604 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



bee's life usually does not extend into the second year. 

 Without forest flowers bees would often fail absolutely 

 in their work, and could not lay up enough for the 

 following winter. 



Apiarists make charts of "bee pastures," meaning 

 thereby the area and flora which supply the workers. 

 Few hardwoods fail to contribute a generous share to 

 the hive's store, for most hardwoods are rich in bloom 

 and the bloom is rich in honey ; but some are worth more 

 than others as bee pasture. The more abundant the 

 hardwoods in a region, the better honey district it is 

 likely to be. The task of picking out the best honey trees 

 would be difficult, because several have claims well sup- 

 ported by evidence ; yet if all things are taken into con- 

 sideration, it would probably be found that basswood is 

 at the head of the list, or at least so near the head that 

 it would not be easy to name a tree entitled to 

 a higher place in the estimation of an in 

 dustrious bee. In some European 

 countries the linden is planted and 

 maintained as bee pasture. 

 Our basswood with its three 

 species and at least one 

 variety is the Ameri- 

 can representa 

 tive of the 

 European lin- 

 den, and in rec- 

 ognition of that 

 relation ship, we 

 sometimes shorten 

 the name to linn, lin, 

 or lyn. The three 

 American basswoods are 

 all luxuriant bloomers, and 

 their flowers are among the 

 few that are work- 



Perhaps no other blooming vegetable genus in the world furnishes bees with so much 

 honey as basswood, which is known in Europe as linden, and in some parts of America 

 as lin. The tree grows in nearly all parts of the eastern half of the United States, and it 

 is frequently found in great profusion. 



able by bees in wet 

 weather as well as 

 in dry. The pecul- 

 iar arrangement of 

 the leaves on this tree produces a sort of thatch by the 

 overlapping of the edges, and this thatch shelters the 

 bloom and keeps it dry during showers which dampen 

 all else. If a bee is overtaken by a sudden rain and can 

 fly under the umbrellalike shelter of basswood foliage, it 

 is safe from the rain. After the shower has passed, and 

 while all other leaves and bloom are wet, the bee can 

 work the dry bloom of the basswood, thus losing little 

 time and finding new opportunity. It is not certain just 

 how this peculiar leaf canopy is taken advantage of by 

 bees in rainy weather, but there is reason to believe that 

 the situation is well understood by them. 



Among some of the hardwood regions, bee keepers 

 claim to be able to pick out from a full hive the combs 

 which are filled with basswood honey. They judge by 

 the color and also by the taste. In their parlance it is 

 known as "poplar honey." Basswood has an undisputed 

 place in importance among wild trees as a source of 



BASSWOOD BLOOM FOR HONEY GATHERERS 



honey, but it is only one of several good sources wtiicti 

 bees are able to make use of among the trees of the for- 

 est. Yellow poplar is visited quite eagerly by bees, but 

 this species blooms less luxuriantly than basswood. 

 Sourwood, which is known also as sorrel tree, sour gum, 

 or lily of the valley, is not abundant in the forests, but 

 wherever a tree is found in bloom, there will bees be 

 found also, busy with the small, bell-shaped flowers. The 

 tree is found in most of the country east of the Missis- 

 sippi River, except in the extreme northern part. All 

 four of the sumacs, including the poisonous species, 

 furnish loads of honey for bees. All of the locusts are 

 rich in nectar, and during their brief periods of bloom, 

 the buzz of bees may be heard about the showy flowers. 

 The flowers of yellow or black locust are so filled with 



sweetness that it may 

 be tasted by chew- 

 ing the bloom ; but 

 Pammel, in his 

 "Manual of Poi- 

 sonous Plants," says 

 that this honey is poi- 

 ous. The subject of 

 poisonous honey is an 

 old story and has 

 been often re- 

 peated. During the 

 "Retreat of the Ten 

 Thousand" through Ar- 

 menia, as the ac- 

 count is given 

 inXenophon's 

 "Anabasis," 

 the soldiers 

 were poisoned 

 by partaking of 

 native honey which 

 had been made by 

 bees pasturing on a 

 laurel which grows 

 in that country. Cen- 

 turies after that time the Romans, remembering the 

 experiences of the Greek army under Xenophon, refused 

 to receive the honey from Armenia, fearing poison. The 

 flowers of our kalmia laurel and also of the rhododen- 

 dron, are reputed to yield poisonous honey; but since 

 bees collect it and store it, and as no well authenticated 

 case seems to be known where persons have been poison- 

 ed by eating laurel honey, it would appear that the 

 honey cannot be very dangerous. 



Among the other trees considered valuable as pro- 

 ducers of honey in this country are holly, judas tree, 

 the maples, black gum, chestnut, willow, service, and 

 fruit trees of most varieties, but particularly apple, 

 peach, plum, and cherry. 



It is well known that too much honey is not good for 

 the health and that a diet of honey is apt to cloy in a 

 short time. The claim is made, however, that if it is 

 eaten in connection with milk, that is, a mixed diet of 

 milk and honey, the undesirable effects are not noticed. 



