ii8 SOUTHERN BEE CULTURE 



species also yield much pollen. The willows (Salix nigra) and others, and 

 the elms (Ulmus) aid much in stimulating brood. Hoarhound (Marrubum) 

 vulgare) begins blooming in February, and lasts until summer. This 

 yields an amber honey of a rather nauseating flavor, claimed to be bitter in 

 some localities, but which is lost in time, making it salable. As it is gen- 

 erally mixed with mild honey from other sources, no serious . complaint is 

 made against hoarhound honey. 



The trees belonging to the hickory family {Hicoria), to which the pecan 

 and hickorynut belong, and also the walnut (Juglans), yield pollen and some 

 honey; also the cottonwood-trees (Populus monilifera). These are followed 

 in March and April by a carpet over the entire open country and prairies of 

 our State flower commonly known as "blue-bonnet," the blue lupine (Lm- 

 pimis subcarnosus), which yields pollen of various colors from the palest 

 yellow to the deepest red and orange. Redbud is another early stimulator 

 early in the season, otherwise known as Judas-tree. {Cercis Canadensis). 



Along regions where light, stony, and doby uplands prevail, what is 

 known as rock-brush yields an abundance of excellent honey in April and 

 May. This is Eysenhardtia amophoides; several species of holly {Ilex) 

 also bloom during this time. Two species of persimmons are very common 

 in Texas, and yield much honey, especially the black Texas persimmon 

 (Diaspyras Texana) of the western part of the State, while the yellow 

 kind (Divirginiana) is more common in East Texas. Several species of 

 crotons in May and June yield pollen. These are mentioned as some of the 

 species found in most parts of the State, and they furnish some pollen even 

 during severe drouths. 



The cacti, of which the large kind, with its thick, fleshy, green, and 

 pear-shaped leaf-like stems (Opuntia englenianii) known as prickly-pear, is 

 most common, sometimes yield much honey, and are great pollen-yielders 

 nearly every season. The honey is not considered good for surplus, as it is 

 astringent in character and strong in flavor; but it is valuable for sustaining 

 the colonies during the summer when very little else is in Woom. 



A rich golden honey is produced by a small plant of the Compositce, 

 known as "marigold" {Gailliardia pulchella), which often covers the prairies 

 in May and June. The flavor of this honey is rather marked. The vast 

 fields of Indian corn and sorghum are much visited by the bees during their 

 bloom in May and June, and these yield immense quantities of pollen. Of 

 some importance are also the melons, and all of the members belonging to 

 the gourd family (Cucurbitacea) , both for pollen and honey. Lippia ligus- 

 trina, known as white brush, is most common and abundant in Southwest 

 Texas. It is a very frequent bloomer during the season, depending upon the 

 abundance of rain, and is so fragrant that the whole adjoining country is 

 perfumed with its fragrance. 



In East Texas abounds the bitter-weed {Helenium tenuifolium) which 

 begins to bloom in June, and lasts until frost. This plant is not affected to 

 any great extent, by drouth and blooms very regularly every season. Bees 

 rarely work on it except during a dry season, when there is nothing else, and 



