15 



The sage region of southern California offers great opportunities to 

 the beekeeper. The honeys are chiefly white and secretion is abun- 

 dant when there is sufficient rainfall. In this region also honey is 

 obtained from blossoms of citrus fruits, which being irrigated are not 

 so liable to failure as the plants growing in the desert. The chief 

 problem in this part of the country is to strengthen the colonies in 

 time for the nectar flow from citrus fruit blossoms. This may be done 

 by application of proper care at the right time. In choosing the 

 location for an apiary in the sage region, great care should be exercised 

 to select one where the average rainfall is about 20 inches. Informa- 

 tion regarding rainfall may be obtained from the Weather Bureau 

 offices or from forest supervisors. Many of the best locations are in 

 the national forests, where a location may be obtained at a small rental 

 and other beekeepers will not be permitted to encroach. 



Fig. 13— An apiary In the Algeroba belt of Hawaii. The honey is much llJje that from alfalfa. 



In addition to these chief regions, there are many localities where 

 other plants are of sufficient value to make a good crop of honey. Such . 

 regions are the buckwheat region, already mentioned; the Spanish 

 needle region of the Kankakee swamps of northern Indiana and 

 Illinois and the Delaware River Valley; the willow herb regions of 

 northern Michigan and Wisconsin, Maine, Washington, and Oregon; 

 the sweet clover regions of Alabama and Kentucky; the blue thistle 

 region of the Shenandoah Valley; the raspberry region of northern 

 Michigan; the smartweed region of the Middle West (corn belt); and 

 the bean region of southern California. There are many other restricted 

 regions as valuable as those mentioned. 



