Vol. XT. 



Doc. 1, 1887. 



No. 23. 



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STATISTICS IN REGARD TO THE HON- 

 EY-CROP. 



A MATTER THAT WAS STARTED AT THE 

 CONVENTION IN CHICAGO. 



a EAR MR. EDITOK:— Let me call your atten- 

 tion ag'nin to the matter of statistics propos- 

 ed at Chicago. It seeins to me that this is 

 one of the most hopeful schemes proposed in 

 the interest of bee-keepers for a long- time. 

 I doubt if any thing could be suggested that would 

 aid bee-keepers more; and I also believe that such 

 an enterprise successfully carried out will prove a 

 great gain to the editor whose enterprise shall 

 make it a success. 



I know of no occupation which would he more 

 benefited by accurate statistics than would bee- 

 keeping. Our commodities are so easily shipped 

 that each part of the country feels the effect of the 

 production of every other part. Accurate knowl- 

 edge of the exact status of the bee-industry the 

 past summer, early in the season, would have saved 

 thousands of dollars to the bee-keepers. To illus- 

 trate: 



A bee-keeper said to me early in Augut^t, "Do 

 you suppose 1 could sell at the college a barrel of 

 honey?" 



I asked at what price. 



He named the price of last year. 1 said, " Ves, 

 but don't you do it. You will get more." 



He kept it, and has sold that barrel and his entire 

 crop for throe or four cents more per pound than 

 he proposed. How many such cases would there 

 have been, could some wise augurer have correctly 

 foretold the comiag market In mid-summer? That 



is just what you can do, Mr. Editor, if you make 

 this plan work. It goes without saying, that every 

 one would have to have your paper. 



What statistics would it be desirable to collect? 

 It seems to me we should have reports in May, 

 June, July, and Peptember. In these months you 

 would need to send blank postals to your special 

 correspondents, and they would fill them out and 

 report at once. In May we would have reports as 

 to wintering; in June, July, and September, as to 

 the honey-harvest. 



As to the correspondents, I would get from two to 

 four or six in each State and Territ'^ry. 1 would 

 get candid, reliable men, without pay if I could, 

 but get them any way. I would havp these men so 

 scattered as to represent the several parts of each 

 State, and have them pledged to.give as quick and 

 accurate reports as possible, using their best infor- 

 mation and iudgment. To illustrate: 



I would suggest Mr. Hilton for Northern Michi- 

 gan; Mr. Taylor for Eastern; Mr. Cutting for 

 Southern, and Mr. Heddon for Western. If Central 

 Michigan were included, your humble servant 

 might do; and there would be one advantage in se- 

 curing him— he would gladly do the work gratis. 

 When these several reports come to your office you 

 could summarize them something as follows: Bees 

 wintered well in Michigan: great bee-mortality in 

 Northern Ohio; excellent honey crop in New York 

 and New England. No honey in Michigan and Wis- 

 consin. Thus you could write up a summary of the 

 reports in the fewest possible words. 



It might be urged, that the publication of the re» 

 ports verbatim would give confldeuce. But the re- 

 port would have a solid basis, and would be correct. 



