6 BEES. 
surplus of honey may be diminished or lost. Few lines of work re- 
quire more study to insure success. In years when the available 
nectar is limited, surplus honey is secured only by judicious manipu- 
lations and it is only through considerable experience and often by 
expensive reverses that the bee keeper is able to manipulate properly 
to save his crop. Anyone can produce honey in seasons of plenty, 
but these do not come every year in most locations and it takes a 
good bee keeper to make the most of poor years. When, even with 
the best of manipulations, the crop is a failure through lack of nectar, 
the bees must be fed to keep them from starvation. 
The average annual honey yield per colony for the entire country, 
under good management, will probably be 25 to 30 pounds of comb 
honey or 40 to 50 pounds of extracted honey. The money return 
to be obtained from the crop depends entirely on the market and the 
method of selling the honey. If sold direct to the consumer, ex- 
tracted honey brings from 10 to 20 cents per pound, and comb honey 
from 15 to 25 cents per section. If sold to dealers, the price varies 
from 6 to 10 cents for extracted honey and from 10 to 15 cents for 
comb honey. All of these estimates depend largely on the quality 
and neatness of the product. From the gross return must be deducted 
from 50 cents to $1 per colony for expenses other than labor, including 
foundation, sections, occasional new frames and hives, and other inci- 
dentals—not, however, providing for increase. 
Above all it should be emphasized that the only way to make bee 
keeping a profitable business is to produce only a first-class article. 
We can not control what the bees bring to the hive to any great ex- 
tent, but by proper manipulations we can get them to produce fancy 
comb honey, or if extracted honey is produced it can be carefully 
cared for and neatly packed to appeal to the fancy trade. Too many 
bee keepers, in fact the majority, pay too little attention to making 
their goods attractive. They should recognize the fact that of two 
jars of honey, one in an ordinary fruit jar or tin can with a poorly 
printed label, and the other in neat glass jar of artistic design with a 
pleasing, attractive label, the latter will bring double or more the 
extra cost of the better package. It is perhaps unfortunate, but 
nevertheless a fact, that honey sells largely on appearance, and a 
progressive bee keeper will appeal as strongly as possible to the eye of 
his customer. 
LOCATION OF THE APIARY. 
The location of the hives is a matter of considerable importance. 
As a rule it is better for hives to face away from the prevailing wind 
and to be protected from high winds. In the North, a south slope 
is desirable. It is advisable for hives to be so placed that the sun 
will strike them early in the morning, so that the bees become active 
397 
