. 2.5. It is much used for 

 decorations at Eastertide. 



I see that you class goldenrod as blooming here 

 in September; it may bloom then, but I've seen 

 bouquets of it gathered in April. 



You should not fail, while in Florida, to visit 

 the largest apiaries in the State, of Alderman 

 and Roberts, located at Wewahltchka. This is 

 an Indian name, meaning the " lakes of the two 

 eyes," or eye-glasses, as they are shaped like 

 them, and are about 3.5 miles long and 18 miles 

 wide — otherwise known as the Dead Lakes. 

 They are thickly studded with dead cypress- 

 trees. One of the most weird experiences of my 

 life was while returning from visiting an api- 

 ary located on an island. It was in the gloam- 

 ing; and the approaching darkness, as I sat in 

 the canoe, with the tall cypress-trees bearing 

 upon their branches a heavy drapery of moss, 

 and only the strong arms of a trusty colored 

 man to guide and propel the little craft through 

 the intricacies, was a scene long to be remem- 

 bered. 



The trade-mark of this firm is "Orange 

 Bloom." Their surplus honey is not gathered 

 from this source, as that from the orange is 

 used in rearing brood. There are many groves 

 in this locality. The surplus honey is gathered 

 from tupelo. There are several varieties, 

 known as black-gum, sour-gum, and gum-trees. 

 Bees also gather honey from moonflower, an 

 aquatic vine. This region will support more 

 colonies than any other I ever saw; but it has 

 its drawback, in being very malarious. 



St. Andrews Bay, Fla., Feb. 26. 



AVHEN TO TRANSFER BEES. 



Question. — Having quite a number of colonies 

 of bees in box hives which I wish to transfer, I 

 should like to know when this can be done to 

 the best advantage. Can I do it as soon as 

 spring opens? or had I better wait till the bees 

 are securing honey from the fields'? 



Answer. — The transferring of bees from box 

 hives, or "gums," or from one style of frame 

 hive to another, can be successfully done at 

 any time of the year when bees can fly, if the 

 operator understands just the needs of the case; 

 and I always look with pride on that man or 

 woman who has ability enough to accomplish 

 any thing successfully which it is necessary to 



