IS80 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



569 



few swarms. Buckwheat pretty good. I increased to 

 28, and took 870 lbs. box honey and 30 lbs. extracted 

 from sections; total, WO lbs. Best Italian, 70 lbs.; 

 best hybrid, 77 M lbs. No swarms; and best black, 

 85 lbs., and one swarm. The Italian and hybrid had 

 some brood taken away, and the black had some giv- 

 en it. 



There is rather more than an average crop of 

 honey here. Those who gave their bees the best at- 

 tention have averaged better than usual, while the 

 careless ones are vice versa. I have au order tor a 

 Novice smoker next spring, from a box-hive bee- 

 keeper. I think it is the boss. J. B. Case. 



Baptisttown, N. J., Oct. 21, 1880. 



MY REPORT FOR 1880. 



Started with 150 stands; increased to 155; took 5800 

 bs. honey- -3200 extracted, 2000 comb; and, thanks to 

 Honey Column in Gleanings, honey is about all sold 

 —extracted at 9c per lb., and comb 13 to 15c. 



One stand Italians; remainder blacks and hybrid?. 



Robert Quinn. 



Shellsburg, Benton Co., la., Oct. 12, 1880. 



Pretty good, friend Q., for this poor season; 

 almost 40 lbs. to the hive, from an apiary of 

 over 150. 



DOES BEE-KEEPING PAY ON AN' AVERAGE? 



I herewith send you my report for the last six sea- 

 sons, in order to show you what I have done, taking 

 the seasons as a whole. 



WHAT I HAVE DONE WITH BEES SINCE 1875. 



Notes on the above table:— 



In 1875 I purchased one swarm in July, and another 

 in December. In 1877 I purchased 10 colonies. In 

 1878 I let out, on shares, 8 colonies. I had, in the 

 spring, 24; but, by letting out 8, it left me 16, with 

 which to begin the season. In the spring of 1880 I 

 bought 20 colonies. Under the head of '"Money In- 

 vested in Bees, Hives, etc.," is the amount I have 

 paid out for bees, hives, fdn., and all bee implements, 

 and also includes expenses of running the apiary. 



I have taken the six seasons as one grand season. 

 As you will see by reference to the above table, it is 

 only to show what one might reasonably expect if 

 he should have 115 colonies at the beginning of the 

 season. The footing of the column (Money Invested 

 in Bees, etc.), will not apply to the above; but it 

 might be safely said that $300 would run an apiary of 

 115 colonies, buy the extra hives, and whatever 

 would be needed. F. A. Salisbury. 



Geddes, N. Y., Nov. 8, 1880. 



The Holy-Land queen purchased from Jones 

 through you is the most prolific queen I ever owned. 

 Hhe has now four frames over half filled with brood, 

 and that without being fed. Her daughters are the 

 most uniform of any I ever raised from any queen. 

 The bees get cross earlier in the fall than Italians. 

 While gathering honey they were very gentle. 



Nappauee, lud., Oct. 20, 1880. I. R. Good. 



I have 900 lbs. surplus from 24 stands, all black. 

 Honey retails here at 16c. T. F. Shephard. 



Town Hill, Luzerne Co., Pa., Oct. 16, 1880. 



My hives, 20 in number, gave me an average of 50 

 lbs. this season, and I am confident, with care they 

 will always do as well, for this was a poor year. 



Oxford, Pa., Nov. 8, 1880. S. W. Morrison. 



On May 31st you sent me a queen, 1 lb. of bees, and 

 a frame of brood. I was rather disappointed in not 

 receiving them until June 2d; but now they have 

 filled their 10 combs with honey, and seem quite 

 crowded for room. I have had no increase this year, 

 and have taken about 80 lbs. of comb honey from 2 

 hives. I hope to do better next year. Thanks for 

 the information about the worms. I was very stu- 

 pid to overlook it in the ABC. H. L. Rand. 



Boston, Mass., Oct. 26, 1880. 



In the spring I had 6 stands of bees; increased ar- 

 tificially to 13; no natural swarms, as the season 

 was too dry. Four of them didn't make enough to 

 winter on. and so I gave them frames from others; 

 but the 13 stands averaged 180 lbs. of honey to the 

 stand; 2 of them made as high as 300 lbs. each; the 

 pound of prolific bees and queen I got of you last 

 June filled a l'/i-story hive solid with honey. 



H. H. C. Breece. 



Greenwood, Fremont Co., Col., Nov. 4, 1880. 



I started with four colonies of bees, May 1st. 1880. 

 One of them swarmed May 7th, and went to the 

 woods when I was away from home. They did not 

 "go west" this time, hut went east. I got from the 

 rest, 77 lbs. of comb honey, and 290 lbs. of extracted 

 honey, and increased to 7 colonies, and all h;<ve plen- 

 ty to winter on. Honey sold for 20c for comb, and 

 15c for extracted The How of honey was g >od up 

 to the middle of June; but after that, no more till 

 buckwheat and goldenrod came. But it is called a 

 very poor season for honey, by old bee-keepers in 

 this section. Some have not taken any surplus hon- 

 ey. C. M. Trunkey. 



Vernon, Trumbull Co., O., Nov. 9, 1880. 



BEES ON SHARES. 



The bees 1 took on shares did better than the bees 

 of the neighboring bee-keepers. I still have the 

 same number of swarms. There was no natural 

 swarming at all; made 4 new ones, lost 2, doubled 

 the other two with a couple of weak swarms. I lost 

 all the empty combs, although I fumigated them in 

 empty hives faithfully. The lower stories are all 

 full of honey. I had nearly $50.00 worth of surplus. 

 One old bee-keeper, whose farm is not far from 

 here, lost 100 swarms — starved to death, and no one 

 in this vicinity, except myself, had a pound of sur- 

 plus; and, although losing the combs was a draw- 

 back (lost them during a five-weeks' sickness), I do 

 not consider my work a failure, and 1 hope I shall 

 have the opportunity of practicing next year what I 

 have learned in regard to bees this year. 



Mrs. E. S. Cain. 



Hillsdale, Rock Island Co., 111., Nov. 4, 1880. 



MORE ABOUT " FROM ONE TO 41, IN TWO SEASONS." 



I see that what I wrote you about my bees was 

 put in Nov. No., p. 549. I did not think of your put- 

 ting it in Gleanings, but it is all right. There are 

 many here who know that it is so. Now, the first 

 year, I made 8 swarms, and the old one was nine to 

 winter on, from them I took 134 lbs. of honey, and 

 fed some sugar in the fall. That was for the year 



