124 SOUTHER^f BEE CULTURE 



locations. Honey was plentiful in the forest, and it was not necessary to 

 keep an apiary to have honey for home use or for the market. At certain 

 times of the year there were men who did nothing but ramble in the forest 

 hunting and felling bee-trees, and Who sold the honey to other settlers or to 

 steamboat proprietors at boat-landings along the navigable streams, or to any 

 one at any price. In some sections there was not only a great variety of 

 honey-plants, but they were in great abundance. Elspecially was this true in 

 the prairie sections, for the forest along the edge of the prairie contained 

 much basswood and other honey-plants common in the Southwest; 

 then the points or scopes of timber extending out on the prairie were 

 lined with hazelnut and sumac, and other small shrubs which were great 

 bloomers and good honey-plants for which I know no names. Then along 

 on the prairies were large bodies of land covered by sumac. From early- 

 spring until late in the fall the prairies were lined with flowers of all 

 kinds, colors, and sizes, and many of them were honey-plants. Horse- 

 mint was also in great abundance, so the bees continued to work upon blos- 

 soms. In Arkansas Co., near Violet, on the edge of Ball Prairie, a colony of 

 bees made the best record I have ever known one to make. G. W. Rush, a 

 farmer, found a bee-tree, late in the fall, and early the next spring he felled 

 it, sawed it oflf below and above the bees, and nailed a bottom and top on it 

 and carried it home and set it up under a tree. During that season that 

 colony swarmed several times, and its swarms swarmed, and seven swarms 

 were cast in all, and six of them were hived in box hives and one ab- 

 sconded, about one barrel of surplus honey was removed from the lot, 

 and they all went into winter quarters heavy with stores. Henry Williams, 

 in the same location, operated an apiary of about sixty colonies in log gums, 

 and always had more honey than he could dispose of. He had some in 

 an earthen jar, several years old. I sampled it and it was fine in flavor and 

 nearly light in color. The last season we were in that location we gave 

 their apiary the necessary attention. Many swarms were saved, and we 

 obtained for our part a wagon load of honey which we carried to Little 

 Rock apd sold at a fancy price. 



We came into this section from the Indian Territory; and after this 

 we continued to travel and saw a great future for the bee and honey 

 industry in that State, and I am glad to know of the progress it has 

 made, and the possibilities that are yet ahead. 



Statistics given elsewhere in this book show that bees give a good 

 surplus of honey in that State, and that a large amount of it is saved. 



BEE-KEEPING IN MISSISSIPPL 



Leota, Miss. 

 Bee culture in the South is remunerative, interesting, and enjoyable. The 

 flora of the South is varied, and supplies great quantities of nectar and 

 pollen. Bees gather the nectar with ease, and store it by the ton. They 



