

32 FARMERS BULLETIN 820. 



SWEET CLOVER AS A HONEY PLANT. 



A number of the leading honey plants fail to secrete nectar in part 

 of the territory in which they are found, but white sweet clover ranks 

 as a valuable source of nectar wherever found in sufficient quantity 

 in the United States. The period of nectar secretion usually fol- 

 lows that of white and alsike clovers in the Northern States, and 

 consequently comes at a time when the colonies are strong enough 

 to get the full benefit of the secretion. The honey from white sweet 

 clover is light in color, with a slight green tint, the flavor being mild 

 and suggestive of vanilla. The characteristic flavor and color of the 

 honey seem to be less marked during a rapid secretion of nectar. In 

 the irrigated portions of the West honey from white sweet clover is 

 often mixed with that from alfalfa. 



Beekeepers have long recognized the value of sweet clover as a 

 source of nectar, and for years tons of seed have been sold annually 

 by dealers in beekeepers' supplies. It has never been found profit- 

 able to cultivate any plant solely for nectar, and those beekeepers 

 who were primarily interested in the plant for bee forage have scat- 

 tered the seed chiefly in waste places and along railroad embank- 

 ments and roadsides. A number of beekeepers who were also engaged 

 in general farming have for years utilized the plant for forage, and 

 they were among the earliest to grow the plant for seed, so as to be 

 able to supply their fellow beekeepers. Sweet clover to-day is almost 

 the only plant which beekeepers seek to increase in waste lands in 

 their localities. 



The yield of nectar from sweet clover is heavy, and a number of 

 beekeepers now market this honey in carload lots. Sweet clover is 

 utilized for honey especially in Kentucky, in Iowa, and in Colorado 

 and adjacent States. In Alabama and Mississippi a number of bee- 

 keepers are harvesting large crops chiefly from this source. The color 

 and flavor make this plant suitable for either comb or extracted honey. 



Yellow sweet clover is perhaps as valuable for nectar as w^hite 

 sweet clover, but beekeepers have paid less attention to it. This is 

 probably due to the fact that the blooming period of the yellow 

 species often coincides with that of white and alsike clover, making 

 it less valuable to the beekeeper. In sections where the quantity of 

 white and alsike clover is limited and it is desired to plant sweet 

 ..clover for bee pasturage, a mixture of the white and yellow species 

 ^ recommended, as the yellow species will bloom from 10 to 14 days 

 earlier than the white. 



Wherever any of the species of sweet clover are cultivated, either 

 for forage or for seed, beekeeping is to be recommended as a valuable 

 source of additional income, and such locations are especially suit- 

 able for extensive commercial, beekeeping. 



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