TRUCK CROPS 57 
to three or four weeks, depending upon the kinds of trees avail- 
able (Fig. 28). 
The pear tree secretes nectar freely, and is one of the most 
valuable of the fruits. The peach also is of some value. 
While the fruit trees bloom in profusion, the principal value 
of this nectar lies in the stimulation of brood rearing, because 
of the season in which it comes. 
In Florida and California, the orange is of considerable 
value as a honey plant. It blooms usually in February and 
March, and lasts from twenty to thirty days. If conditions are 
favorable for nectar secretion, considerable surplus will be stored 
from this source, but it is not dependable. 
Of the wild fruits, hawthorne, wild crab, and several others 
are very similar to the cultivated fruits in nectar secretion. The 
wild cherry is a large forest tree that furnishes considerable 
honey. 
Besides the tree fruits, the bush fruits are of considerable 
value. The wild raspberry of Michigan is one of the more im- 
portant sources of honey in that State. Its period of bloom is 
long and the honey of the finest quality. The plants grow on cut- 
over timber land that is very poor, so that a good raspberry 
location is quite likely to be permanent. A large acreage of 
cultivated raspberries is equally desirable and often to be found 
in the truck-growing sections near the large cities. The black- 
berry is also a valuable plant, although probably nowhere equal 
to a similar acreage of raspberry. 
Currants and gooseberries are eagerly sought by the bees, 
and if present in sufficiently large acreage would be desirable 
pasturage. 
Truck Crops.—In the vicinity of market gardens, the bee- 
keeper often receives considerable benefit from the large acreage 
of cucumbers, which produces considerable honey. It is said to 
be of inferior flavor. 
Carrots, cabbage, mustard, turnips, pumpkins, squash and 
several other cultivated vegetables add to the total production 
of the hive. 
