ALFALFA AND BEES 1 79 



the manufacture of honey, demand but slight attention 

 and make such bountiful returns, bee culture has come to 

 be a valuable ''side line" for the farm. As blooms are to 

 be found in alfalfa districts every day from early May to 

 late October, the bees have a constant opportunity for 

 service. 



Alfalfa honey is white and clear, in an extremely deli- 

 cate comb, has a delicious flavor, and an aroma that is 

 delightful. One authentic report from a western Kansas 

 county is of a single hive that contained nearly two hun- 

 dred pounds, and of another having ninety-six pounds. 

 The owner of these had twenty-five acres of alfalfa which 

 in one year yielded him over one hundred tons of choice 

 hay besides the honey. The next year he increased his 

 apiary to fifty stands. 



While the average yield per hive elsewhere varies from 

 fifteen to thirty pounds, the average in the alfalfa-growing 

 territory is far higher. Thus the financial returns of 

 alfalfa may be greatly increased and in some instances 

 doubled by having, say, two colonies of bees for each 

 acre. Or^ if only a part of the alfalfa raisers in a neigh- 

 borhood keep bees, this ratio could be doubled or trebled 

 by those who do. Unlike other trespassers on neighbors' 

 fields the bees do the neighbors a distinct favor, by fer- 

 tilizing their alfalfa. 



