AUGUST 15, 1913 



561 



ported anywhere in the clover belt, or else- 

 Adhere for that matter. This means that the 

 clover this j-ear will be all clover. 



Our Mr. L. W. Boyden has just been 

 making a trip through the West, looking up 

 the honey situation. His rei^ort, in brief, 

 is as follows : 



My trip through the West was made in rather of a 

 hurry, as it was necessary that I return here at an 

 early date. At the same time, I visited quite a num- 

 ber of the larger producers in the Middle and West- 

 ern States, and I am of the opinion that the honey 

 crop will be larger in Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, 

 and Nevada than it has been for two or three years 

 past. 



Nevada and Idaho had heavy rains during July, 

 which is unusual for that territory ; but since then 

 the weather has become very hot, thus insuring a 

 heavy honey-flow. 



The writer visited a number of very good localities 

 in the West which are not at present being used by 

 beekeepers ; and if any one is considering moving 

 westward, and desires information with reference to 

 certain localites, I shall be pleased to give him what 

 little information I have. 



There are several new government projects which 

 will be opened in the near future. This will give 

 additional acreage for bees. Many ranches iu certain 

 sections are raising seed from alfalfa, alsike, and 

 sweet clover. If one is fortimate in getting near one 

 of these places he will be assured of a continuous 

 honey-flow throughout the summer season. 



The Ontario Beekeepers' Association has 

 feent out a veiy complete report of honey- 

 crop conditions. The average crop is 63 

 lbs. per colonj-, largely in the southwestern 

 counties. The eastern counties have prac- 

 tically no honey; but the total yield so far 

 leported is 1,618,000 lbs. from 543 beekeep- 

 C7-S out of 700. In the matter of crop re- 

 ports, our neighbors across the line have it 

 down to a fine science. 



The season in Southern California has 

 been poor. In the northern and central 

 portions of the State, conditions have been 

 lietter. In Northern California there wiU 

 be about half a crop. In the Mesilla Val- 

 ley, New Mexico, the year has been a poor 

 one. Taking it all in all, the failure of the 

 O'op in California and New Mexico, and in 

 some parts of the Western States, will make 

 Western honey, perhaps, a little scarcer 

 than usual; and this shortage will have a 

 tendency to make prices on Eastern honey 

 more stable. Just what the real effect is go- 

 ing to be, remains to be determined. But 

 certain it is that the Western beekeepers 

 should make an effort to sell west of the 

 Mississippi as far as possible. 



There will be danger this year that a 

 large number of beekeepers will dump their 

 honey on the market all at one time. A 

 concerted action would avert this trouble, 

 and the large producers would do well to 

 get in touch with other large producers and 

 associations to avoid a congestion of the 

 market in any one point. 



TELEGRAPHIC REPORTS FROM COLORADO. 



We have made arrangements with Mr. 

 Fi'ank Kauchfuss, Manager of the Colora- 

 do Honey-producers' Association, to fur- 

 nish crop reports by wire on the 9th and 

 24th of each month. Mr. Rauchfuss is in 

 the heart of the alfalfa country, and has 

 unusual facilities for getting at the facts. 

 His first report is as follows : 



On the eastern slope of this State conditions have 

 improved the past two weeks ; flow has been from 

 fair to good in most localities; quality of honey fine; 

 excessive swarming will cut down yield; western 

 slope reports similar crop conditions. 

 The Colokado Honey-Producers' Association, 



Frank Rauchfuss, Manager. 



Denver, Aug. 9. 



the importance of accuracy in market 

 reports; prices for this year. 

 Elsewhere in this issue we endeavor to 

 give an unbiased and* accurate report of 

 crop conditions based on reports of our 

 men in the field, and on letters received 

 from our correspondents and customers all 

 over the United States and Canada. Our 

 facilities for obtaining this information are 

 the best in the countrj'. We have pi'oceed- 

 ed on the assumption that exact conditions 

 must be stated. If, for example, the yield 

 has been heavy in certain localities, that 

 fact should be presented. To- hold it back 

 or ignore it with the view of keeping up the 

 market would be a serious mistake. The 

 effect could be only temporary at best. In 

 the end, as soon as the honey began to be 

 dumped in the great centers, the market 

 would begin to tumble, and the momentum 

 thus acquired in the tumble would follow 

 with a crash. It is much better to have the 

 market a little easier, and hold it at that 

 pointy than to have it take a sudden drop. 

 At present we do not think that prices, ex- 

 cept on clover extracted, and possibly on 

 alfalfa extracted, should be below normal; 

 and even these honeys in the liquid form 

 should sell for nearly if not quite what 

 they sold for last year. In view of the 

 partial failure of honey in the South and 

 Southwest, in California and the eastern tier 

 of States clear up into New England, and 

 the fact, too, that clover this year is strictly 

 clover, and not a clover and basswood mix- 

 ed, should have a tendency to hold prices 

 up. A pure clover will always bring a bet- 

 ter price than clover and bassAvood mixed. 



SOME remarkable TESTIMONY SHOWING THE 



VALUE OF BEES IN FERTILIZING THE 



BLOSSOMS OF FRUIT-TREES. 



In the Country Gentleman for May 24 

 appears an article by William Harper Dean 

 telling of the remarkable success of three 



