THE BEEKEEPERS' REVIEW 385 



ern third, possibly half, of the state, rather irregularly ; abundant 

 in some places, for example, about Bradentown, and scarce in others 

 of same latitude. It ought to be called the honey plant royal. 

 Where it is abundant it finds the hives empty in December, and 

 leaves them full of honey and bees in time for orange bloom. It is 

 white in color and excellent in flavor and body. It seldom fails to 

 yield, for four months at a time, unless forest fires have been too 

 abundant ; then it does not yield. For the plant does not yield the 

 first year, but little the second, and is at its prime only after the 

 third year. Therefore the cattle men with their mad desire to 

 burn anything that will burn, to make pasturage for their cattle 

 on the range, are a great menace to the apiarist who is counting 

 his pennyroyal honey before it is garnered. Right now, in the vic- 

 inity of Fort Meyers, on the west coast, the bees are swarming 

 from Pennyroyal bloom, and have been for a month or more. I 

 wish we had it all over our state. 



These five honeys are our main flows. These five are largely 

 from trees ; note this. I have called Florida the land of "Tree hon- 

 ey." Tupelo, Orange, Palmetto, Mangrove. Can you beat it? 

 There are scores of other minor sources ; but these five, (all trees 

 save pennyroyal) are about all that ever produce in sufficient quanti- 

 ties to appear commercially. Show me another state, that has five 

 honeys equal to these five. 



In conclusion, let me say to you, before you take the airline 

 express homeward, that with all our great honey sources with our 

 great possibilities, we are disorganized, (I might say unorganized) . 

 There is not a single association of beemen in the state — think of 

 it ! I confess it with shame. Think of the hundreds of tons of 

 fine honey shipped out of the state every year, and not a beekeep- 

 ers' association in all the length and breadth of our land of flowers. 

 "Why not?" you ask. I think it is because of two reasons; first, be- 

 cause of our newness ; and second and most of all because of a sort 

 of pioneer feeling that still prevails among the beemen here, that 

 of the pioneer anywhere ; he always dreads the approach of neigh- 

 bors, and fights shy of encroachments, he wishes to exploit the virg- 

 in soil and forests for himself alone, is jealous of newcomers, and 

 does not wish to have the facts of his section become known. This is, 

 true of many sections but not of all, I am glad to say. A spirit of 

 fellowship, of being brethren, is growing. I make this prophecy ; in 

 1925 the National will meet with us. Come dov/n and help us organ- 

 ize. This is our parting wish, as your gauzy winged express hums 

 you away, back to your sleet and snow "For we be all brethren." 



