THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



number that could profitably be kept in one 

 piace. The expense is made up of wliat may 

 be called the fixed charges, i. e., those that 

 are the same whether the crop is large or 

 small, and the variable charges which are 

 made up of those expenses which vary with 

 the amount of the crop. The larger the crop 

 the less of course the cost per pound, and my 

 figures are made so as to bring this out 

 somewhat in detail. 



I estimate the value of the necessary plant 

 as follows : 



Shop and collar j; 800 00 



Tools, cases, and extras 150 00 



150 colonies bees at $.5 750 00 



Total ,$l,2nO 00 



So my table will stand thus : 



FIX D CHAHG S. 



Interest and wear and tear on plant at 10 



percent $120 00 



One man six weeks during honey harvest, 45 00 



Taking bees into and out of cellar 5 00 



( )ther manipulations 5 00 



Total $175 00 



VARIABL CHAKGS. 

 Cost p"r eac h 1,500 lbs. surplus, being an average 



of ten lbs.: 



2,(X)0 sections $ 7 00 



Foundation 10 00 



Fastening in foundation 1 00 



Putting up sections 1 00 



Crates for packing honey 10 00 



Packing 4 '0 



Commissions and freight 17 00 



Total $ 50 00 



Total cost of a crop of 10 lbs. on tlie average, 



or 1,500 lbs., $225. 

 For each additional average of 10 lbs. there 



must be added $50, whence we get the following 



results : 



Average per Aggregate Aggregate Cost 



colony— lbs. 



lbs. cost. per lb. 



1,500. $225. .15 



3,000. 300. .0916 



4,500. 325 .072 



6,000. 375. .0625 



7,500. 425. .01)6 



9,000. 475. .0.52 



10,.500. 525. .05 



Taking IHc. as the market price a further 



step gives us the net profit in each case, as 

 follows : 



Total crop Price. Total Total Net 



lbs. value. cost. Profit. 



1,500. 15c. $ 225. $225. 



3,000. 1.5c. 450. 275. $ 175. 



4,.500. 1.5c. 675. 335. 350. 



6,000. 15c. 900. 375. 525. 



7,50u. 15c. 1,125. 425. 700. 



9,000. 15c. 1,3.50. 475. 875. 



10,500. 15c. 1,575. 525. 1,0.50. 



These figures are far from discouraging, 

 but they speak powerfully for keeping ex- 

 penses down. In an average location one 

 who spends 3(35 days in the year on 150 

 colonies cannot expect to get rich, but by 

 making six or seven weeks do he can make 

 his investment pay well. The difference in 

 the number of colonies in different apiaries, 

 the presence of buildings or cellars that can 

 be used without the expense of making 

 special buildings and cellars, and the differ- 

 ence in average yields in different localities, 

 make great difference in the net cost of 

 honey, yet though our circumstances vary 

 greatly in many ways, we can, nevertheless, 

 by severally calculating the cost in our re- 

 spective cases, assist one another in putting 

 the business on a more stable basis than it 

 has hitherto occupied. 



Determining the Percentage of Moisture in 

 the Air of Bee Repositories. 



S. COKNEIL. 



EAR SIR. — I 



w 



have your card 

 referring me to the 

 last paragraph of 

 .\()ur editorial on 

 |iage 1.56 of the Re- 

 view for 1888, and 

 enquiring if there is 

 any better or more 

 practical way of de- 

 termining the degree 

 of saturation in the 

 air of a cellar, and 

 how to ascertain the degree of saturation, so 

 as to be able to report its percentage. 



In reply I may say there is no better or 

 more practical way than by using the dry 

 and wet bulb thermometers, which, when 

 properly maintained, constitute what is 

 known as the Mason Hygrometer. For 

 about two dollars such a hygrometer may be 

 purchased from Jas. W. McQueen & Co., 

 Philadelphia, and from other leading deal- 

 ers in your country. If, instead of purchas- 

 ing at this price, any of your readers prefer 

 to use common, cheap instruments, care 

 must be taken to know that they are correct, 

 or how much they differ from correct read- 

 ings all through the scale. Sometimes the 

 tube contains air. Such an instrument is 

 worthless. To test for this, invert the instru- 

 ment, and shake it to cause the mercury to 

 run down to top of tube. If there is air, 

 the mercury will not drop down entirely 



