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39th YEAR, 



CHICAGO, ILL, MAY 4, 1899, 



No, 18, 



Bees and Honey in Utah —Alfalfa. 



BY E. S. LOVESV. 



THE honey crop here for last season may be considered 

 closed vip, and while the tig-ures in the early part of the 

 season were not very hig'h, the demand has been good — 

 in fact, it has been impossible to supply the demand. I do 

 not think there is 500 pounds of comb honey left in the 

 State. 



Our State as a honey-producer has been pretty well ad- 

 vertised of late, and consumers and dealers are beg-inning 

 to find out that Utah alfalfa and white clover honeys are 

 par excellence. Of course, success in obtaining a yield of 

 honey in paying quantities is largely a matter of condi- 

 tions ; it sometimes happens that if one or more bee-keepers 

 by proper management make a success, others think it is 

 an easy way to make money, and they rush so many bees 

 into the neighborhood as to swamp the whole business. Bj- 

 all means this should be avoided. While I might name sev- 

 eral instances of the kind here, I will point only to one. 



In 1897 one bee-keeper reported a yield of over 300 

 pounds per colony, spring count ; but last season so many 

 bees were brought into the locality that his surplus was re- 

 duced to less than SO pounds, while a number of the new 

 tolonies brought in came out in the fall with several pounds 

 less than nothing; that is, there were less bees and honey 

 than they had in the spring. 



One thing that some bee-keepers don't seem to realize 

 is, that if their bees are not strong enough to rush forward 

 they often dwindle just as fast backward. ■ But this is not 

 written %Tith any intention to discourage anybody, but 

 rather with a view to advise our bee-keepers to use wisdoni 

 in selecting a location for an apiary. If they do this it maj- 

 prove a benefit to themselves without injuring their fellow 

 bee-keepers. 



We had a somewhat peculiar season here the past year. 

 It was short at both ends. In some portions of the State 

 the spring was cold and backward ; thus the bees failed to 

 build up as early as usual, but when it did clear up it did so 

 for good, and the flow from alfalfa — our main honey-plant — 

 where there was plenty of irrigation water, was all right ; 

 and while some very poor yields were reported, some large 

 yields were also noted, the largest being 10,800 pounds from 

 31 colonies, spring count, and an increase to 82 colonies. 

 This, of course, is an unusual report, but all in all I believe 

 the bee-industry is in as flourishing a condition as any of 

 the other industries of the State ; and if the bee-keepers 

 were only united, and would pull together for their own in- 

 terest, they would accomplish better results. 



We have perhaps one or the best laws in existence for 

 the protection of our bees, and while the law has been en- 



forced in many of the counties for the benefit of the indus- 

 try, still there has been some trouble and considerable loss 

 in a few localities thru a lack of interest on the part of the 

 bee-keepers to get it enforced. But we find that instances 

 of this kind have been an incentive to arouse the bee-keep- 

 ers to action. It is hoped that our bee-keepers will interest 

 themselves not only in this matter, but also in the purchas- 

 ing of supplies and in the disposal of their products. 



.'^LF.'VI.FA GROWING IN UT.\H. 



I have received several letters of inquiry in regard to 

 alfalfa, but I do not think that an extended article on it is 

 necessary- at this time, as it has been pretty thoroly written 

 up in the American Bee Journal ; therefore I would say for 



