D 



.^. 



jy._.„SJb-<[ 



• -^ 



VOL. LXI— NO. 6 



HAMILTON, ILL., JUNE, 1921 



MONTHLY, $1.50 A YFAR 



The Honey Producing Possibilities in North CaroHna 



By Vernon R. Haber, North Carolina State Department of Entomology 



BY botanists the plants of North 

 Carolina long have been rec- 

 ognized as unsurpassed in va- 

 riety by those of any other State, 

 with the probable exception of cer- 

 tain States bordering upon the Gulf 

 of Mexico. The flora of this State is 

 intermediate between those of north- 

 ern and more southern botanical dis- 

 tricts, for it is within North Caro- 

 lina's boundaries that many typically 

 northern plants reach their southern 

 distribution limits, and some of those 

 which typify southern flora have 

 their most northern dispersal limits. 



An additional feature which makes 

 possible a much greater variety in 

 the vegetation is that the mountains 

 bordering the western extreme are 

 sufficiently high that the difference in 

 elevation existing between them and 

 the ocean is equivalent to that of 

 from 10 to 12 degrees of latitude. 

 Upon the higher summits of these 

 mountains occur species in both the 

 fauna and flora which are peculiar to 

 those of the mountain regions of 

 New Hampshire, northwestern New 

 York and Canada. 



That North Carolina lies in a 

 transition zone is a fact long recog- 

 nized. The State is located approxi- 

 mately between the parallels 34 de- 

 grees and 36% degrees north lati- 

 tude, and between the meridians 75% 

 degrees and 84 % degrees west longi- 

 tude. Fi'om eastern to western ex- 

 tremes it is 503% miles long, its 

 most extreme (north and south) 

 width is 187% miles, with an average 

 of 100 miles. The area of the State 

 is 52,286 square miles, of which 

 48,666 square miles are land and 

 3,620 square miles are water. 

 Swampy regions occur chiefly along 

 the Atlantic coast. Their area is 

 approximately 4,500 square miles. 



Concerning plant distribution, 

 there are three rather distinctly 

 marked districts or regions in the 

 State. Naming them from east to 

 west they are: ' (1) the Coastal 

 Plain, (2) the Piedmont or foot- 

 hills, (3) the Mountain. 



The Coastal Plains 



The -coastal plains region lies in 

 the Austro-riparian or Lower Aus- 

 tral Life Zone. It extends from the 

 ocean inland about 200 miles to the 

 eastern limit of the Piedmont section, 

 and contains approximately half the 

 land area of the State. The soil is 

 composed of clay, silt and sand. The 

 most eastern portion of the coastal 

 plains frequently is referred to as the 

 tide water region. It contains num- 

 erous rivers, lakes or swamps. The 

 climate is of a marine character. 

 The influence of the adjacent ocean 

 lessens chances for abrupt tempera- 

 ture changes, both daily and sea- 

 sonal and favors a fair average rain- 

 fall, which is of rather even seasonal 

 distribution. The normal average 

 precipitation for this region is 54 

 inches. 



These conditions encourage the 

 growth of the following favorite nec- 

 tar-producing plants : Tupelo or gum 

 trees, gallberry, huckleberry, holly 

 and yellow poplar or tulip. The tu- 

 pelos and rattan occur in thousands 

 of acres of swamp land and along 

 rivers, while the gallberry, huckle- 

 berry and holly usually grow upon the 

 higher soils. The honey flow usually 

 begins early in April. 



The coastal plains offer the best 

 opportunities for apiculture. The 

 possibilities for honey production on 

 a commercial basis are indicated by 

 the numerous apiaries which contain 

 over 100 colonies. There is a fair 

 average in honey production, regard- 

 less of the fact that in many in- 

 stances strictly modern apicultural 

 methods are not practiced. Some 

 apiaries contain from 200 to 250 

 colonies and report average produc- 

 tions of from 45 to 50 pounds of 

 honey. In 1910 eight counties of 

 this section reported 25,500 colonies 

 and a yield of 247,000 pounds of 

 honey. There is an abundance of un- 

 occupied territory in the lowlands of 

 the eastern counties which is well 

 adapted to apiculture. 



The Mountain Region 



Among the mountains the elevation 

 influences predominate, for the sum- 

 mers are cooler; the winters are more 

 severe than in the east, but mild as 

 compared to those of the middle 

 northern States. The dryness of the 

 atmosphere renders the climate a 

 healthful one. The normal average 

 precipitation for the I'egion is 55 

 inches. The area of the mountain 

 plateau is about 6,000 square miles. 

 It extends from the Tennessee line to 

 Yvrgmio. 



^""^^ 



Cnnaditui life zone 



Upper austral life zone 



Alleehaniaji or tra;iEitlon zone 

 CH Austro-rlprrlen or Xovrer austral life 

 H Itountein section 

 P Pie'j.iont secti'-n 

 CP coastal plnir. Gcntion 

 TW Tidev.T'ter i-efjion 



iwtural regions of North Carolina, 



