58 MANUAL QF APICULTURE. 



In the middle section of our country, from Maryland, Virginia, and 

 North Carolina westward, most of the sources named above are present, 

 although the maples (particularly hard maple) furnish less, and fruit 

 bloom, the clovers, linden, and buckwheat are not as great yielders as in 

 the North. Sourwood or sorrel tree, mountain laurels, sour gum or 

 tupelo, huckleberry, cowpea, magnolia, and persimmon make up in part 

 for these, the sounvood being especially important, while in some locali- 

 ties certain species of asters yield very abundantly. The tulip tree 

 (known commonly as poplar) is a greater yielder than in the North, 

 while in the western portion of the middle section the Rocky Mountain 

 bee plant or cleome and more extensive areas of alfalfa and melilot are 

 very important sources. 



In the more southern States fruit bloom is far from being as great a 

 source of honey as in the North, though with the extension of orange 

 groves in Florida and Louisiana an increased production of very fine 

 honey maybe looked for in those States. The titi, magnolia, palmetto, 

 and black mangrove yield well in some parts, and sour gum (tupelo or 

 pepperidge), cotton, and pennyroyal are sources not to be overlooked. 

 In Texas horsemint and mesquite, the latter also extending farther 

 West, furnish fine yields, while many mountain localities of southern 

 California are clothed with white and black sages wonderful honey 

 producers. In certain localities there the orange and other fruit 

 orchards, and also wild buckwheat, give the bees excellent pasturage 

 for a portion of the year. 



Certain small homopterous insects, such as plant-lice, bark-lice, mealy- 

 wings, and some leaf-hoppers, which congregate on the leaves or bark of 

 various plants and trees, notably pines, oaks, and beeches, and suck 

 their juices, secrete a sweet liquid, which is often taken up by bees as it 

 falls on the surrounding vegetation. This secretion, commonly known 

 as honeydew, or plant-louse honey, is usually of an inferior quality, 

 though that from pine-tree aphides is sometimes fairly good. Most of 

 it granulates very soon after having been gathered, sometimes even 

 before the cells have been sealed. 



Under peculiar conditions of the atmosphere sweet exudations, also 

 known as honeydew, drop from the leaves of certain plants and are 

 eagerly taken up by the bees. This -substance is sometimes very 

 abundant and of excellent quality. It should not, however, be con- 

 founded with the secretions of extra-floral glands such as are possessed 

 by the cowpea, horse bean, partridge pea, and vetches. These seem 

 to be natural productions for the purpose of attracting insects to the 

 plants, while the former is apparently an accidental exudation through 

 the plant pores, brought about very likely by some sudden change of 

 temperature. Both are, however, merely the saccharine juices of the 

 plant, and when refined by the bees may become excellent honey. 



