584 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



duced in this section. This report is esti- 

 mated to cover some ten to fifteen thousand 

 colonies. 



Recent advices would indicate that condi- 



tions reported above would apply to a large 

 part of New England. I believe 15 lbs. per 

 colony a large estimate at this time. 

 Middlebury, Vt. 



OF THE HONEY 



THE SEASON 



IN THE SOUTHEAST 

 S PROGRESSED 



BY J. J. WILDER 



The posted beekeeper knows that at this 

 season of the year the beekeepers in the great 

 Southeast are not ready to make final re- 

 ports on the honey crops ; for as a whole the 

 harvest is not more than half over. The 

 beekeepers in the clover sections are not 

 fully ready. The beekeepers in the man- 

 grove section of Florida are not ready. The 

 beekeepers in the Blue Ridge Mountains and 

 the surrounding country are not ready. In 

 fact, only a few are ready, the main flow 

 being over with them, for the flow from 

 cotton has not yet come on, which is our 

 greatest honey-plant, and this gives a good 

 yield over the greatest portion of our coun- 

 try. The flow from the partridge pea in 

 middle Florida has not come on yet. In 

 many sections there is a good fall flow from 

 asters, goldenrod, summer-farewell, etc. 

 This is all excluded from our report, which 

 makes it a meager one, including only the 

 spring flow, which is very light in some 

 sections, owing to the scarcity of honey- 

 plants. 



For this spring-crop report I am much 

 indebted to beekeepers in almost all sections, 

 for they have taken the time to write me 

 and keep me posted as to what bees were 

 doing in their vicinity. To these I extend 

 many thanks. These reports include ap- 

 proximately 18,000 colonies of bees in Flor- 

 ida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, also 

 southern portions of North Carolina and 

 Tennessee. 



The main sources of surplus, and, ap- 

 proximately, results are as follows; also 

 where grown and in order of time of bloom- 

 ing: Orange and other citrus fruit in south- 

 ern Florida : extracted, 85 lbs. ; ti-ti, south- 

 ern Georgia and northern Florida: comb, 

 35 lbs. ; extracted, 59 lbs. ; pepper-bush in 

 same territory, but not in same locality — 

 comb, 35 lbs. ; extracted, 50 lbs. ; black tupe- 

 lo gum along large water-courses : extracted, 

 20 lbs. ; white tupelo gum in extreme south- 

 ern Georgia and northwest Florida: comb, 

 45 lbs.; extracted, 70 lbs.; poplar in south- 

 ern portion of Georgia and Alabama : comb, 

 30 lbs. ; extracted, 45 lbs. ; in middle section 

 of same States : comb, 15 ; extracted, 25 Iba. 

 The flow from this source gradually let up 

 further north, and was a total failure at the 

 mountains. Although the plant is plentiful, 

 weather conditions are better for it further 

 south. Black locust in mountain sections 

 gave comb, 40 lbs. ; extracted, 60 lbs. Gall- 

 berry in Florida gave : comb, 15 lbs. ; ex- 

 tracted, 25 lbs.; same plant in southern 

 Georgia: comb, 25 lbs.; extracted, 40 lbs. 



Owing to the prevailing drouth in south- 

 ern Georgia and Florida during the latter 

 part of the spring the flow from saw pal- 

 metto was very light, the bloom being badly 

 blighted, the flow not averaging over 20 lbs, 

 of extracted honey. 



Summing it all up, the spring flow was 

 not over an average one. 



Cordele, Ga. 



WHITE=HONEY FLO^ 

 THAN THAT Ol 



FORTY PER CENT 



BY IRA D. BARTLETT 



To make this report of most value I feel 

 that a general summing-up of conditioris 

 during the season of 1913, and its effect on 

 this year's condition of the bees and local 

 honey market is essential. A line drawn 

 east and west across the center of the lower 

 peninsula of Michigan was a point from 

 which the weather condition and honey crop 

 seemed to improve as the distance increased 

 toward the south, and got worse as the dis- 

 tance increased northward. 



This location, being in the north section, 

 was hard hit during the Avhite(?) flow, as 

 all honey was unusually dark, and only fair 

 in flavor. It was also very light. This was 

 followed by an extra good fall flow for this 

 locality from goldenrod and buckwheat, 

 with a little aster. 



Now, this late honey naturally put all 

 colonies in fine condition for winter, and 

 had something to do with the bees coming 

 through so strong. It also caused some lit- 



