208 
Beekeeping 
honey-flow is usually preceded by a honey-flow from spring 
flowers (fruit bloom, dandelion) 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 fall 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 light 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 under 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- 
