BEE-spoke-data/bees-v0 huggingface dataset:
"In union there is strength," so it is with a State Association of bee-keepers, and every State should have one. The Texas association at the same time is affiliated with the Texas Farmers' Congress, of which it is the bee-keepers' section. This congress comprises some two dozen State agricultural associations, each representing its industry. All the members of the State association become members of the National Bee-keeper's Association, by joining it in a body, at go cents each, thereby receiving all the privileges and the protection of that great association. Besides this, special low rates are given on subscriptions to the different bee-journals, as an additional inducement. The membership to both associations in the above way is only $1.00; and if several journals are subscribed for, enough is saved on them to pay for this. _Gleanings in Bee Culture_is given for so cents; _American Bee Journal_, so cents; _Bee-keepers' Review_, 75 cents, and _American Bee-keeper_ for 25 cents a year, if ordered through the secretary, with the annual dues to the association.
The officers are elected annually, and at present consist of W. O. Victor, of Hondo, President; D. C. Milam, Uvalde, Vice-president, and the writer has been for ten years Secretary and Treasurer.
Louis H. Schroll
Bee-keeping in Oklahoma.
Mendon, Okla.
Bee-keeping is certainly not crowded in this part of the new State, although from the name of our new county, Alfalfa, one would naturally think it would be a favorable place; and there are many acres of alfalfa grown in this country, though not much in this exact location, the sand hills.
Alfalfa and cow-peas are the chief sources of honey, though there are black-locust trees, some sumac, and various wild flowers. There is a yellow flower that grows thickly about pasture lands, and blooms in August and September. It has a sweet odor, and is surrounded all day by bees and other nectar-loving insects. It is called broom-weed here because of its umbilical top, I suppose.
I had a season of reverses, so I haven't much to report. However, one swarm that came off the 18th of July stored 122 lbs. of honey, although I fed, some late in the fall to induce them to draw out foundation and seal stores, part of which I used for a weak colony that had had foul brood, and had been shaken into a new hive and requenced too late to store sufficient for winter.
There are a few other bee-keepers in this vicinity, of whom W. B. Uptegrove, near Byron, is probably the most extensive. Mr. Uptegrove is located in the edge of the alfalfa belt, and has sixty acres on his own farm, also sixty acres of black-locust trees. He cultivates bazhoud as a honey-plant too, and I am told that he is a generous feeder with granu-lafed sugar when the honey-flow is short.
He has been retailing honey at 20 cents a pound, as prices are good any way.
The Angle brothers also keep bees. John Angle, near Mendon, was reported to have had a good yield last year, but I did not learn the amount. His brother who keeps bees is located near Byron. I have not much information regarding the extent of his bee-keeping.
With the increasing amount of alfalfa and cow-peas, I think our bee pastureage is sure to improve. There is a long season with cowpeas, as they begin blooming in June and continue till frozen in the fall. Fruit-bloom comes in March, and is soon followed by dandelion and various wild flowers.
Mary L. Hawley
## 11 Bee-Keeping in the Indian Territory.
It was once the author's good pleasure to make a prospecting-tour through the Indian Territory, and he was favorably impressed with it as a bee and honey country. I saw some traces of bee-keeping in many locations, and the reports were good and encouraging. The most extensive bee-keeper we saw was a widow Cherokee Indian; but as she could speak American language but little we did not get much information regarding her bees; but she was tending a small plot of land with a hoe, and keeping bees to support herself and four small children. Her apiary consisted of about 100 colonies in home-made hives, constructed with two apartments. The bottom one, she said, was for the bees, and the top story for the honey. The hives were not modern in design, but they were well constructed and neat in appearance. There were no cracks or openings about them chinked up with cotton or rags, and the covers fit down well, being made of wide lumber, and another wide board nailed on top of the cover crosswise so as to keep them from warping. The covers were not nailed or pegged to the hives. The apiary was nicely arranged in a grove of small trees, and swept and cleaned out as well as wc could expect a housekeeper to keep her house swept out. No plank, trash, nor boards were found about it. From the outside appearance the apiary received all the care or attention that a good-honest apiarist could give it, and undoubtedly the bees received some modern care. We camped over night near her house, and I went up to her house for a small amount of honey for supper. She said, "run out or stay in?" I said, "stay in," and she filled the small bucket with nice chunks of honey. The honey was fine in flavor and color. We ate it up at supper, and in the morning I went back to her house for a supply to carry with us, and called for "run out," and she filled the bucket with strained honey.
That apiary and poor widow, depending largely upon her bees for her own and her children's support, made a strong and lasting impression on my mind. We found a few in the Choctaw Nation engaged in bee-keeping, on a small scale, and who reported good returns from their bees. We felled a few very rich bee-trees during our travel there, and the general outlook for bee-keeping seemed to be all any one could expect, except transportation, which was poor.
## 11 Bee-Keeping in Arkansas.
The author lived in that State eight years, and was connected with bee-keeping which proved to be profitable. Unquestionably Arkansas has some of the finest bee pastures the writer has ever seen; but transportation was not sufficient to justify extensive bee-keeping at that time in the bestlocations. Honey was plentiful in the forest, and it was not necessary to keep an apiary to have honey for home use or for the market. At certain times of the year there were men who did nothing but ramble in the forest hunting and felling bee-trees, and who sold the honey to other settlers or to steamboat proprietors at boat-landings along the navigable streams, or to any one at any price. In some sections there was not only a great variety of honey-plants, but they were in great abundance. Especially was this true in the prairie sections, for the forest along the edge of the prairie contained much basswood and other honey-plants common in the Southwest; then the points or scopes of timber extending out on the prairie were lined with lazelnut and surmac, and other small shrubs which were great bloomers and good honey-plants for which I know no names. Then along on the prairie were large bodies of land covered by surmac. From early spring until late in the fall the praaries were lined with flowers of all kinds, colors, and sizes, and many of them were honey-plants. Horse-mint was also in great abundance, so the bees continued to work upon blossoms. In Arkansas Co., near Violet, on the edge of Ball Prairie, a colony of bees made the best record I have ever known one to make. G. W. Rush, a farmer, found a bee-tree, late in the fall, and early the next spring he felled it, sawed it off below and above the bees, and nailed a bottom and top on it and carried it home and set it up under a tree. During that season that colony swarmed several times, and its swarms swarmed, and seven swarms were cast in all, and six of them were hired in box hives and one ab-sconded, about one barrel of surplus honey was removed from the lot, and they all went into winter quarters heavy with stores. Henry Williams, in the same location, operated an apiary of about sixty colonies in log gums, and always had more honey than he could dispose of. He had some in an earthen jar, several years old. I sampled it and it was fine in flavor and nearly light in color. The last season we were in that location we gave their apiary the necessary attention. Many swarms were saved, and we obtained for our part a wagon load of honey which we carried to Little Rock and sold at a fancy price.
We came into this section from the Indian Territory; and after this we continued to travel and saw a great future for the bee and honey industry in that State, and I am glad to know of the progress it has made, and the possibilities that are yet ahead.
Statistics given elsewhere in this book show that bees give a good surplus of honey in that State, and that a large amount of it is saved.
BEE-KEEPING IN MISSISSIPPI.
Leota, Miss.
Bee culture in the South is remunerative, interesting, and enjoyable. The flora of the South is varied, and supplies great quantities of nectar and pollen. Bees gather the nectar with ease, and store it by the ton. Theymultiply rapidly by the thousands--a benefit if handled with skill, but an injury if handled with negligence. Best results are obtained by having enough room all the time for honey and brood. Increase works like a charm. Negligence brings on bad results immediately. Nothing in the world responds with more celerity, certainty, and safety than bees under the care and direction of man. The subject-matter is intensely interesting if viewed either from the work involved or the thought required to study the nature of the bees. It is enjoyable because it necessitates outdoor work, thereby giving invigorating health, strength, and contentment. The balmy sun of the South and the gentle breezes do the rest.
The flora of this vicinity begins to bloom the last of February, and extends to the last of November. One set of blooms dovetails into the others, so that there is a continuity of flowers for ten months. A tremendous honey-flow extends over April, May, June, and July.
Fruit and forest trees secrete a great quantity of nectar. We have vast forests; innumerable wild vines, plants, and shrubs yield delicious nectar. The cotton-plant, the producer of the renowned fleecy staple, is at home upon our fertile acres, and yields a vast amount of superior nectar.
Many and varied blossoms supply nectar at the same time, hence it is impossible to differentiate and tell the exact source and quantity whence any particular honey is obtained. That fact is eagerly seized by the North, who imagine it is a stinging fling at us to brand ours as "Southern Honey." We accept the same as a badge of honor, and will wear the same worthily.
Dr. O. M. Blanton, Greenville, Miss., is a pioneer among bees, and has, successfully handled them for thirty years. He has about 300 colonies. R. J. Adams, Greenville, Miss., is an old bee-man, and has about 200 colonies. Joel Johnson, Leota, Miss, is a genius in an apiary, and is very successful. He has about 150 colonies. I successfully handle 164 colonies, having made money every year. I extracted this year 21,600 lbs of honey. Bees winter upon their summer stands, and are never diseased. This is a bee paradise.
The Worthington,
Bee-keeping in East Mississippi.
Penn, Miss.
There are few bee-keepers in Mississippi of consequence, owing to the fact that the field is new and the territory has been limited up to the last few years. Of late years, with the introduction of sweet clover (_melilotus_), or botanically known as _Melilotus Alba_, for the renovation of poor run-down and wasted lands, bee-keeping has been growing rapidly, and the crops being made in East Mississippi are proof that this section is destined to be one of the principal honey-producing parts of the United States.
In addition to sweet clover as a honey-plant we have Spanish needle, cotton bloom, and other plants. Fall aster is the last bloom we get. Bees usually get enough from this plant to go into winter quarters in good shape.
For surplus honey we depend entirely on sweet clover, Spanish needle, and cotton bloom; but the most important of all is sweet clover, which has been a never-failing source. There are thousands of acres of this plant in East Mississippi that would be a paradise for expert bee-keepers to get into.
One of the largest bee-keepers in this section has told me time and time again that his ten-year average has been over 100 pounds. He also said that he made an average of 140 pounds one season. He handles comb honey entirely. The party in question is Mr. Geo. A. Hummer, of Prairie Point, Miss.; but by the time this article reaches the press Mr. Hummer will be a resident of Colorado. He is not quitting this section to embark in the bee business in Colorado, as he has other interests that are drawing him to that State.
Mr. J. S. Cavett, of Macon, Miss., is making a success in bee-keeping, and has produced some large yields of surplus honey.
Most of the honey produced is comb honey. Very few bee-keepers run for extracted honey.
The writer of this article has several hundred colonies of bees and made a go-lb, average this season, notwithstanding the spring was one of the hardest ever experienced in this section, and bees were in very bad shape when the honey-flow commenced.
There is no section of the United States that is more promising to the man who depends on his own labor that East Mississippi. The land is very productive. All kinds of crops can be grown with success. Alfalfa hay is being grown extensively in this portion of the State, and commands a good price; and at the present time choice alfalfa hay is bringing $20.00 per ton to the producer.. The deep prairie soils of East Mississippi will produce from three to six tons of this hay every season. The mild winters experienced here are very conducive to stock-raising, as stock do not have the attention here they do in the North, and can pasture nine and ten months in the year. The land is reasonably cheap; in fact, it is not bringing half value.
What better opportunities could a good hustling bee-keeper want than as outlined above, bee-keeping, stock-raising, and farming? These three are usually followed by the bee-keeper on the farm; that is, the man who owns his own farm.
W. P. Smit,
LIST OF SOME OF THE LARGEST BEE-KEEPERS IN MISSISS-IPPI, AND ADDRESSES.
J. B. Cunningham, Clitronville; R. V. Gosa, Shannon; Lawrence Gould, Crawford; W. P. Smith, Penn; C. D. Pritchard, Penn; R. A. Whitfield, Weathersby; Bat Williams, Mayhew; J. S. Cavett, Macon; Francis Stiles, Sessums, and Dr. J. C. Roberts, Agricultural College.
## 11.2.2. **Bee-keeping in Louisiana.**
Hineston, La.
The valleys of the Mississippi, Ouachita, Black, and Red Rivers are best for bee-keeping, as the soil is richer and produces a much more vigorous plant; hence, naturally, they yield more nectar.
The honey-plants most common along these valleys are the clovers, rattan, wild grape, and a few others.
Of the above-mentioned honey-plants the clovers are most to be depended on. They commence to bloom generally about the first of March, and bloom more or less throughout the summer, the seasons having nearly all to do with the amount of nectar they yield. The best colonies under the most favorable conditions will probably give a surplus of fifty pounds from this source of the finest flavor, and very clear, almost water-white. The above-mentioned plant commences to bloom anywhere from March t to June t, and give more or less nectar, according to the conditions of the weather.
There is, however, a vine known to the writer as black vine, growing in the swamps along some of these rivers that yields more nectar than the clovers or any other plant that I am acquainted with; but, unfortunately, the honey from this source is very dark, and has a poor flavor. This vine commences to bloom, as nearly as I remember, about June t, and blooms on till frost; and the yield from this source will probably exceed too Ibs. surplus per average colony.
There are numerous other honey-plants throughout the State, yielding some honey each year, but only a small quantity, and of a poor quality. Among these I will mention the horsemint, goldenrod, sumac, holly, black gum and bitterweed. The holly and black gum are the best, and the only source giving a surplus throughout the pine-woods portion of Rapides Parish; and the honey from these sources has an excellent flavor, and is almost water-white.
The best average surplus I have ever been able to get from these plants was about go Ibs. from my very best colonies during the most favorable seasons. These plants generally commence to bloom about April 15 to 25, according to the weather, and continue to bloom for from fifteen to twenty days.
I will next say something of the bee-keeper; and by special request of Mr Wider it is necessary for me to make mention of my own business, which I will, notwithstanding this is not pleasant to me. There are very few practical bee-keepers in Louisiana, and only two queen-bereders of whom I have any knowledge. In regard to my own business I am running 72 colonies of Italian bees in three yards as follows: 40 at my home yard (Hineston); 20 at the Barrington yard, and 12 at the Talbert yard. The latter yard is five miles west of Hineston, and the former six miles south. I am also running quite an extensive queen-rearing business at Hineston. I use the eight and fifteen frame Langstroth have exclusively, and produce chunk or bulk honey principally. I have been running a bee business here for twelve years, and this year, 1907, has been the first year to fail completely. Out of 72 colonies, of which the most were in fine shape, I failed to get one pound of honey, and have fed the 40 colonies at home 350 pounds of granulated sugar. Those at the outyards were able to pull through till spring without help I am selling a few bee-supplies to accommodate the few bee-keepers around me.
Following is a list of bee-keepers in the State, with their postoffice addresses:
Elijah Williamson, Leesville; H. T. Hitch, Pineville; J. Davenport, Tioga; R. H. Martin, Pawnee; Edwin Orr, Quitman; J. P. Odom, Farmer-ville; O. A. Lilly, Montrose; David Gordy, Provincial; Henry Andries, Many; Lewis Thomas, Boyce; John Boswell, Stille; Joe Price, Hineston; Daniel Andries, Elmer; H. L. Melder, Melder; Clinton Bass, Sycamore; W. H. Ragan, Donaldsonville; J. W. K. Shaw, Loreauville; J. H. Meads, Cheyneyville, and R. O'Shea, Alexandria.
W. T. Crawford,
BEE-KEEPING IN LOUISIANA.
Benton, La.
I have never written anything for publication on bees, but can give you my own experience if that is of any value.
I bought two colonies in box hives in 1872--the only kind of hives in use in the State at that time. I sent to A. I. Root for some Simplicity-frame hives and transferred them, and in a few years from their increase, and others that I purchased, I had 50 colonies--400 of them at one yard--and have secured as much as 5000 gallons in one season of extracted honey. At that time the range was all natural growth; but since then the land has been cleared and is now in cultivation, and does not produce honey, though there are yet locations in the State that would probably do as well. There was not much attention paid to bees in this State until within the last few years, and I suppose that now two-thirds of the bees are in box hives. They are left on their summer stands. Once a year they are robbed, then left for next year, producing about 20 or 25 lbs. of honey, sometimes none, and maybe two swarms which generally go to the woods; and there is about as much honey taken from trees as box hives; but it is very inferior and dark, all mashed up, and then strained, and sold at a very low price, thus injuring the sale of good extracted honey.
Bees are free from disease here. I have heard of but one case of foul brood in the State, and that was at the experiment station among some bees brought from Texas, and they were destroyed at once.
The honey produced here is a light amber, and of fine flavor, when handled right. We are getting a large amount now from alfalfa; but the principal plants are vines of all description, and timber of natural growth. I was awarded a gold medal and diploma at the Jamsetown Exposition for highest award on honey and beeswax; also a diploma of honor at Portland, Ore, and have eleven other diplomas for first premiums at parish and State fairs, showing you that our honey is good when handled right.
Wm. J. Dawson,
BEE-KEEPING IN LINCOLN CO., TENN.
Harms, TENN.
As this is not considered a very good bee and honey section it may pay all who are thinking of coming from other sections of the South or from the North to select carefully a location with reference to what they wish to follow in connection with bee-keeping. We have a great variety of soils, from the very best alluvial in the river-bottom lands, to the poorest highlands or barrens. Between these two extremes we have beautiful hills and valleys that will produce fruits and grain of nearly all kinds produced in this latitude. These hills and valleys have been denuded of their dense covering of primeval forest growth to a very great extent.
One who'comes here to start in bee-keeping should be prepared to follow some other vacation in connection with it, although there is one man in this county who keeps bees alone as a business, and his average is about 12,000 Ibs. of honey per annum. This man is Jim Moyers, of Fayetteville, and he is a very prosperous citizen. But there are quite a number of others who keep bees in connection with other pursuits, such as farming and poultry-raising, and fancies, etc.
The reason I refer to the loss of our primeval forest growth is because, back in my younger days (I am now 38 years old) here in this county there were numberless quantities of gigantic poplar and basswood trees to bloom, which give us a very heavy honey-flow. Now there is scarcely any poplar except small growth, and the basswood is also going; but we have other sources of honey to come in their stead, and in time we may come up to our old-time place as a bee-keeping land.
Our new sources of honey are the white aster and alsike clover. The aster makes one of our finest varieties of table honey. It came to this country in hay from the Northern States; and the first appearance of it was during the Civil War. It has fast spread all over this country; and, aside from its great value as a honey-plant, it makes a good pasture for cattle. If good seasons prevail just about a fortnight before the aster comes in bloom, and then if the nights are cool when the plant blooms well, you may get busy, for the bees will fill their hives in a week. I took 1080 Ibs. of honey from 29 colonies from the aster flow of 1907, and did not extract any from the brood, the brood-nests, or bottom stories of my hives, which are eight and ten frame Langstroth.
White clover is next to aster as a honey-plant; and about every three years it gives a good crop; 1906 was its good season, and I took off about 35 lbs. per colony of honey from this source. Sometimes we have a good flow from basswood; but as chestnut and sourwood bloom about the same time we do not often get any pure basswood honey. Often we get about 35 lbs. per colony from these several sources, which is our summer flow. I usually take off honey twice a year--once about June 1, and again in August. The first is white-clover honey, and the latter is from basswood, asters, chestnut, etc. The sourwood yields honey in the pea-ridge, or "barren" sections.
Our honey and pollen plants are quite numerous, and bloom about as follows: First, water-maple, elm, red cedar, fruit-bloom, redbud, box-elder, black gum, crimson clover, poplar-trees, white clover, alsike clover, persimmon, capel-tree, or paradise-bush; sumac, chestnut, basswood, sourwood, cotton, cowpea, boneset, many varieties of melons; aster, goldenrod, rabbit-foot clover, toy-weed; and, about every third year we have honey-dew from aphids on hickory.
The progressive bee-keepers in my section are, James Moyer, Joe Montgomery, John Pigg, Mr. Parker, Col. Galoway, D. J. Douthit, Joe Thomison, and myself.
J. H. BEARDEN.
BEE-KEEPING IN ALABAMA.
Fort Deposit, Ala.
Replying to yours asking for a write-up of bee-keeping in my State, owing to the short time you have given me I will confine myself to my county (Lowndes), which was once a fine bee country.