A MONTHLY JOURNAL 



Devoted to the Interests of Honey Producers 

 $1.00 a fear 



W. Z. HUTCHINSON, Editor and Publisher. 



VOL. XXIV. 



FLINT. MICHIGAN, FEBRUARY 1, 19 IL 



NO. 2 



How Irrigation in the Far West is Opening up 

 New Fields for Bee Keepers. 



C. J. BLANCHARD. 



Of the U. S. Reclamation Service. 



gMONG the numerous specialized 

 industries which are taking- root, 

 and which promise a large meas- 

 ure of success on many of the irrigation 

 projects of the Reclamation Service is 

 the production of honey. 



During- a recent trip that I made cover- 

 ing nearly all of the reclamation projects, 

 I, as the Statistician of the Reclamation 

 Service at Washington, D. C, made an 

 investigation of this industry. On a large 

 number of projects the apiaries were only 

 just being established. Those that had 

 been in operation a year or more reported, 

 almost without exception, an abundance 

 of food for bees, favorable climatic con- 

 ditions, and a very fine grade of honey, 

 for which there was a good demand. 

 The white sage honey was an especial 

 favorite on the coast. 



As the cultivated acreage increases on 

 the projects, adding large areas of alfalfa 

 and clover, orchards and small fruits, 

 the food supply will take care of more 

 bees. Development of agriculture of 

 course promotes the growth of towns 

 and villages, and creates a home market. 

 In most sections the supply has not kept 



up with the demand. By co-operation 

 among apiarists to produce best grades, 

 and to create new markets through in- 

 telligent advertising, bee culture will 

 eventually become one of the most 

 profitable industries in the desert country. 

 As everything in the arid country tends 

 towards specialization, the bee men must 

 get together on a plan similar to that 

 now in operation among fruit growers, 

 establish high standards, and by rigid 

 regulation insure the marketing under 

 special label of only first class honey. 



There is a wide field for the bee man 

 in the West, and nearly all of the pro- 

 jects of the Government offer opportuni- 

 ties which are worthy of consideration. 



Washington, D. C. Jan. 12. 1911. 



[The frontispiece this month shows a 

 characteristic Western apiary on one of 

 the irrigation "projects" mentioned in the 

 foregoing. By the way, I consider this 

 picture one of the most beautiful photo- 

 graphs, the best taken, of any landscape 

 view that I have ever seen. Note the 

 beautiful clouds, the clear, perfect defini- 

 tion, and the picturesque point of view. — 

 Editor.! 



