GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



worked up, as has been done already by 

 beekeepers on the ground. Some produc- 

 ers write me that their local markets take 

 their extracted honey at 15 cents per pound, 

 and comb honey sells accordingly. Other 

 markets are much lower, however. 



Probably at least half of the State is 

 free from disease, and we expect the pres- 



ent legislature to provide the means to 

 keep it free and to clean up the sections 

 now diseased. Wintering and disease are 

 the two problems to be met here, and both 

 can be managed by scientific methods. This 

 is no get-rich-quick proposition, but we con- 

 sider it a safe one. 

 Atlantic, Iowa, 



SOME NECTAR AND POLLEN BEAMING PLANTS OF TENNESSEE 



BY J. M. BUCHANAN 



It is essential that the beekeeper have 

 some knowledge of the flora of his locality 

 ill order to get the best results from his 

 beekeeping operations. He should know- 

 when to expect a honey-flow, and be able 

 to tell with some certainty how long a flow 

 will last, and what quality of honey he is 

 likely to get from a certain source. Then 

 he will know when to make his increase, 

 when to expect swarms, when to put on 

 supeis, etc. 



The character of the honey-producing 

 flora and the date of bloom depend on the 

 soil, the season, and the altitude. A list of 

 ])lants that will be found in one place may 

 not apply at all to a location not very far 

 distant. 



In Tennessee there is great variation in 

 soil and in altitude, the latter ranging from 

 about 300 feet in the Mississippi Valley to 

 over 8000 feet in the mountains of East 

 Tennessee ; hence it will be impossible to 

 give the exact dates of bloom of the plants 

 in this list. It would seem, from a casual 

 reading of the list, that we had a continual 

 flow from early in the spring until frost, 

 but such is not the case for any given local- 

 ity. This Avill be better understood from 

 the following general summary of condi- 

 tions: 



The Tennessee River crosses the State 

 twice, and the Cumberland makes a long 

 curve through the central section, and in 

 these valleys white and alsike clovers, and, 

 in many places, black locust, form the prin- 

 cipal source of surplus honey. On the ridges 

 and tablelands of the central and eastern 

 sections, the honey is from poplar, sour- 

 wood, and wild flowers of many species. On 

 the plains of the western part of the State, 

 and in the Mississippi Valley, cotton gives 

 tlie greatest surplus. 



The following list is by no means com- 

 plete, although it gives the most important 

 honey and pollen bearing plants of the 

 State, with their approximate date of 

 blooming. 



Soft maple, Acer ruhrum, February, March. Pol- 

 len and nectar. First help to brood-rearing. Valleys. 



Elm, Vlmxis americana, March. Pollen. 

 Susar maple, Acer saccharimim, March, .\pril. 

 Sweet .sap; nectar, pollen. 



Dandelion, Taraxacum officinalis, February to 

 .lune. Nectar. 



Peach, Amigdalii-s pcrsica, March, April. Nectar, 

 l)ollen. 



Plum, PniiiKfi (loincsticu.s-, April. Some nectar and 

 pollen. 



Turnip, Braisica rapa, April. Sometime^s gives 

 surplus where grown for seed. 



I'edbud, Ccrcis ea,nadensis, March, April. Nectar, 

 jjollen. 



Apple, Mabis. Nectar, pollen. Valuable for 

 brood-rearing. 



Black locust. Robinia pxeudacacia, April, May. 

 (ruod yielder of tine honey ; slow to granulate. 



Yellow-wood, Virgilia lutea, May. Some surplu.s 

 where abundant. 



Poplar, Liriodendrnn tvHjrifera, May. Heavy 

 yielder. Honey amber, but good flavor. 



Alsike clover. Trifolivvi hybridriw , May to July. 

 Almost equal lo white clover. Central and east. 



White clover, I'rifoliv.m rcpens, May, .Fune. Prin- 

 ( ipal source in central and eastern valleys. Honey 

 vhi'e. 



Persimmon, DioKpiros rii-t/iniana . May. Honey 

 dark Uplands. 



Linden, Tilia americana , .Tuly. Honey white, good 

 .\ icUler. Cenlral and eastern valleys. 



Sourwood, Oxydendron arborcuni, .July. Uplands. 

 Good honey, almast entirely free from granulation. 

 Cow-pea, Tisjna sinensis, -July, August. Some 

 lioney, ma'nly from extra floral glands. 



Milkweed, Ascl''pias, several species, July, .Vugust. 

 Some honey; sticky pollen. 



Horsemint, Monarda rlinopodioides, .July. Some 

 surplus in western and central valleys. 



Indian corn, Zra ma:js, July, August. Pollen and 

 so;ne nectar. 



Ragweed. Ambrosia aptera. July, August. Heavy 

 bearer of pollen. 



Smarlweed, Pcrsicaria mite, August. Light-amler 

 honey of good flavor. Lowlands. 



Sumach., Rhus capolina, August. Some surplus. 

 Uplands. 



Buckbush, Sijmphoricarpos vulgaris, .Vugu.'-t. 

 Sometimes gives surplus. Honey, amber. 



Cotton, Gossgpium herbaceum, July to September. 

 Gmd yielder in western counties. 



Bitterweed, Helenium tenuifolium, August, Sep- 

 tember. Amber honey, very bitter. West. 



Hollv, Ilex glabra, -July, August. Honey, dark. 

 West. 



Boneset, Eupatorium perfoUa, August. Yields 

 l:cavily along northern border of the State. 



Laurel, Kalmia latifolia, July, August. Eastern 

 uionntains. 



Goldenrod, Solidago, several species. September. 

 Pollen. 



Aster, Aster, several species. September, October. 

 Honey, amber; strong in flavor, quick to granulate. 

 Good for winter stores. 



Franklin, Tenn, 



