Northern Georgia is crossed by the great Appalachian Chain of mountains known as the Blue Ridge, west of which is the Great Limestone Valley with a fertile clay soil. Extensive areas of this region are covered with forest. The most valuable honey plants are sourwood, basswood, tulip tree, persimmon, blackberry, goldenrod, and aster. Honey-dew is occasionally so abundant that it furnishes a surplus. There is almost no commercial beekeeping; but nearly every farmer has from one to twelve colonies, and obtains about 10 pounds of surplus per colony. Box hives or “gums” are the rule, and section honey is an “absolute novelty and mystery” in many localities. The rough mountain area is thinly settled, and produces no cultivated crops of value to the beekeeper; but the fertile limestone valleys in the northwest are suitable for the cultivation of fruits and many other farm products. The winters are never severe, and the ground is seldom covered with snow.

Throughout the Piedmont Plateau and in the upper part of the Coastal Plain there is a dense acreage of cotton, but reports vary greatly as to its value as a honey plant. It secretes nectar best in the southern portion, yielding in some places as much as all other sources combined. Gallberry, the most important honey plant in the state, grows in nearly all parts of the Coastal Plain except on limestone soil. “There has never been a total failure of gallberry bloom within the memory of the oldest inhabitant,” writes S. V. Brown in June, 1925. It is most abundant in the “flatwoods.” Tulip tree occurs over the larger part of the state, and is usually a reliable source of honey. Sumac (Rhus copallina) is also common, and in a few localities in north Georgia is the main source of surplus. Sourwood is abundant principally in the northern part of the state. Saw palmetto (Serenoa serrulata) is confined almost entirely to the wire grass or Altamaha grit region, where it is very abundant, especially near the coast. Titi (Cliftonia monophylla) is very abundant along the streams of the “wire grass” region, blooming in March and April. It is called spring titi to distinguish it from summer titi (Cyrilla racemiflora), which has a wider range, extending up into middle Georgia, and blooming later in June. It is not so common, nor does it yield so abundantly as spring titi. Snow-vine is another honey plant of southern Georgia. It blooms from June to September. Sweet pepperbush grows over nearly the whole Coastal Plain and along the border between Georgia and Florida. White and black tupelo are often very abundant along streams in the southern part of the state. Common holly (Ilex opaca) is widely distributed over the state, but is seldom very abundant. It blooms in April. White holly (Ilex myrtifolia) grows only in cypress swamps and in other wet places in the Coastal Plain. It blooms in May at the same time as gallberry, and the honey is never obtained unmixed with that from other plants. Swamp gallberry (Ilex coria-cea) grows in damp shady places, and is far from being as abundant as gallberry. It blooms about two weeks earlier. Blackberry, as has been stated, is in some localities of great value. Several species (Rubus cuneifolius, R. allegheniensis, and R. trivialis) are common over a large part of the state. They bloom in April and May. Willow (Salix nigra) grows along streams over a large area. It blooms in March, and in a few places yields a small surplus. Asters (Aster adnatus and A. squarrosus are the most common species) are found over the entire state, and in many places are the main reliance for a fall surplus and for winter stores. Goldenrod is also of value. There is a dense area of peaches in the northwest corner and in the west-central part around Macon. Partridge-pea furnishes a surplus in only a few localities. Sweet clover is reported to be a good honey plant in Clarke County, and is spreading rapidly in Middle Georgia; but, as it requires a limestone soil, it is rare south of the “fall line.” In central and southwest Georgia there are thousands of acres of watermelons. Several other honey plants of some importance are