| eping for pleasure and profit is carried on by many | | | | produce honey in seasons of plenty, but these do not |
| thousands of people in all parts of the United States. | | | | come every year in most locations, and it takes a |
| As a rule, it is not the sole occupation. There are, | | | | good bee keeper to make the most of poor years. |
| however, many places where an experienced bee | | | | When, even with the best of manipulations, the crop is |
| keeper can make a good living by devoting his entire | | | | a failure through lack of nectar, the bees must be fed |
| time and attention to this line of work. It is usually | | | | to keep them from starvation. |
| unwise to undertake extensive beekeeping without | | | | The average annual honey yield per colony for the |
| considerable previous experience on a small scale, | | | | entire country, under good management, will probably |
| since there are so many minor details which go to | | | | be 25 to 30 pounds of comb honey or 40 to 50 |
| make up success in the work. It is a good plan to begin | | | | pounds of extracted honey. The money return to be |
| on a small scale, make the bees pay for themselves | | | | obtained from the crop depends entirely on the market |
| and for all additional apparatus, as well as some profit, | | | | and the method of selling the honey. If sold direct to |
| and gradually to increase as far as the local conditions | | | | the consumer, extracted honey brings from 10 to 20 |
| or the desires of the individual permit. | | | | cents per pound, and comb honey from 15 to 25 cents |
| Bee culture is the means of obtaining for human use a | | | | per section. If sold to dealers, the price varies from 6 |
| natural product which is abundant in almost all parts of | | | | to 10 cents for extracted honey and from 10 to 15 |
| the country, and which would be lost to us were it not | | | | cents for comb honey. All of these estimates depend |
| for the honey bee. The annual production of honey | | | | largely on the quality and neatness of the product. |
| and wax in the United States makes apiculture a | | | | From the gross return must be deducted from 50 |
| profitable minor industry of the country. From its very | | | | cents to $1 per colony for expenses other than labor, |
| nature it can never become one of the leading | | | | including foundation, sections, occasional new frames |
| agricultural pursuits, but that there is abundant | | | | and hives, and other incidentals. This estimate of |
| opportunity for its growth can not be doubted. Not only | | | | expense does not include the cost of new hives and |
| is the honey bee valuable as a producer, but it is also | | | | other apparatus needed in providing for increase in the |
| one of the most beneficial of insects in cross-pollinating | | | | size of the apiary. |
| the flowers of various economic plants. | | | | Above all it should be emphasized that the only way |
| Beekeeping is also extremely fascinating to the | | | | to make beekeeping a profitable business is to |
| majority of people as a pastime, furnishing outdoor | | | | produce only a first-class article. We can not control |
| exercise as well as intimacy with an insect whose | | | | what the bees bring to the hive to any great extent, |
| activity has been a subject of absorbing study from | | | | but by proper manipulations we can get them to |
| the earliest times. It has the advantage of being a | | | | produce fancy comb honey, or if extracted honey is |
| recreation which pays its own way and often | | | | produced it can be carefully cared for and neatly |
| produces no mean profit. | | | | packed to appeal to the fancy trade. Too many bee |
| It is a mistake, however, to paint only the bright side of | | | | keepers, in fact, the majority, pay too little attention to |
| the picture and leave it to the new bee keeper to | | | | making their goods attractive. They should recognize |
| discover that there is often another side. Where any | | | | the fact that of two jars of honey, one in an ordinary |
| financial profit is derived, beekeeping requires hard | | | | fruit jar or tin can with a poorly printed label, and the |
| work and work at just the proper time, otherwise the | | | | other in a neat glass jar of artistic design with a |
| surplus of honey may be diminished or lost. Few lines | | | | pleasing, attractive label, the latter will bring double or |
| of work require more study to insure success. In years | | | | more the extra cost of the better package. It is |
| when the available nectar is limited, surplus honey is | | | | perhaps unfortunate, but nevertheless a fact, that |
| secured only by judicious manipulations, and it is only | | | | honey sells largely on appearance, and a progressive |
| through considerable experience and often by | | | | bee keeper will appeal as strongly as possible to the |
| expensive reverses that the bee keeper is able to | | | | eye of his customer. |
| manipulate properly to save his crop. Anyone can | | | | |