AUSTRALIAN HONEY PLANTS 



257 



Pig. 91. Bed Box. 



Every second year the trees are quite white with bloom. 



It certainly yields a quantity of cream-coloured pollen 



some seasons. Mostly the weather is boisterous during 



the blossoming period, 



and this militates against 



the production of a large 



crop. Nevertheless good 



yields of honey up to 100 



lbs. per hive places "Red" 



box on a high plane as a 



honey-tree. It certainly 



keeps up its reputation 



for many flowers. In 



some districts the honey is almost water- white; in other 



locations the honey is rather dark-coloured. 



"Red Gum" (River), {E. rostrata). Sometimes 

 referred to as River Red gum. Where the rising land 

 carries "Yellow" box it is fairly safe to say that the 

 damp flats will have some red gum on them. This is so 

 generally true that the two honeys are usually associated 

 with each other. Many apiarists regard it as the finest 

 honey-producing tree in Australasia, and for some dis- 

 tricts this is undoubtedly true, but it will be apparent to 

 the reader as he scans the list of Eucalypts, that each dis- 

 trict has its own particular favourite for quality and 

 quantity. It receives its name from the unique peaked 

 caps of the buds, e.g., rostrum — a beak. It yields large 

 quantities of beautiful pale thick honey, also some 

 creamy-coloured pollen. Yields of 150 lbs. per colony 

 are not rare. The honey candies fairly quickly and with 

 fine grain. The candied article is whiter than that of 

 most Eucalyptus samples. 



The trees have an "on" and an "off" year. This is 

 quite distinct from the South Australian Red Gum, 

 (which see) but is often confounded with it. See also the 

 remarks of a Victorian Editor on Mr. Pope 's honey from 

 South Australia. "Mr. Pope's sample of South Aus- 

 tralian Red gum has quite a different flavour to the 



