AMERICAN HONEY PLANTS 277 



in pastures, along roadsides and in waste places everywhere. It is a good 

 lawn plant and holds its own with bluegrass in a way that few plants 

 will do. 



It yields more heavily in the northern part of its range. One Mi- 

 nesota beekeeper reports that a yield of less than 200 pounds per colony 

 from white clover is uncommon. The author kept bees in southern Iowa 

 for many years, and it was a rare season when the yield in that locality 

 totaled 200 pounds per colony. In northern Iowa the average yield is 

 much better than in the southern part of the State. 



Best yields come in seasons following a year of excessive rainfall. In 

 wet years the conditions favor the rooting of thousands of new plants, 

 which are ready to produce a crop of nectar the following summer. Most 

 readers of beekeeping literature are familiar with Dr. C. C. Miller's phe- 

 nomenal crop harvested in 1913. From 72 colonies of bees he harvested 

 more than 19,000 finished sections of honey, or more than an average of 

 266 sections per colony. His best colony produced 402 sections of white 

 clover honey. The crop was due to a favorable season, combined with ex- 

 pert management. The flow was unusually long, lasting from early June 

 to late August. 



White clover yields best when the weather is hot, with plenty of 

 moisture in the soil. 



Honey from white clover is of the best quality. It is mild in flavor, 

 light in color and commands the highest prices in most markets. It is the 

 one honey of high quality produced in sufficient quantity to fill a distinct 

 demand for long periods of time. 



Most people prefer white clover honey to the somewhat more spicy 

 flavors of alfalfa or sweet clover, though in color they are similar. Alfalfa 

 grown in southern California is of a different color and flavor from that 

 grown in the Mountain States of Idaho, Utah, Colorado, etc. 



WHITE IRON BARK, see Eucalyptus. 

 WHITE SNAKE-ROOT, see Boneset. 

 WHITEWOOD, see Basswood, also Tulip-Poplar, 



WILD ALFALFA or DEER CLOVER (Lotus glaber). 



Wild alfalfa is also known as wild broom, deerweed and tanglefoot. 

 In California it is regarded as an important source of honey over a large 

 part of the State. It is a plant growing two to three feet high, with a 

 woody stem at the base. The flowers are yellow, later turning red. Some 

 years the plant is very abundant, then it dies out for a time, so that it 

 varies greatly from year to year. The blooming season is from June to 

 September. 



We quote Richter as follows : 



'"A very erratic honey producer. Some years, in some sections, 

 yielding twice as much as the sages; this is true for either the coast 

 or the valley side of the coast ranges, yet a good wild alfalfa flow 

 on the east coast does not necessarily mean such is the case on the 

 west side. Beekeepers report wild alfalfa honey as being white, light 

 amber and at times with a characteristic greenish tinge. This is one 



