580 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



A western honey-distributing company's plaut. 



PRODUCTION OF HONEY IN THE UNITED STATES 

 GREATER SELLING FACILITIES 



THE NEED OF 



BY E. R. ROOT 



The last Uniled States census shows that, 

 outside of the cities and towns, at least 

 $10,000,000 worth of honey is produced 

 annually ; but 1 am convinced, from the 

 evidence in hand, that the actual amount is 

 at least twice that, or $20,000,000. I have 

 run across dozens and dozens of large hon- 

 ey-producers located up in the mountains or 

 out on the plains, away from assessors, who 

 stated that they had never rejoorted the 

 luimber of their colonies nor the amount of 

 honey produced. At one of the big" conven- 

 lion."* of the country, tlie (luestion was asked 

 liow many had furnished Uncle Sam a state- 

 }nent of the number of their bees and of 

 their crops. 'J'he great majority had made 

 no such statement, and, what was more, had 

 never been asked for one. So, taking it all 

 in all, it is probable that $2r),000,000 would 

 not buy all the honey t!iat is produced an- 

 nually in the United Slates. 



The increase in the number of specialists, 

 and the decrease in the number of farmer 



beekeepers on account of foul brood is re- 

 sulting in more and more honey being pro- 

 duced. 



The facilities for producing honey in the 

 United States have been increasing year by 

 year. While the inimber of beekee^jers in 

 the United States is larger than formei'ly, 

 there ai'e more persons who make the keep- 

 ing of bees a specialty. There are not a 

 few who own and operate from 1000 to 

 2000 and even 3000 colonies. The large 

 l)roducei*s. as a rule, are located west of the 

 Mississipju, and particularl}' in the in-igat- 

 ed regions whei-e alfalfa and sweet clover 

 are grown. 



So large has become the general amount 

 produced that it biings up the problem of 

 insufiRcient selling facilities. The National 

 Beekeepers' Association touched on this 

 question at its last session at Denver. The 

 seci-etary, Mr. G. W. Williams, of Redkey, 

 Ind., has repeatedly called attention to the 

 fact that the selling facilities should be in- 



