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Wisconsin s Production of Beehives 



The :nn[n:il u-r mI « I in Wisouiisin for the maiuilacture of Ijee- 



hives and ilim - oiirs totals 4,524,000 feet, board measure, 



according ti. m m \ r^i i-it ion of the industry in that state by Frank- 

 lin H. Sniitii uf llie l_ lilted States Forest Service. The figures are 

 valuable, not only on account of what they shovir in Wisconsin, but 

 because what is shown in that state serves as an index to the extent 

 of the industry in other regions. Information along that particular 

 line of wdii.l iisiiij; has not been very abundant, probably because 

 it was gcnorally supposed that the business of manufacturing bee- 

 hives was of little importance and scarcely worth inquiring after. 



The showing in Wisconsin disproves this. When a single state 

 demands more than four and a half million feet of lumber a year 

 for a single commodity, it is proof that the amount demanded by the 

 whole country is quite respectable. The average cost of the rough 

 lumber delivered at the various hive factories was $22.97. 



Only two kinds of wood are used for this industry in Wisconsin, 

 white pine and basswood, and it is divided nearly equally between 

 them. To be exact, white pine supplies 2,126,000 feet, and bass- 

 wood 2,398,000. The pine costs $26.48, and the basswood $19.86. 

 It may seem somewhat strange but nevertheless is true, that nearly 

 one half of the total of each wood was shipped into Wisconsin from 

 outside regions. The state is the leading producer of white pine, 

 and much basswood is cut there, yet the users of these woods find 

 it convenient to go elsewhere for nearly half. That, however, is 

 not an unusual occurrence. State lines have no existence, as far as 

 business is concerned; and purchasers buy where they can do best. 



The pine's place in the industry is in the hive material proper; 

 the basswood is worked into the light, thin frames in which the bees 

 fix the honey comb. The two parts of the hive are not always made 

 in the same factory or by the same manufacturer. They are distinct 

 articles. The hives are of lumber, the frames of thin, narrow strips 

 of veneer. The hive serves many years; a honey frame is filled once 

 and that usually ends its career, though not necessarily so. Some- 

 times the honey is blown from the comb, which is then returned, 

 frame and all, to the hive to be fiUed again with honey. The frame 

 with its enclosed comb is usually sold, and in that instance the wood, 

 weight for weight, brings as large a price as the honey. 



The beehive, like most other articles made of wood, has under- 

 gone much change in years past. It was once customary to make 

 it of straw twisted into ropes and wound round and round. At 

 least, old pictures show that form. That kind of hive, called "bee 

 basket" in Germany, came to a peak at the top, like a cone. It 

 is not probable that beehives of that pattern were ever made in this 

 country. Wood was always too cheap and convenient ; but others, 

 fully as clumsy and unsightly, were widely used by early settlers, and 

 continued in use in some localities until recent times, while even yet 

 an occasional equipment of that sort may be seen. The hive con- 

 sisted of a section of a hollow log, standing upright. 



It was commonly called a ' ' gum. " It is supposed that the name 

 originally referred to a section of a black gum tree, as its hollow 

 trunk was often a thin shell. In course of time, the name of the 

 tree became the name of the hive, and many elderly people still 

 speak of a bee ' ' gum, ' ' meaning hive. The same name was given 

 whether the log was of gum wood or of some other kind. In many 

 regions the people used hollow sycamore sections for beehives, and 

 in a few instances other trees were employed, including cypress trees 

 in the South. 



The bees never objected to the hollow log hive. In fact, when 

 left to their own resources, and if no habitation were provided for 

 them, they went off at swarming time and entered some hollow tree 

 where they seldom failed to prosper. The people on the frontiers 

 obtained much of the sweetest things of life from ' ' bee trees. ' ' 

 The settler soon learned to "track" bees to their trees. The track- 

 ing consisted in watching their flight through the air until the 

 direction was ascertained, and it was then easy to follow, because 

 when a bee starts for its hive it flies in a straight course. The term 

 "bee line" commemorates the fact. The trackers followed, keep- 



ing a sharp watch for suspicious looking trees, and he was usually 

 rewarded by locating the home of the swarm. 



Mistakes were sometimes made, and trees were chopped down to find 

 no honey or bees, but perhaps a nest of wasps or some other unprofita- 

 ble insects. It is said that the largest yellow poplar in Kentucky, 

 and probably the largest in the world, was cut down by bee hunters 

 under the erroneous belief that bees occupied its enormous trunk. 

 They found the ti-unk sound, and not a sign of a bee. The tree was 

 twelve feet in diameter, and two hundred feet high. 



There were no bees in America until they were brought by white 

 settlers. They soon escaped to the woods and became wild. They 

 moved into new country a little in advance of the settlers. The 

 Indians soon learned that fact, and when they discovered bees in the 

 woods they were accustomed to say that it was time to move on. 



One of the chief sources of honey in the hardwood region is bass- 

 wood and yellow poplar. The small laurel or ivy is also rich in 

 nectar, but there is good reason to be thankful that this dangerous 

 bush is not more widely distributed, because there are well authenti- 

 cated instances of poisoning from eating laurel honey. Basswood is 

 abundant in the lake states, and bees make the most of it; but cul- 

 tivated crops now furnish honey to the busy workers. 



The manufacture of hives, as in Wisconsin, is no proof that the 

 articles are all for use in the state where they are made. It is a 

 fact that hives and honey frames made in Wisconsin are shipped as 

 far away as the Pacific coast. 



Encouragement Seen in Export Figures 



The statement of exports from Baltimore of lumber and logs for 

 June is rather more encouraging than some of the others that have 

 gone before. It still reflects the quiet that prevails on the other 

 side, anil again shows a decline in the forwardings as, compared with 

 the corresponding period of 1913, but the deficiency, as contrasted 

 with last year appears to be growing smaller, and a marked gain 

 over the previous month is to be noted. It is this aspect of the 

 situation that will tend to make the exporters cheer up and take a 

 more hopeful view of the future. The total value of all the exports 

 for the month, for instance, was $176,655 against $223,271 for June, 

 1913. But the aggregate for May was only about $107,000, so that 

 a marked gain over that month is to be recorded. The difference 

 in the shipments of oak lumber, for instance, in favor of last year 

 is also narrowing, the total exports for June, 1914, having been 

 1,488,000 feet against 2,099,000 feet in June, 1913. In previous 

 months the decline was usually more than fifty per cent., so that 

 even in this item a change for the better is to be noted. To be 

 sure, the total for last month was swelled materially by the exports 

 of more than 1,000,000 feet of spruce, while ^Tune, 1913, showed only 

 25,000 feet, but there appears to be an approach toward an evening 

 up in the market as a whole, and the exhibit is in the main encour- 

 aging. The figures are as follows: 



June, 1914. 



Logs, hickory....... 



Logs, oak 



Logs, walnut 



Logs, all others .... 



Lumber, oak 



Lumber, white pine. 



Quantity 

 . 19,000 ft. 

 8,000 ft. 

 . 75,000 ft. 

 . 10,000 ft. 

 .1,488,000 ft. 

 . 45,000 ft. 

 Lumber, short leaf pine. 257,000 ft. 



Lumber, poplar 356,000 ft. 



Lumber, spruce 1,082,000 ft. 



Lumber, all others 372,000 ft. 



Staves 84,753 



All other manufactures 



of wood 



Doors, sash and blinds 



Furniture 



Trimmings 



All other manufactures 



of wood 



53,521 

 1,679 

 8,128 

 10,370 

 34,624 

 18,822 

 4,681 



7,161 



June, ; 

 Quantity 

 65,000 ft. 

 20,000 ft. 

 275,000 ft. 

 73,000 ft. 

 2,099,000 ft. 



Value 



.$ 2,150 



700 



16,767 



2,480 



75,829 



306,000 ft. 

 182,000 ft. 

 25,000 ft. 

 655,000 ft. 

 109,593 



10.143 

 6,323 



958 



Total . 



?223,27 

 —23- 



