BEEKEEPING IX THE SOUTH 



77 



region is the frequent failure of cotton to yield much nectar in 

 all parts of this belt. There are some locations in Alabama and 

 Mississippi where cotton is scheduled as a nectar producer, but 

 for the most part throughout the entire alluvial region, cotton 

 does not rank as an important plant for the beekeeper. This is a 

 peculiar fact, and is possibly due to the difference in soil types, 

 since in northeast Texas, cotton is the principal honey plant 

 and there often yields enormous quantities of nectar. However, 

 in this portion of Texas the soil is a deep, black, waxy loam, while 

 in some of the Alabama and Mississippi cotton belt red and blue 

 clays often predominate. It is the opinion of the writer that 

 where cotton yields in the alluvial section, the soil types more 

 nearly approximate the black land of Texas, than elsewhere in 

 this region. This is an interesting topic for research by southern 

 beekeepers. 



Fig. 33. One of J. J. Wilder's apiaries in South Georgia. 



