ALBERT R. MANN LIBRARY New YORK STATE COLLEGES OF AGRICULTURE AND HoME ECONOMICS AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY EVERETT FRANKLIN PHILLIPS BEEKEEPING LIBRARY THE BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, RALEIGH. Volume 29. JANUARY, 1908. Number 1. BEE-KEEPING IN NORTH CAROLINA. The crude, plain box hive, as shown at the left, produces each year an average of 27% pounds of honey, worth $2.60. ' The frame hive with super, shown at the right, produces each year an average of 3742 pounds of honey, worth $4.13. Therefore, USE FRAME HIVES. (Photo by Prof. Hutt). (See page 18). PUBLISHED MONTHLY AND SENT FREE TO CITIZENS ON APPLICATION. ENTERED AT THE RALEIGH POST-OFFICE AS SECOND-CLASS MAIL MATTER. STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 8. L. PATTERSON, Commissioner, ex officio Chairman, Raleigh. J. J. LAUGHINGHOUSE..... +5065 Greenville 0.0... eee eee eee First District. CGC. W. MITCHELL......... 000d Aulander .....-...-e0see ee! Second District. WILLIAM DUNN....... 0.2 ees NéwW Bé?ities+cevies care ree Third District. ASHLEY HORNE........--0-0 00: Clayton 2.0... cece ee nes ews Fourth District. Ree “Wh: SCOP PR siaveseaaereuais-aneianevins NGIVITC. seascewe sca eo Fifth District. A.D. MeCalnum . is aacessawues Red Springs.......-...05005 Sixth District. Dis. lsc WEG TRA esos seronriies seartscens sv anda Laurinburg ....-.- eee eee ee Seventh District. R: 2: DOUGHTON: seis vex ex Laurel Springs.........--+ Eighth District. W. A. GRAHAM....... 000 e eee Machpelah ......-.-+-++-- Ninth District. Ay CANNON? sss veeoswus ys ences Horse Shoe.........+---5- Tenth District. S: La Pree <4 2965 4 ¢ eee ee eee Oe eae Comnniissioner. Te, T TRRU cio ccms td eens ates eee See Secretary. Bi We Rai orts ee csiare eg parwre ce arrenorene oe State Chemist, Field Crops. RAGE SO TUBB ose cesses dvsness ... Veterinarian, Animal Husbandry. TRRAINIGEIN (SEER NGAING, JiR ives ce wisuecer ene veiecavecorauemanaie mueneie s Entomologist. WON: “SUP ties scams eeenneweey eee er swans eer Horticulturist. H. H. BrRiMuzy.......................-Naturalist and Curator. FU PARR ev enes seeer due een ewcws ome Demonstration Work. RW NE, PATSEING ccoicaccieusioncand sor any PS Giada tee AS Oe Food Chemist. hecioel Wey GIRAT ERSTS cect dsc sot aa ttionasarmeesiog A Enero 0 .. Assistant Chemist. C. D. Harris..Assistant Chemist aud Microscopist, Stock Feeds. Nec Sri EVAR OW, ODD scenes a als ce Acco incatoscvtngned sade Assistant Chemist. Ge My MAGNIDER: j axwexsawoa see sears was Assistant Chemist, Soils. L. L. BRINKLEY...........-5.- Fe aabudaeesikenacabtoste Assistant Chemist. S: O» PERKINS o452 exe asawaes seen eR Rees Assistant Chemist. VAN BDI JED Bis ig vaainiscicsreransets dices asieuautiaie ecenisiaeniuvadie Assistant Chemist. S. C. CLAPP... .............++.. Nursery and Orchard Inspector. R. W. Scott, Jz., Superintendent Edgecombe Test Farm, Rocky Mount, N. C. F. T. Mracuam, Superintendent Iredell Test Farm, Statesville, N. C. Joun H. Jerreries, Superintendent Pender Test Farm, Willard, N. C. R. W. Cottett, Superintendent Transylvania Test Farm, Blantyre, N. C. CONTENTS. PAGE PUMMTALY: COL! BSUS BUD osvis secstenasscmio we seanesteysituirca vp ivaestevessgeialcayovaseninusiceuerinaieonaihibaate een 4 DUOC MU CHLOM. spssvepsacatautu sie ARG snes “3 Benn iin avin nk a nse RG PME oleic wl Rosen ontre Principal Honey Sections of State....... cece cece eee ee eee eens Races or Varieties of Bees........ 6. cece cece ee ence ener e tenet e en eeee 9 Prices for Honey: Comb: Boney’ 0:2.0.4..05 haves cetera eee eee eter eres 11. Extracted Honey ........ Shaded gc vse dee tei sah geviorrtecoemwremerea Gegbeaiernenann ts 13 TGaGIHS HOMEY PLANUS a. iasscsacestasvtnsdeneutinuace ard sapanesenaiaudaegaceueasuandon stand clgenduascesouens obedaare 15 Types: Of Hivesvcnc ssawonenvesnayeerereise eR MESES eG aREee are eT 18 Bee-moth and Other Hnemies.......... 0. cee cece eee eee e eee ee ennee 20 Bee-keeping Journals ...... MAREMNGRS ESR SONAR OA Ree Nores es 23 Summary of Bee-keeping in the State.................0.. Fi ida adc a eee ies 23 What Encouragement Can be Given?...... 0... cece eee eee eee eens 24 Leading Bee-keepers of the State.......... 0.0 ccc cece eee eee eee 25 SUMMARY. THE MORE IMPORTANT FACTS BROUGHT OUT IN THIS BULLETIN ARE AS FOLLOWS: FROM A CAREFUL STUDY OF DETAILED REPORTS FROM 360 BEE-KEEPERS OWNING A TOTAL OF OVER 10,400 COLONIES, WE FIND THAT ON THE WHOLE, THE BEE-KEEPING INDUSTRY IS MUCH WORE LAGELY DEVELOPED IN THE EASTERN THAN IN THE MID- DLE OR WESTERN SECTIONS OF THE STATE, THOUGH THE ACTUAL YIELD OF HONEY SEEMS TO BE ABOUT THE SAME IN ALL SECTIONS. THE JTALIAN BEES ARE DE- CIDEDLY SUPERIOR TO EITHER THE HYBRIDS OR THE BLACKS, BOTH AS TO HONEY PRODUCED AND AS TO RESISTANCE TO BEE-MOTH AND OTHER ENEMIES, BUT (IN THE EASTERN PART OF THE STATE ESPECIALLY) IT IS NECESSARY TO FREQUENTLY IM- PORT FERTILIZED QUEENS TO KEEP THE STOCK PURE. THERE ARE THREE HONEY- PLANTS WHICH ARE FAR AHEAD OF ALL OTHERS, THESE BEING: 1. SOURWOOD; 2. PoPLAR OR TULIP-TREE; 3. CLOVERS OF ALL VAREITIES. SOURWOOD, WHERE IT OCCURS, OUTRANKS ALL OTHER PLANTS IN QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF HONEY PRODUCED, AND ALSO COMMANDS THE BEST PRICE PER POUND. THOSE WHO DEAL IN LIQUID HONEY WOULD DO WELL TO USE MODERN EXTRACTORS RATHER THAN TO “SQUEEZE” THE HONEY OUT BY HAND. THE MODERN HIVES, MADE WITH MOVABLE FRAMES, YIELD MUCH MORE HONEY, WHICH ALSO SELLS AT A HIGHER PRICE, THAN EITHER THE CRUDE BOX HIVES OR HOLLOW-LOG “GUMS.” BEE-MOTH IS ESPECIALLY DESTRUCTIVE IN LOG “GUMS,” BUT MUCH LESS TROUBLESOME IN FRAME HIVES. THE DISEASE KNOWN AS FOUL-BROOD HAS BEEN TWICE REPORTED BUT NOT CON- FIRMED, AND IT IS OF HIGHEST IMPORTANCE THAT OUR BEE-KEEPERS SHOULD WATCH FOR THIS DISEASE AND REPORT THE FACTS IF FOUND. THERE IS SOME SEN- TIMENT IN FAVOR OF A STATE BEE-KEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION, BUT THE MATTER SHOULD BE VERY CAREFULLY CONSIDERED BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO ORGANIZE. A LIST OF THE LEADING BEE-KEEPERS OF THE STATE IS GIVEN IN THE LATTER PART OF THE BULLETIN. BEE-KEEPING IN NORTH GAROLINA. A STUDY OF SOME STATISTICS ON THE INDUSTRY, WITH SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS. By FRANKLIN SHERMAN, JR., Entomologist. INTRODUCTION. Bee-keeping is an old industry in this State—so old that it has been allowed in some casés to settle into ruts, which are not only unprofitable, but hard to get out of. There is perhaps no other in- dustry in the State of equal importance and with equal opportunities for development which is so disorganized, so disconnected and suffer- ing so badly from lack of careful attention and better methods as is the bee-keeping business. We make this remark as applying to the State as a whole, for there are some individuals who are conducting their apiaries along modern and profitable lines. There is no State organization in which our bee-keepers meet to exchange views; there is no system of inspection by which the apiaries may be brought to a higher standard ; the bee-keeping magazines have but a limited circulation with us, and there is nowhere in the State a practical bee-keeper whose special duty it is to encourage or protect this industry. In order to see if we could reach any of the fundamental facts underlying this industry in the State, the writer—though not an actual bee-keeper—began an inquiry into the industry in the summer of 1905, which has been continued (with interruptions) to the pres- ent time. A carefully prepared sheet of questions was sent out, and all data received in reply have been carefully recorded. We have left out of account any who have less than ten colonies of bees, so that the data which we have is from actual commercial bee-keepers. We have on record replies from about 360 persons, representing a total of 10,450 colonies, located in seventy-eight counties—an average of 134 colonies for each county heard from, or an average of nearly 108 colonies for each and every county in the entire State. We feel that with such an amount of data we are warranted in deducting some conclusions regarding the industry in the State as a whole. Of course we have not heard from anywhere near all of the com- mercial bee-keepers. We know positively of several from whom we have not heard. Doubtless some of 2 counties from which we have 6 Tur BuLetin. heard little or nothing, have as well-developed a honey industry as any. For instance, in Madison County, on the west, we have record of 23 bee-keepers, with a total of 646 hives, while in the neighboring county of Mitchell, which is presumably just as well fitted for the industry and with perhaps as many colonies, we have record of only one man, who has 10 colonies. In the east we find Martin County with eight bee-keepers on record, owning a total of 716 colonies (average, 8914 each), while the neighboring county of Pitt has only one bee-keeper, with 15 colonies, on our records. We mention these instances to show that, while we have been successful in collecting much data from various parts of the State, it is probably by no means complete for all or, indeed, for any of the counties. The list of questions which we sent out is as follows: How many colonies of bees have you? What race or variety of bees do you keep? What is your average honey yield per hive each year? What are your highest and lowest prices for honey per pound? What are your principal honey plants? What plant, in your opinion, yields the best quality of honey? What plant, in your opinion, yields the largest quantity of honey? What kind of gum, box or hive do you use? . Are your bees troubled with Foul-brood, Bee-moth, Paralysis, or other enemies? 10. What bee-keeping journals, if any, do you take? SP WARIUIP Wb This Butxertn is based entirely on the answers to these questions, sent, as we have said, by 360 bee-keepers, representing 10,450 colo- nies of bees. The writer makes no pretense to any knowledge of bee- keeping, except such as he has learned from these cuntributors. But the inquiry is sufficiently broad and has been responded to sufficiently well, so that many facts and deductions can be positively stated, after full consideration of them all. The author desires to acknowledge valuable assistance rendered by the numerous bee-keepers, and wishes also to express special thanks to Prof. W. N. Hutt for taking the several photographs with which Tur Buxrztin is illustrated; to Mr. T. B. Parker for valuable sugges- tions in preparing the manuscript, and to Mr. Burton N. Gates, Ex- pert in Apiculture, United States Department of Agriculture, for cor- recting some technical errors and for suggestions. PRINCIPAL HONEY SECTIONS OF THE STATE. Probably the first question that would naturally arise is, Which is the leading bee-keeping county? Or, Which section of the State is in the lead? This is not easy to answer, and several different conclu- sions may be reached, according to the point of view. Martin County leads in the total number of colonies on record; Washington leads in the average number of colonies owned by each bee-keeper, while Tue Bun.erin: “(any “FOIg Aq 004d) ‘O'N ‘YSIOTeY ‘eTQWIOAA “TM “TIN JO Arverde [epusuitedxa euloFy “JOT APIO B UO AIVIdY—"T “OTT 8 Tue BULLETIN. Madison leads in the total number of bee-keepers. Taking into account only those counties which have on record 250 colonies or over, we present the following table: LEADING BEE-KEEPING COUNTIES . Total Colo- Number of oat County. Section of State. goad ae ee. ce olonies Per Beaufort -------------------- Wastvesevecuceeseces 421 12 35 Bladen ---------------------- Wasti<-4-2s36-5-2- 2.4 353 11 82 Dip lites tes -oot see ese Wastecssancancnni3c55- 445 10 444% Tredell ----------..-- ---- Central 325 13 25 Madison oc-s--sscceccenecesce Wei threes oes 646 23 28 Martin---------------------+- Bastizcotcoessssssessee 716 8 89% McDowell -------------- ------ Centra eaceenneeee eas 262 11 24 Onslow ---------------------- Bast'.-_---..ssssessssee 484 13 37 Robeson Ora ah tenn East ------------------ 374 14 27 Washington ----------.------ Wastcsscaccosctscecas. 300 3 100 We see, therefore, that, so far as our records go, they show de- eidedly that at present the leading honey-producing region of the State is the southeastern and eastern parts, which is explained by the fact that there are in those sections thousands of acres of swamp land which never have been and perhaps never will be cultivated, but in which a number of excellent honey plants (gallberry, huckleberry, ete.) grow to perfection. All this section may, therefore, be oon- sidered as one (the eastern) region. Leaving this region, we pass across a wide belt of country in which there are no specially favored bee-keeping sections, until we get to the upper piedmont and moun- tain counties, where the mixed forests, wild clovers, and best of all, the famous sourwood flourish. Here the opportunities for bee-keep- ing are only limited by the clearing of the land for crops which are not honey producers. So far as the writer is able to judge, a skillful bee-keeper will do about as well in one of these sections as the other, with this difference: that in the piedmont and western counties, on account of colder climate, more care is needed in wintering the bees, and the favorable locations, where the best plants grow, are somewhat more restricted than in the east. To offset this disadvantage, it may be said that all bee-keepers, wherever the sourwood grows, rank it first among the honey plants, and this queen of honey producers is most abundant in the upper piedmont and lower mountain sections. In this connection it is proper to attempt to determine where the honey yield is greatest. To attempt this for each individual county Tue BuLietiy. 9 could serve no real purpose, since in many cases the difference would be accounted for by other conditions than that of the honey flow. But if we take three typical counties, representing, respectively, the eastern, the piedmont and the western sections, we should derive some sound conclusions, since the honey plants in these three sections are decidedly different, and such differences in returns as exist are likely due to the honey flow. For this calculation we have taken the coun- ties of Onslow, Iredell and Madison. Eliminating a number of reports which, for various reasons, cannot be used in this estimate, we construct the following table from those that are available, and, though it is based on too few reports to be absolutely conclusive, it shows about what we would judge to be the true comparison : HONEY YIELD IN DIFFERENT SECTIONS. Location Number of Average Yield County. in State. Reports. Per Hive. ' Onslow East 4. 86% pounds. Iredell ~--.---- Piedmont-------|--------- Desseeeey 42% pounds. Madison------- West eceesceeces eee eed Visee=ce 88 pounds. RACES OR VARIETIES OF BEES. The Italian (in its various strains) is the leading bee for this State. To determine the relative desirability of the kinds, we must take into account the honey yield which each produces. The leading: varieties are: Italians, Blacks, and Hybrids (or mixed), which are derived from the crossing of Italians with the Blacks. About 100 of our bee-keepers gave no estimate of their yearly yield per colony, and in other cases we have been obliged to make averages between the high and low yields which the same bee-keeper often reports. It is only the most careful bee-keepers who actually keep accurate record of the yield. One person who keeps Carnolians reports an average yield of 64 pounds per hive; three who have Italians crossed with Carnolians report an average yield of 30 pounds per hive;. but in both these instances the number reporting is too small to warrant any conclu- sions as to the merits of these breeds. It is only when we have a large number of reports that we can expect the general average to give an accurate idea of the true conditions. For the Italians, Blacks, and Hybrids we have a sufficient number of reports so that we can feel some confidence in the averages which they show. We have reports from 89 persons who keep Italians, 88 who keep the common Blacks, and 83 who have the Hybrid bees. A number give the yield 10 Tue BuLLetin. in gallons (extracted honey), but the majority report it in pounds (comb honey). Bringing all these reports together and averaging them, we find the following: HONEY YIELD FROM DIFFERENT RACES OF BEES. Yield in Gallons. Yield in Pounds. Total R. f Bees. Bee-keepers Average aes Reporting. Number A Yield Number Yield Reporting. Per Hive. Rep Orting Per Hive. Ttalians sesso tees 89 4! 4 gallons. 85 40% pounds. Hy brids=---.-2--2sseeeserse=s= 83 1 4 gallons. 72 34% pounds. Blacks ------------------------ 88 20 3% gallons. 68 26% pounds. | From the above we see that the Italians lead the Hybrids by an average of 6 pounds per hive each season, while the Hybrids in turn lead the Blacks by an average of 8 pounds. This puts the Italians, 14 pounds ahead of the Blacks in average yield per hive each season. In these cases, also, there is a sufficient number reporting to give re- | liability, and they demonstrate the advantage of the Italians over the: others. As regards gallons of extracted honey, there are too few, reporting to give so reliable a comparison, but here we find the Ttalians| and Hybrids standing together with an average yield of 4 pallens, while the Blacks follow at 314 gallons. It is to be noted that only four of the 89 persons who keep Italians report the yield in gallons, eleven of those with Hybrids report in gallons, and twenty of those who keep Blacks give the yield in gallons. The Italians have an advantage in the care given them, for most of those keeping Italians use some improved type of hive, while fully half of those who keep’ the Blacks keep them in old hollow-log “gums.” In the east, where, as already mentioned, there are interminable swamps and forests of fine bee pasturage, and where there are countless swarms of wild bees in the forests, we find the Black bees predominating in the apiaries, and this largely accounts for the low average yield. Considering, now, only the larger bee-keepers, those having fifty or more colonies, we find: DISTRIBUTION OF ITALIAN, BLACK AND HYBRID BEES IN APIARIES OF FIFTY OR MORE COLONIES. ; Number Number N Section of State. Keeping Keeping Te Italians. Hybrids. Blacks. AES eestor 2s Joe eal ee Degusen c/o sees 102-20 | esau Aes 3 Ricd mon tis sae oe ks a lense AGL i Gee ser Sate beers | none, WeSt o.oo 50 oo oe cu tceeume ee |i Boaseues none, | wne---- Geese e Tue BuLiLetin. 11 From this we see that in the east the tendency is to make use of the wild Black bee as found in the native forest, or, even when Italians are introduced, they mingle with the wild Black, producing a Hybrid. It seems to be much more difficult to keep the Italians pure in the eastern section, necessitating frequent introduction of fertilized Italian queens from other apiaries. In the middle and the mountain sections there seems to be less difficulty along this line. In the region where the sourwood abounds the Italian is the decided favorite, for of the nine large bee-keepers on record in this (the piedmont) region six keep the pure Italians, while the other three have Hybrids in which there is Italian blood. Thus we see, taking a view of the matter from all sides, that the Italian is in the lead throughout the State as a whole, though out- stripped in numbers by the Blacks in the east. The Italians also have a decided lead in the yield of honey, and are especially preferred in the sections where the finest quality of honey is made. When a bee-keeper gets to the point of working up a fancy trade in high- priced honey, he rs likely to abandon the Black bees and log “gums’’ and stock up with pure Italians in modern frame hives, in which the marketable honey is stored in pound sections, or in frames from which at can be easily extracted. The main objection to this lies in the dif- ficulty of keeping the stock pure, and the expense of continually intro- ducing new queens; but, in view of the higher average yield from the Italians, as shown in these pages, it would seem that they more than compensate for this trouble and expense. PRICES FOR HONEY. Comb Honey.—There is, of course, a wide range in the prices paid for honey, depending upon the demand and supply, and also depend- ing upon the distance to the larger towns, the source from which the honey: is derived, its color, etc. The prices mentioned for comb honey (with 215 persons reporting) range from 5 to 20 cents per pound, the bulk being sold, however, at from 10 to 15 cents. Averag- ing all the reports for 215 persons, we get a fraction less than 12 cents as the average price for comb honey throughout the State as a whole. An effort to determine in which section of the State the highest prices prevail is only partially successful, owing to the fact that we have not enough reports from representative counties in all sections to warrant conclusions. Six persons reporting from Onslow show an average price of exactly 12 cents per pound; nine from Iredell report an average of a fraction more than 12 cents, while twenty reporting from Madison show an average of a fraction less than 13 cents per pound. This puts the three sections (east, central, and west) on practically the same basis, so far as price is concerned. But here again we find the sourwood showing the superiority of its 12 Tur BuLLeTIN. it is abundant enough to give a fair yield. This plant ae ee Mies in northern Ses. in ae der and in southern Wilkes counties; and the remarks of two, : : bee-keepers of this region with regard to honey prices are on a One says: “Dark honey, 10 to 12 cents; sourwood, 15 to ) ae the other reports: “Red honey, 10 cents; sourwood, Alain ( : sourwood produces a light or “white” honey). While the genera Fic. 2.—A well-filled pound section, usually retailing at 18 to 20 cents. About three-fourths actual size. (Photo by Prof. Hutt). average of prices in the sourwood section may not be above that of other sections, yet those who take full advantage of the flow from this plant realize a better price from its honey than from any other. Some bee-keepers make a practice of taking away all surplus when the sourwood comes on, and taking it again at the close of the sour- wood season, so as to have that honey pure for the fancy trade at highest -prices. Tur BoLuetin. 13 In some instances the price for honey seems to be very uniform for a whole county. For instance, in Johnston County, out of seven reporting, five mention only one figure—10 cents per pound—while of the other two, one gives his usual prices as from 10 to 121% cents, and the other gives 10 to 15 cents. Extracted Honey.—The majority of our bee-keepers sell the comb honey, but in the east a great deal is extracted (often by the crudest methods) and sold. As none of our questions related directly to the extracted honey, and as even the question of price was based on comb honey, we have only very incomplete data as to the extent that extract- ing is practiced and the prices secured for the extracted honey, and no data whatever as to the prices secured for the wax. Most of those who reported on extracted honey are in- the east, particularly in Bla- den, Onslow, Duplin and neighboring counties. From these, fifteen persons report an average price of 5214 cents per gallon for extracted honey. This is a low price, and is apparently the result of several causes. The methods of extracting are often crude and cannot fail to reduce the price, resulting as they do in much sediment and foreign matter being left in the honey. The process known as “squeezing” consists simply in forcing the honey from the comb by hand into an open tub or trough, and, added to the unpleasant thought that the honey has all run over the hands and fingers of some one, is the cer- tain fact that, while this is going on, more or less dust, fine particles of trash, etc., are blown in. Then, again, when old hollow-log “oums’’ or plain box hives are used, there is not that clear and certain distinction between the brood, bee-bread, and surplus honey that there is when modern hives are used; consequently, “squeezed” honey may contain bits of comb, bee-bread and an occasional wing, leg, head or body of a bee—all of which tends to depress the price. Modern ex- tractors, by which the honey is cleanly and thoroughly removed from the combs, are not nearly so commonly used as they should be. It seems certain to the writer that in our eastern section, where there is such endless bee pasturage, either comb or extracted honey should be capable of very profitable production, and some do produce both profitably ; but surely something could be gained by using hives in which the honey is stored in frames, which then fit into a regular extractor, from which the honey is quickly and thoroughly extracted without waste, at the same time keeping it pure and appetizing. Some improvement in the methods at present employed is very de- sirable. ~ There is another point to be remembered in regard to the sale of comb and extracted honey. Recent investigations, both in this State and in other States, show that there is on the markets a great amount of adulterated and imitation food products of all sorts. Extracted honey can be adulterated, and at least one case has been discovered by 14 Tue BuLLerin. Mr. W. M. Allen, Food Chemist in our Department, where a material supposed to be extracted honey was found, when analyzed, to consist entirely of syrups, flavors, etc., which had been derived from other sources. It was purely an imitation honey, yet floating about in this Fig. 3.—A home-made extractor. The frames filled with honey, after being uncapped with a knife, are placed in this machine and the honey thrown out by rapid turning with a erank. The honey is then drawn out by means of the spigot at bottom of the extractor. (Photo by Prof. Hutt). & 2 material was a leg of a bee, or a wing, or a tiny bit of comb, to make the deception complete! The honest bee-keeper who sells extracted honey must sell in competition with these fraudulent and adulterated products, and he is thereby put to a disadvantage, and accordingly Tue Buiuerin, 15 gets a lower price, since everything that is sold under the name of extracted honey falls under suspicion unless the bee-keeper has a fixed trade and has the full confidence of his customers. On the other hand, comb honey cannot be imitated, so that it does not suffer so keenly from this unfair competition. The only way to adulterate comb honey is by the well-known process of feeding the bees with syrup, which is, of course, necessary at times, but should not other- wise be practiced, for the reason that it is costly at best, and impairs the quality of the product, to the detriment of the price. LEADING HONEY PLANTS. North Carolina is well supplied with native honey plants, especially in the eastern section. Three of the questions sent out by.the writer bear on this subject, and the answers give an excellent view of the matter for the entire State. Of course each bee-keeper may have his own preferences or prejudices as to which plant yields the best quality of honey, but the averages derived from a large number of replies are likely to be near the truth. We have been over all the reports, so as to reach some definite conclusions as to the order in which our princi- pal honey plants should be ranked. Taking the State as a whole, sourwood, poplar (sometimes called tulip tree) and the clovers (all kinds) are the three leaders. As one of the main sources of honey, the sourwood is mentioned 167 times, to 162 for poplar, and 157 for the clovers. As to quality of honey, sourwood is mentioned 121 times, to 30 for poplar, and 65 for the clovers. For quantity of honey, the sourwood is mentioned 48 times, to 57 for poplar and 39 for the clovers. Of these three leaders the poplar is the most widely distributed, and is prominently mentioned in all sections, from east to west. The sourwood is principally confined to the piedmont sec- tion, though. reported also from the lower mountain localities and from the western border of the eastern region. The clovers are found in all parts, though more abundant in the mountain and piedmont sections. Next to these three we find the gallberry (Vaccinium sp.) and black-gum, both taking high rank and both found principally in the east. Persimmon ranks sixth and is reported chiefly from the, east, several mentioning it as irregular in yield and lasting but a short time, but doing well for the short period. The basswood, or lin- den, comes seventh and is reported only from the west. Holly and huckleberry (low and high) are next in order, both being in the east. Buckwheat follows and is confined to the west. Ironweed (so-called, really a species of aster), while reported almost entirely from the piedmont, and especially from Mecklenburg, Cabarrus and neighbor- ing counties, taking relatively high rank both for quality and quan- tity of honey produced, grows over larger areas in the piedmont and 16 Tux BuLiertin. eastern parts of the State, especially on the stiffer soils. Bringing together all these reports and tabulating them for more easy reference, we find that our twenty-four leading honey plants are as follows: TWENTY-FOUR LEADING BEE PASTURAGE PLANTS. a a PLANT. Sy (22 | ee : Section of State Where 89 § 2 88 Common Name as Used in Most Common. ae .|/83a.1/89. this State. g22| 363| 3Be BGG| Fee] Bag, Aam | Gat Beat 1. Sourwood ------------------------- Piedmont; little East and West----| 167 121 48 2. Poplar (Tulip tree) JAN) S6¢ HONS easeesc cee ceeeeeexesces 162 30 57 8. Clovers (all varieties) West and Piedmont; little in East -| 157 63 39 4, Gallberry ---------------- 66 28 29 5. Black-gum------------------ 62 21 22 6. Person acne natn cen cnenenenne 55 14 7. Basswood (Linden, Linn) 38 13 8. Holly 37 11 12 9. Huckleberfy--=-+=+-+-.-----s