The Demands Of Clover

The clovers demand conditions almost the opposite of those under which buckwheat reaches its maximum yields. Conditions, however, which are favorable for alsike are not so good for the sweet clover, (Melilotus). Alsike will grow on soils with a much smaller lime content than is required by either white clover or sweet clover. Apparently alsike also requires more humidity in the atmosphere for best results than is the case with sweet clover. All the clovers thrive on rich limestone soils. Warm days and cool nights are necessary for heavy yields of nectar not only from the clovers but from many other plants as well. It is for this reason that most plants yield nectar more freely in the higher altitudes than elsewhere.

Sweet clover reaches its maximum in nectar secretion in the plains region of North America where the days are hot, the nights are cool and there is little humidity. The author has previously outlined the region from Sioux City, Iowa, northward into the prairie provinces of Canada as the ideal region for sweet clover. Under the name of sweet clover are included both the white and the yellow varieties, (Melilotus alba and M. officinalis) and the Hubam clover which is an annual variety of the common white form.

In those regions all the conditions mentioned are combined. The soil is rich, there is ample rainfall during most seasons, and the difference between day and night temperatures is usually sufficient to insure a good flow of nectar. In this section in neighborhoods where there is ample acreage of sweet clover grown, yields of from 100 to 300 pounds or more of surplus per colony, are not uncommon. The yields obtained there emphasize the need of a knowledge of the requirements of every important honey plant. When this is known, it will only remain to find a location where the particular plant desired is grown in sufficient acreage to insure success in beekeeping. As buckwheat yields in central New York or sweet clover yields in the Dakotas so will other plants yield when the necessary conditions are supplied.

Requirements Of Cotton

It is a well-known fact that cotton yields little nectar on sandy soils while it is an important source of honey on the black waxy lands of North Central Texas. All the factors that determine the nectar secretion are not entirely known as yet. In the region of San Antonio, Texas, the areas where secretion leaves off are sharply defined. To the north of the city is an escarpment running east and west; north of that natural line, cotton is reported as a valuable source of honey, while to the south of it, few reports of honey from cotton are found. To the northward, the soils are black, while south of it, they are sandy.

In visiting many of the southern states, the author found similar conditions. On the sandy lands the beekeepers find cotton of little value to the bees, while on rich clay soils, they usually find it yielding. Other factors may also have an influence.

It is evident that several factors must be combined to get the best yields of nectar from a given plant. It often happens that plants will thrive in locations where they secrete little nectar.

Alfalfa An Example

Alfalfa or lucerne is now commonly grown as a forage crop in suitable soils in many parts of America from New York to California. It requires a soil rich in lime, together with a rather abundant moisture content, in order to grow well. For abundant nectar secretion it also makes other requirements, such as hot days, cold nights and dry atmosphere as well as plenty of moisture at its roots. These conditions are found at their best in the high altitudes of the Rocky Mountain region. The author had a small field of alfalfa on his Iowa farm for several years before the bees secured any noticeable amount of nectar from it. One season when the spring was very wet, followed by hot and dry weather at blooming time, the bees fairly swarmed over the field. That particular season, conditions were quite similar to those of the irrigated country where it reaches its highest yields. In such seasons, honey is reported from alfalfa by eastern beekeepers, but in the average year it is of little value to the honey producer in the eastern half of the American Continent.