66 



BEEKEEPING IN THE SOUTH 



Fig. 26. Apiary of 300 colonies belonging to J. K. Isbell on the Apa- 

 lachicola River, Florida. 



ics. In Texas they are typically desert trees and shrubs, pro- 

 tected by thorns in nearly every case. This is seldom true in 

 Florida, where the trees which jdeld nectar are simply featured 

 by the rank growth which is typical of the lowland tropics. 

 In Texas, the variety is not so great as in Florida, probably due 

 to the greater available water supply in Florida. R. B. Willson 

 reports an enormous variety of honey plants, as },-ct largely un- 

 classified, growing along the Gulf in southern Mississippi. 



Nectar Sources. 



There are probably four or five plants or trees in Florida which 

 would be considered the important nectar sources of the state. 

 Primary among these is the saw or scrub palmetto, which grows 

 practically throughout the state, and which is a very dependable 



