JULY 15, 1915 



565 



Clover Prospects and Honey Crop 



It has been a most peculiar season so 

 far. A comparison of tlie weather maps 

 seems to show that conditions at Medina 

 have not been materially different from 

 other clover localities in the northern and 

 central states. 



We would have one or two days of 

 bright sunshine and warm weather, during 

 which the bees would rash out on the clo- 

 vers — alsike, white, and sweet. Later on 

 came the basswoods that yield heavily in 

 the morning; and just as the bees would 

 get to the point where they would begin to 

 fill their combs, rain or cold weatlier fol- 

 lowed. This program of two days of good 

 weather followed by two days of cloudy, 

 cold, or wet has been re-enacted back and 

 forth for nearly six weeks. Fortunately 

 the copious rains every three or four days 

 have delayed the cutting of the alsike in 

 the fields, and given a new growth to white 

 clover and sweet clover. Notwithstanding 

 white and alsike have been in bloom for five 

 weeks, there are at least two weeks in sight 

 of abundant bloom at this date, July 9. 

 Basswoods are out in all their glory. They 

 never yielded a heavier bloom if we could 

 only get the weather. Notwithstanding 

 these divei'se conditions our hives are fill- 

 ing up with honey, and stronger colonies 

 are storing a little surplus. 



If ^ledina and vicinity are any criterion 

 there will be some clover honey, both comb 

 and extracted. If Ave could have two 

 weeks of favorable weather, 1915 might 

 go down as a real old-fashioned clover 

 year. At present writing no one can make 

 an accurate forecast. But it is safe to 

 say there will be some clover and of a fine 

 quality. Whether the general aggregate 

 crop over the country will be light, medi- 

 um, or heavy, is yet to be determined. It 

 will be medium in some localities and light 

 in others. In some few favored spots 

 there will be a heavy yield of basswood, 

 and clover, for this appears to be a bass- 

 wood year. 



Conditions have not been entirely fa- 

 vorable for alfalfa honey in the Rocky 

 Mountain regions; but as those localities 

 always furnish some honey, it is probable 

 there will be from a light to a fair yield 

 of alfalfa, both comb and extracted. The 

 cheaper gi-ades of honey, including the 

 ambers, will not be as much in evidence 

 this year as last. Indeed, the crop will be 

 light. We are assured now of at least a 

 light crop of sage in parts of California 

 and of alfalfa in the Rocky Mountain dis- 

 tricts, and a light crop of clover in some 

 of the clover districts of the North. 



Prices ought to be reasonably firm. 

 There will probably be no great glut of 

 lioney of any kind, this year. What there 

 will be, will be confined to table quality 

 that ought to find a fair market. Those who 

 were wise enough to run to comb honey 

 will have no trouble in disposing of it at 

 fair prices provided it is No. 1 to fancy; 

 but those who continued to pi'oduce only 

 extracted will have to watch their chances 

 to get best prices. These are usually se- 

 cured early in the season. 



Later, July 13. — Since writing the fore- 

 going, conditions for honey production 

 have improved very materially. The 

 weather has turned hot and remained hot. 

 Honey is now coming in at a rapid rate — 

 very much better than it has been doing 

 before. 



Reports from over the country so far 

 show that one-third indicates a good crop; 

 one-third, from one-half to a fair crop; 

 and one-third show a short crop or none. 

 Earlj'^ reports were less favorable than 

 those that came in within the last few 

 days. It would not be surprising if there 

 would be a good yield of clover and a lit- 

 tle basswood throughout the north-central 

 states. There is at least two weeks of 

 clover in sight. 



The Most Eminent Pennsylvanian 



The editors of papers and periodicals in 

 Pennsylvania have been asked by Governor 

 Brumbaugh to name the most eminent 

 Pennsylvanian. As Gleanings in Bee 

 Culture reaches several thousand readers 

 in the Keystone State we feel that we at 

 least have a right to interpret the Gover- 

 nor's invitation as applying to our know- 

 ledge of the men in that state. 



Pei'sons engaged in any business become 

 accustomed to thinking in the terms of 

 their business; and those who are devoting 

 their attention to certain lines of activity 

 or specialty become better acquainted 

 among themselves and with others within 

 their specialty than they do with persons 

 in other professions. 



In the apicultural field there is one in 

 Pennsylvania that stands pre-eminently 

 first, and tliis statement reflects no injustice 

 on the tens of thousands of bee-keepers in 

 that state. They themselves have for over 

 ten years regularly re-elected Prof. H. A. 

 Surface, State Zoologist, of the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, as president of their 

 State Bee-keepers' Association. He has 

 written a bulletin on beekeeping in Penn- 

 sylvania, which is accepted by them as 

 authority for both theory and practice. He 



