208 Beekeeping 



honey-flow is usually preceded by a honey-flow from spring 

 flowers (fruit bloom, dandehon) followed by a dearth. In 

 the more northern localities this interval is brief or entirely 

 absent. After the main honey-flow there is usually a period 

 when no nectar is available, followed again by a late summer 

 or faU honey-flow (buckwheat, asters, goldenrod or Spanish 

 needle, according to locality). This region is suitable for 

 comb-honey production better than any other part of the 

 United States, on account of the intensity of the honey-flows 

 and the hght color of most of the honeys. The necessity 

 for a rapid building up of colonies in the spring and the diffi- 

 culty of swarm control make necessary special systems of 

 manipulation in this region. The wintering problem is 

 naturally most acute here also. Most of the American 

 literature on beekeeping in both books and journals is based 

 on systems applicable to the white clover region. The 

 honeys of this region are in great demand, probably because 

 the honey-consuming public is better educated to the flavors 

 obtained here. In this region are thousands of beekeepers 

 with only a few colonies, although the number of specialists 

 is increasing satisfactorily. 



(2) The alfalfa region is located in the West, where this plant 

 is chiefly grown for forage. Alfalfa is at its best as a nectar- 

 producing plant imder irrigation and usually at high alti- 

 tudes. Colorado, Utah and Idaho are now the largest 

 producing States in this region. Sweet clover is also an 

 important contributor to the nectar supply in some sections'. 

 The honey of this region is usually of fine flavor and light 

 in color, but alfalfa honey quickly begins to granulate and 

 in consequence would seem best adapted to extracting. 

 The honey-flow is not so rapid as in the white clover region, 

 which also makes this region less favorable for comb-honey 

 production. However, many beekeepers of this region 

 produce comb-honey extensively. The system of manip- 

 ulation is different from that in the white clover region 

 because the honey-flows are usually longer and swarming 

 is less difficult to control. The number of honey-flows de- 



