American Honey Plants

The late Prof. A.J.Cook estimated that there are nearly eighteen hundred species of plants on which bees work in America. Most of these are minor sources, which the bees visit incidentally for the minute quantity of nectar that may be available, or for pollen. There are some plants rich in nectar which can never be important to the beekeeper because they are not sufficiently plentiful.Honey production, as a business enterprise is dependent upon a few species which yield nectar abundantly and which are sufficiently common to enable the bees to secure honey in large quantities. In order to make the most of his business, the beekeeper should have a through knowledge of the honey planets in all the country surrounding his apiaries. It often happens that a distance of but a few miles makes a great difference with the available honey sources. ( Introduction)