where the Gelseminum abounds, it is still to be 

 hoped that further observations may be kept 

 iip by southern apiarists who are favorably 

 situated for making investigations. 



The wild plum (in some sections known as 

 the hog plum) usually commences to bloom 

 the last of February and lasts for two or three 

 weeks. This is peculiarly a southern tree, 

 and grows to great perfection nearly every- 

 where. Whole acres are often covered with 

 it, forming a dense thicket, thus affording the 

 bees rich pasture. 



In March we have the peach, the apple, 

 (which continues into April) the mock orange, 

 or ever green wild cherry (Cerasus Carolina- 

 ensis), the huckleberry, strawberry, and a few 

 other plants of minor consideration. Further 

 south they have the tyty, the saw palmetto 

 and the orange ; all good forage plants. 



The willow, wild cherry, hawthorn, black- 

 berries, raspberries, locust, holly, and tulip 

 tree [Liriodendron tulipifera) bloom in April. 

 The two latter are most valuable for honey. 

 The holly blooms for about two weeks — the 

 height of its flowering is about the first week 

 in May. The tulip tree blooms for three 

 weeks. This is the poplar tree of the south. 



In May we have the black gum ( A r yssa mul- 

 tiflora) and the persimmon; both excellent 

 for forage. The blooms of these trees are 

 dioecious, that is, the male flower is found on 

 one plant and the female flower on another. 

 Bees are very seldom seen working on the 

 female tree, while on the male bloom they 

 work in a continuous swarm. 



In May, also, blooms the bay {Magnolia 

 glaiua). This tree flowers for at least one 

 month, and extends into June. It affords 

 some of our best and most abundant forage. 

 The Magnolia grand i flora, linden and China- 

 berry tree (Melia azedarach) bloom also in 

 May. The magnolia blooms for six weeks; 

 the linden from six to ten days, and the china 

 tree for two weeks. 



Sourwood, the varnish tree [S/ercitlia pla- 

 tanifolia), Japan privet (Lugitstrum), and a 

 few other plants of less note embrace the 

 principal forage in June. 



I have now enumerated the chief honey- 

 producing plants th'at go to make up our 

 spring honey-harvest. Take one season with 

 another, our bees commence to lay up surplus 

 about the last of April and continue until the 

 first or middle of June. After this date but 

 little honey is gathered until the fall honey- 

 harvest commences. The bulk of our spring 

 honey is gathered from the holly, persimmon, 

 black gum, bay and sourwood. Of course, 

 some seasons there is considerable honey 

 gathered from other sources. The color of 

 the honey is usually a little dark but of excel- 

 lent flavor. 



There is comparatively little forage during 

 the summer months of July and August. The 

 button bush iCephalanthus occidentalism, Su- 



mach, Asclepias luberosa (known as pleurisy 

 root and butterfly weed), and Yucca alnifolia, 

 (Spanish bayonet), are the most important. 

 The cotton plant, which generally commences 

 to bloom about the first of July, yields largely 

 of pollen, but very little honey. Sumach is a 

 rich mellifluous plant, but the warm, dry 

 atmosphere evaporates the secretion very rap- 

 idly, so that the bees can only work on it very 

 early in the morning while the dew is on. 

 The Spanish bayonet plant no doubt furnishes 

 some nectar. It generally swarms with flies, 

 various sorts of wild bees, and now and then 

 a few honey-bees will visit it. 



Bees are generally able to gather sufficient 

 stores during July and August to keep up 

 brood-rearing and the strength of the colony, 

 until the blooming of the autumn forage. 



The first to bloom of the fall pasturage is 

 the Lhrysopsis gramini folia of Nuttall ; a per- 

 ennial, composite. This plant is often taken 

 for a species of dog-fennel, but it is altogether 

 distinct. It is indigenous to the south from 

 Florida to North Carolina, which seems to be 

 its northern limit ; it is a yellow-flowering 

 weed that commences to bloom in August and 

 keeps on till frost. In fact, in some seasons, 

 its blooms can be seen in July. Fifteen or 

 twenty years ago it was only to be seen in 

 patches here and there over the country ; but 

 it has spread until now all the road sides and 

 commons look, during the bloom of this weed, 

 as though covered with a yellow mantle, and 

 even the air, at times, becomes filled with the 

 pungent yet not unpleasant odor of its flowers. 

 It produces large quantities of honey of a yel- 

 low, bitter, disagreeable taste. For breeding 

 and wintering it answers all the purposes of a 

 better article, but is not suitable for market. 



After the appearance of the golden rod and 

 the asters, in September, bees are very rarely 

 seen upon it. If it is desired to keep this bit- 

 ter honey from that of the mellifluous plants 

 just named, it should lie extracted upon the 

 appearance of the bloom of the solidago and 

 the asters. But all such operations, like ex- 

 tracting at this season of the year, require 

 good judgment and care, otherwise we might 

 leave our bees in poor condition (or the 

 winter. 



The golden rod and the asters bloom till 

 killed by frost. I esteem both these plants 

 very highly for their honey-producing quali- 

 ties. In some seasons I have hives tilled willi 

 aster honey alone. 



I am satisfied that it will never pay to culti- 

 vate plants in our southern country exclusively 

 for the honey. I have tried nearly all the so- 

 called bee plants, such as borage, mignonette, 

 alyssum, Rocky Mountain bee-plant, etc., etc., 

 but have never been able to see any good re- 

 sults. To be profitable, a plant must have 

 other uses besides honey. 



Doth the nil and white clover do well on 

 our clay and alluvial soils that are sufficiently 



