CLOVER 
189 
Outline map of the United States, showing roughly the area in which alsike clover is grown. The black 
area shows where alsike closer is more or less regularly used as a forage or seed crop; the hatched area, 
where it is rarely grown or only in special places. (From Farmers’ Bulletin 1151, United States Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture.) 
not been cropped too closely. Snow also 
offers excellent protection; and, when it 
covers the ground for the most of the win¬ 
ter, clover suffers little or no damage. Win¬ 
terkilling from freezing in well-drained 
sandy soils or in warmer climates is prac¬ 
tically unknown. 
In Kentucky, and the surrounding ter¬ 
ritory, where there are light soils, it seems 
to be well established that there will be a 
very small honey flow if the preceding sea¬ 
son has been very dry. If there is no rain 
after July, the drought destroys the old 
plants of feeble vitality, checks the growth 
of offshoots, prevents the germination of 
seedlings, and retards the formation of an 
extensive root system, with the result that 
there are few blossoms and little nectar the 
following season. This statement does not 
call for discussion since all herbaceous 
plants growing in porous sandy soil suf¬ 
fer, if there is a large decrease in the nor¬ 
mal rainfall. Altho the injury wrought by 
the drought does not become apparent un¬ 
til the next season, it should not be attrib¬ 
uted to winterkilling, but to the correct 
cause—the absence of sufficient moisture in 
the soil. But if there is a good stand of 
white clover in early spring a drought in 
May or June, if copious rains follow, will 
only retard the bloom and delay the har¬ 
vest. “I have seen clover parched by 
drought in June,” says a beekeeper, “and 
not a blossom in sight. Then came a suc¬ 
cession of soaking rains, and, presto! 
bloom and a crop of honey.” Similar re¬ 
sults have been described at London, Can. 
An exceptionally dry fall after August 15 
was followed by a dry spring until the last 
of May, when a series of warm rains com¬ 
menced which continued almost daily until 
about the 20th of June. The effect was mar¬ 
velous. July found the fields and road¬ 
sides a beautiful mass of white and alsike 
clover, and the honey crop was the best, 
that memory can recall. A very cold 
spring may also cause failure, even if there 
is a normal rainfall. In 1907 in parts of 
New 5 ork the average temperature of 
April, May, and June was four degrees 
below the respective means for these 
months in other years, and there was no 
white clover honey. 
Cold or rainy weather during the honey 
flow will both lessen the quantity of nec¬ 
tar and prevent the bees from working on 
the bloom; for the best results there must 
be a series of warm, humid days. Finally 
where white clover has been grown indefi¬ 
nitely in the same fields the soil conditions 
may become deleterious. Microscopic pro¬ 
tozoa may multiply until they destroy a 
