The keel of alfalfa flowers knock young honey bees on the head when they attempt to take the nectar and the bees soon learn[citation needed] to come in from the side to avoid getting hit with the keel's pollen bearing structure while still getting the nectar.
As the blossoms are pollinated the flowers fade and take on a grayish cast, making the field appear dull colored.
The error was realized and the embargo rescinded in 1934; however Utah had forever lost its pre-eminent position as an alfalfa seed growing state, and California took the lead.
However, wartime needs had caused many alfalfa fields to be converted to vegetables and other crops thought to be more necessary to the war effort.
Experience had shown this the maximum rate at which bees could be stocked without damaging the honey yield per hive.
Whitcombe notes that he always observed the heaviest seed set in the plants that were nearest the stands of bees.
Vansell was finally able to convince Luther G Jones, the alfalfa seed specialist at the agricultural college at Davis, that further experiments in this area would be profitable.
True to his word, Good began irrigating, a practice not normally done, so that the plants would continue to grow and strengthen to support the seed heads.
It had to be reworked by the agricultural mechanics at Davis to give heavier bearings and increased capacity.
The saturation pollination technique was also applied to ladino and alsike clover seed production with corresponding increases.