86 BEEKEEPING IN THE SOUTH 



brood. Similar conditions have been reported in Tennessee and 

 Kentucky, in the mountains. No up-to-date beekeeper has much 

 to fear from European foulbrood in this territory, for the adoption 

 of good strains of Italians usually results in its eradication. Most 

 of the bees kept in this territory are blacks. Occasionally one 

 runs across a colony of beautifully marked Italians which the 

 mountain beekeeper has caught as a swarm in the woods. This 

 brings up speculation as to how far these bees traveled before 

 they were hived and became "mountain" bees. 



Fall Flows Dependable. 



Fall flows are usual in all of the mountain regions of the 

 states mentioned. There is no more beautiful sight in the 

 South than a West Virginia or Virginia mountain side covered 

 for acres with masses of aster and goldenrod in the fall, on which 

 the bees make an excellent harvest. This probably accounts for 

 the fact that bees in this region survive the poor methods of bee- 

 keeping, since excessive swarming and poor wintering go hand in 

 hand. The winters are often severe and, in the higher regions, 

 good protection pays well. Bees in the lower foothills of Ten- 

 nessee are seldom protected, and successful beekeepers there 

 make the adoption of heavy winter packing in their territory 

 doubtful. 



The territory west of the Mississippi River is similar to that 

 of the region previously discussed. Honey sources are different 

 and but few of the common plants of the eastern belt of the 

 mountains are known across the "Father of Waters." The 

 writer is not so familiar with honey sources in that locality, where 

 the Ozarks of Arkansas and Oklahoma gi^'e lower altitudes than 

 the mountains of Kentucky, Tennessee, and the Virginias. 

 There are fewer coftimercial beekeepers located there and not as 

 many colonies of bees. However, there are some fertile fields 

 in both states, which are as yet but partly developed and which 

 offer a field for extension work and modern bee culture. The 

 climate in this region is somewhat mild in both winter and sum- 

 mer and the honey sources in good localities are equally varied, 

 according to C. E. Sanborn, of Oklahoma, and Frank Horsefal, 

 of Arkansas. 



