4 
FOREWORD 
partment of Agriculture, in his book, 1915, “Beekeeping,” ventures an esti¬ 
mate that ten times the present honey crop could be produced. 
At least it would be conservative to say for the present time (1922) that 
the resources of this country could furnish $300,000,000 worth of honey. If that 
much were produced next year the market would certainly be glutted. But 
experience shows that the increase in the number of beekeepers keeps at about 
an even pace with the increase in the number of honey consumers, so that by 
the time the bees produce $300,000,000 worth of honey there will be a market 
for every pound. 
The farmers of this country are just beginning to discover the value of 
sweet clover as a forage plant for cattle and hogs (see “Sweet Clover”). In 
many localities it is nearly if not quite the equal of alfalfa. This clover will 
grow on poor land, and restore poor soil as almost nothing else will do. The 
farm papers all over the country are already proclaiming the virtues of sweet 
clover. The experiment stations extol it everywhere. So far from being a 
“noxious weed,” it is one of the most valuable legumes ever known. Now, 
sweet clover is a honey plant—one of the best in this country. 
Owing to the fact that many of the former clover soils are not growing 
clover as they formerly did, the experiment stations of the country, as well as 
the general agricultural press, are advocating the use of lime in one and two 
ton lots to the acre. Where this has been applied there has been an enormous 
increase in the production of all the clovers. Alsike clover, on account of the 
practice of liming the soil, is being introduced into localities where it has never 
been known before. So thoroly is the gospel of lime being disseminated over 
the country that the business of honey production, which had been largely de¬ 
pendent on the clover, is being enormously stimulated. See “Clover.” 
The work being done by the Bureau of Entomology, Washington, D. C., 
to stimulate apiculture in the United States, is beginning to have its effect. 
This, coupled with the work done by the various state experiment stations, 
and the extension men of the farm bureaus, is spreading not only the.gospel 
of lime but also the gospel of honey production and the pollination of certain 
legumes and fruits. 
We made the statement that something over $75,000,000 worth of honey is- 
produced annually in the United States alone. If that were all the bees do in 
this country it would be a fine record. From an economic standpoint they do 
far more than this. There is no other agency in the world that does such 
perfect work in pollination—that is, bringing the pollen of one blossom to that 
of another—as the honeybees. There are countless thousands of them at a time 
of the year when comparatively few other insects are present. They therefore 
make it possible to produce more and better fruit. See “Fruit Blossoms,” also 
“Pollination.” 
This in brief is a general survey of the industry. It will now be proper 
to refer the reader to the series of subjects which he should take up. Each 
will be found in its appropriate alphabetical order; and when these have 
been read, the reader can then take up the other subjects as he chooses. But it 
is suggested that, if he can possibly secure a colony of bees, he should do so in 
order that he may study them intelligently and apply the teachings of this book 
•as he goes along. The following course of reading is recommended: 
A B C of Beekeeping; Beginning with Bees; Anger of Bees; Manipulation 
of Colonies: Apiary: Smoke and Smokers; Stings; Hives; Transferring; Rob¬ 
bing ; Feeding; Backlot Beekeeping; Swarming ; Extracting; Comb Honey ; 
Spring Management: Uniting; Wintering. The other subjects may be taken 
up in any order that may se£m best. 
E. R. ROOT. 
