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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



April 



of white clover, which throughout this 

 region in favorable seasons yields an 

 enormous surplus ; while in the arid 

 regions and highlands it becomes com- 

 paratively unimportant. Sweet clover 

 and heartsease are also most valuable 

 in these States, while in the lowlands 

 or river bottoms there are splendid 

 displays of hardy Composit^e, as Span- 

 ish-needles, sunflowers, asters, golden- 

 rods, crownbeard, Rudbeckia and Grin- 

 delia. 



6. SOUTHERN REGION OR' COTTON BELT. 



In this vast region (see maps) there 

 grow annually millions of acres of cot- 

 ton, offering a bee-pasturage which in 

 extent and richness can be equalled by 

 few other economic plants. The honey 

 flow lasts from July until long after the 

 first frosts. The secretion of nectar 

 is influenced by soil, climate, rainfall, 

 etc., but is most abundant in rich allu- 

 vial valleys, where 100 pounds per col- 

 ony is obtained in good seasons. 

 Southeastern Texas contains thousands 

 of acres of fruit trees, cotton, horse- 

 mint, broomweed and basswood. On 

 the lower coast rattan vine yields a 

 dark honey unfit for table use. In 

 Louisiana there are tupelo, horsemint, 

 goldenrods and asters ; in Alabama 

 titi, gallberry; in Georgia tulip tree, 

 tupelo, titi, saw palmetto, asters and 

 goldenrods, while hundreds of acres of 

 the coastal plain are covered by the 

 dense thickets of gallberry. 



7. FLORIDA REGION, 



Florida might very properly be united 

 with the Southern Region, but the 

 great southern extension of the penin- 

 sula carrying it into the Tropical Re- 

 gion and its many miles of coast have 

 produced so peculiar a honey flora that 

 it deserves to be recognized as a sep- 

 arate region. The most important 

 sources of honey are trees, tupelo, or- 

 ange, palmetto and black mangrove 

 yielding the best products. Black man- 

 grove and manchineel are tropical 

 trees growing on the southern coast, 

 and the cabbage palmetto and citrus 

 areas are also confined to the southern 

 half of the State. Tupelo is abundant 

 in the Appalachicola river. Other 

 honey plants are wild pennyroyal, titi, 

 partridge pea, and Andromeda. There 

 are thousands of acres of savannas in 

 Florida, tangled jungles of grasses and 

 weeds, mostly Compositae displaying 

 great sheets of golden yellow flowers 

 sufficient to keep thousands of colo- 

 nies of bees busy. 



8. GREAT PLAINS REGION. 



While a part of this region is highly 

 productive, much of it is semi-arid and 

 covered with sage brush. There are 

 few trees except along the streams and 

 in fertile valleys, and there are great 

 extremes of heat and cold. The north- 

 ern portion is not well adapted to bee- 

 culture, and in 1910 only 79 farms in 

 Northern Dakota reported bees. Hearts- 

 ease is the source of great quantities of 

 honey in Nebraska, in which State 157 

 honey plants have been listed, but no 

 attempt has been made to distinguish 

 between those which are valuable and 

 those which are of minor importance. 

 Alfalfa is of little value except along 

 the rivers. In Oklahoma the principal 

 honey plants are sweet clover, sumac, 

 heartsease, raspberry, locust and alfalfa. 

 The Rocky Mountain honey plant is 



also much prized in sections of this 

 region. 



9. THE ARID OR CACTUS REGION. 



Western Texas, northern Mexico, 

 New Mexico, Arizona, lower Nevada 

 and Lower California are largely a 

 desert or semi-arid region with a very 

 scanty rainfall. Northern Texas is a 

 sandy plain destitute of trees and 

 streams. With an annual rainfall of 

 from three to five inches, extreme arid- 

 ity prevails over much of Arizona, and 

 in this State and the province of Chi- 

 huahua, in northern Mexico, there are 

 over 150,000 square miles of desert 

 land. A great variety of Cacti, an ex- 

 clusively American genus, in every 

 form and shape, ranging from the size 

 of the finger to tall candelabra 30 feet 

 high grow over or completely cover 

 portions of this region. The prickly 

 pear {Ofiaitia Eyigelmanii) yields a sur- 

 plus of light yellow honey. Other plants 

 are Yucca, Agave, mesquite and creo- 



sote bush. The mesquite, often the 

 only tree found in these desert regions, 

 extends from Trinity river, Tex., to the 

 San Bernardino Mountains and north- 

 ward to Colorado. In New Mexico, 

 immense tracts of land are covered 

 with Yucca, and many species of Agave 

 occur in Mexico. 



10. ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGHLANDS OR 

 ALFALFA REGION. 



The larger part of these highlands is 

 arid or semid-arid, and agriculture is 

 universally dependent on irrigation. 

 The flora is sparse and vast expanses 

 are covered with sage brush. Through- 

 out this region alfalfa is grown very 

 extensively, and is easily of first im- 

 portance as a honey plant. The factors 

 controlling nectar secretion are not 

 fully understood, but it is well estab- 

 lished that in a semi-arid region calm 

 hot weather following irrigation will 

 ensure a good flow. In Colorado there 

 is truly a lavish display of flowers and 



3^. 



FIG. I -THE HOMEY PLANT REGIONS OF NORTH AMERICA 



Arctic Region. 2. Coniferous Forest Region. 3. St. Lawrence Basin Region. 4. Appala 



chian or Deciduous-leaved Forest Region. 5. Prairie Region or White Clover Belt. 



6. Southern Region or Cotton Belt. 7. Florida Belt. 8. Great Plains Region. 



0. Arid or Cactus Region. 10. Rocky Mountain Highlands or Alfalfa 



Region, v.. California Region. 12. Tropical Region 



