VOL LVIII — NO. I 



HAMILTON, ILL., JANUARY, 1919 



MONTHLY, $1.00 A YEAR 



HONEY PRODUCTION IN KANSAS 



Glimpses of Conditions in the Sunflower State, Where Alfalfa and Sweet Clover 



Are Rapidly Extending the Area Where Beekeeping 



is Commercially Profitable 



THOSE whose impressions of 

 Kansas have been formed from 

 tales of disaster from drought 

 and grasshoppers that overtook the 

 early settlers of a generation ago, 

 until it came to be known as "Bleed- 

 ing Kansas," will hardly be prepared 

 for the real Kansas as it is today. 

 Big fields of alfalfa and wheat, herds 

 of sleek cattle and fat hogs are mak- 

 ing of Kansas one of the richest of 

 the agricultural States. It is the ex- 

 tension of the area devoted to alfalfa 

 and sweet clover that is attracting 

 the attention of the beekeepers to 

 that State. The Kansas climate is 

 hot and dry during the summer 

 months. It often happens that there 

 is a deficiency of moisture during the 

 crop season. Alfalfa and sweet clo- 

 ver will both endure continued dry 

 weather without serious injury, once 

 they are well established. The ex- 

 treme heat, together with a dry at- 

 mosphere seem to furnish the ideal 

 condition for secretion of nectar 

 from both these plants. If only suf- 

 ficient moisture remains at the roots 

 to maintain the vigor of the plants a 

 honey crop is almost unfailing under 

 these conditions. The root system of 

 the common white clover or Dutch 

 clover is too shallow to survive the 

 dry summers, except for an occa- 

 sional season with more than average 

 rainfall. White clover is not much 

 depended upon as a source of honey, 

 and where sweet clover or alfalfa are 

 not grown honey production is an un- 

 certain business. Horehound, hearts- 

 ease and horsemint are additional 

 sources in many parts of the State 

 which go far to insure success. 



As yet the suitable localities for 

 commercial beekeeping are not large 

 in extent. One county may contain 

 good bee pasture, while the next may 

 furnish insufficient pasturage for 



large apiaries. Like all the States in 

 the central west, beekeeping is in a 

 state of change from the back-yard 

 row of hives to the commercial 

 apiary. In only a few localities are 

 there large commercial apiaries. The 

 success of a good beekeeper is the 

 best remedy for box hives. Where a 

 man is making a conspicuous success 

 of honey production and it is appar- 

 ent that he is making a good living 

 from the business, the box-hive bee- 

 keeper is quite likely to become dis- 

 satisfied with the small returns pos- 

 sible with such primitive equipment 

 and either improve his methods or 

 abandon the bees altogether. This is 



especially true in good farming coun- 

 try where general prosperity is the 

 rule. A man who keeps other equip- 

 ment on his farm up-to-date, is not 

 proud to have a lot of bees in boxes 

 under his apple trees when his 

 neighbor has good hives and gets a 

 far larger return from the apiary. 

 The writer has noticed this tendency 

 in every locality where commercial 

 beekeeping is being carried on suc- 

 cessfully. There are fewer beekeep- 

 ers in such localities every year, be- 

 cause of the dropping out of the old- 

 timer who does not have sufficient in- 

 terest to master the new way. 

 Commercial orcharding is being de- 



of the old days. Closed end frames that were wired together serve the purpose 

 of a hive. With a board for a top, no body was used. 



