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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Aug. 20, 1903. 



of them. Our equipment for the instruction of students is 

 undoubtedly the best of any institution iu the country. It 

 remains for the bee-keepers of the State to make this branch 

 of our work a success. Send us your boys, and get your 

 neighbors" boys to come to the college for a full agricul- 

 tural course, or a short course in bee-keeping and special 

 subjects. Perchance older heads may also find it profitable 

 to spend a few months here in study ; one of our most en- 

 thusiastic students, in the short course in agriculture last 

 winter, had passed three score years and ten. Before many 

 years go by we hope to send out from this institution some 

 bee-keepers who will be a credit to the efforts of this Asso- 

 ciation, and will do much for bettering the status of Texas 

 apiculture. 



We are wont to be proud of the fact that Texas leads 

 all the States in amount and value of bees and their prod- 

 ucts. I have been studying the statistics of apiculture in 

 Texas and other States as given in the 12th United States 

 Census, and have secured some facts on this subject which 

 may be of interest to you. It seems that Texas bee-keeping 

 is much like the live stock industry with the longhorn 

 steer — large quantity and very little quality. We are proud 

 to number some of the most successful and progressive bee- 

 keepers of the country as Texans ; but for every one of 

 these there are a thousand devotees of the old " bee-gum " 

 whose bees and their product vastly increase the quantity, 

 but woefully lower the quality of the apiary products. 



First, let us compare the industry of Texas with that of 

 the United States and other States and sections. Bee-keep- 

 ing is more popular here than in many States. Seventeen 

 percent of our farms have bees, while there are only 12.3 

 percent of those throughout the United States. But in 

 nearly all other respects Texas stands near the bottom of 

 the list. 



The average amount of honey produced on farms re- 

 porting bees for the United States is 86.5 lbs.; for Texas 

 79.5 lbs.; slightly more than the average for the South Cen- 

 tral, 66 lbs., and South Atlantic States, 62,4 lbs., but less 

 than the North Central, 85.8 lbs., North Atlantic, 106.9 lbs., 

 and far below the Western States with 304.4 lbs. per farm 

 reporting. L,ikewise the average value of honey produced 

 on farms reporting bees for the United States is $9.42 ; for 

 Texas, $7.80; the South Central and South Atlantic being 

 $6.90 and $6.78 ; while the values are greater in the North 

 Central. $10.07, North Atlantic, $12.50, and Western, $28.38. 

 In the United States the honey product per colony of bees 

 averaged 14.9 lbs.; for Texas, 12.2 lbs.; for the North Cen- 

 tral States, 16.9 lbs.; for New York, 18 lbs.; for California, 

 28.3 lbs.; for Colorado, 29 lbs.; and for Arizona, 49 lbs. The 

 average for Texas is slightly more than that for the South- 

 ern States, 11.3 lbs., but is exceeded by that of Arkansas, 

 Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, and Florida. The aver- 

 age production of wax per colony for the United States was 

 43 lbs.; for Texas, 41 lbs.; for Arizona, 69 lbs.; and Califor- 

 nia, 89 lbs. 



But the value of the product of the average colony is 

 the best indication of the quality of our bees and status of 

 bee-keeping in Texas. The average value of honey and 

 wax produced per colony for the United States was $1.62 ; 

 for Texas, $1.19 ; lower than the average for all the South- 

 ern States, $1.20, and exceeded by all other sections of the 

 country as follows : North Atlantic Division, $1.94 ; North 

 Central Division, $1.98 ; Western Division, $2.54 ; Califor- 

 nia. $2.56 ; Colorado, $2.87; and Arizona, $3.55. In other 

 words, whereas the Texas product was valued at $468,527 in 

 1899, had the colonies been as productive as the average for 

 the United States would have been worth $637,363 ; and had 

 they produced as much as those in the Northern divisions it 

 would have brought $770,972 ; while had they averaged as 

 well as the Western division the value would have been 

 more than doubled, and considerably over a million dollars. 

 The same point is brought out by a consideration of 

 the average value of bees per colony. For the United States 

 this is $2.42 ; for Texas but $1.91 ; there being only seven of 

 the States (mostly southern) having a smaller value, while 

 the average for all Southern States was $1.95 ; for the North 

 Central, $2.95 ; Western, $3.10; and North Atlantic, $3.31. 

 Thus the total value of Texas bees, $749,483, though about 

 SO percent greater than that of any other State, would have 

 been increased to $973,090 had they been worth the average 

 for the United States, and to about $1,200,000 had they been 

 worth the average value exclusive of the Southern States. 

 Altogether, had Texas bees been of a quality of those of 

 the average for the United States their total value, with 

 value of their product, would have been about $400,000 

 greater ; and had they averaged with those of the Northern 

 and Western States, they would have had about $750,000 | 



greater value, and been worth appro.ximately one and a 

 half million dollars. 



But let us consider apiculture in Texas locally by coun- 

 ties, and we may possibly learn something which will 

 throw light upon the above figures. I have compiled two 

 maps, showing the local conditions of apiculture in Texas. 

 The first gives the number of colonies in each county, and 

 is colored according to the number of colonies per farm in 

 each colony. The latter is secured by dividing the number 

 of colonies by number of farms. It is to be regretted that 

 the census does not give the number of farms reporting 

 bees for each county. We see that 59 counties, mostly in 

 the Panhandle country, have no bees. Of these, 40 have a 

 considerable poultry product. Twenty-six counties have 

 less than 100 colonies. East of Austin there is not over an 

 average of one colony per farm. Twenty- eight counties, 

 scattered through the central part of the State, have 2 to 4 

 colonies per farm. But 7 counties have 4 to 6 colonies per 

 farm ; five — Chambers, Dimmit, Frio,; Kinney, and Kimble 

 — have 6 to 10 per farm, while Uvalde has 23, and Zavalla 

 35 per farm. These figures show that the number of colo- 

 nies are pretty evenly distributed throughout the humid 

 portion of the State, but that there are relatively many 

 more per farm in central and southwest Texas. 



To appreciate the conditions, however, we must consult 

 the second map, showing the pounds of honey produced per 

 colony and value of bees per colony in each county. The 

 map is colored according to the honey produced per colony. 

 These figures show that the valuation placed upon colonies 

 is very largely a local matter, and not related to the pro- 

 ductiveness of the colonies, with the exception of Wharton, 

 Dimmit and Uvalde counties, where the price has clearly 

 been raised by the introduction of improved bees. In four 

 counties less than five pounds of honey is produced per col- 

 ony. In 56 counties from 5 to 10 pounds of honey per col- 

 ony is produced ; and in 41 counties between 10 and 12 

 pounds per colony. 



Thus, in over half the honey-producing counties of the 

 State (98 out of 180) less than the average of 12.2 pounds of 

 honey per colony is produced. In 40 counties it is but little 

 over the average, being 12 to IS pounds. In 26 counties IS 

 to 20 pounds is secured. Six counties — Rains, Brazoria, 

 Travis, Scurry, Winkler, and Presidio — produce 20 to 25 

 pounds, but there are only 45 colonies in the last three 

 counties together, so they are not to be considered. Seven 

 counties, including Starr and Midland, which have but 12 

 colonies, Wharton, Menard, Live Oak, Dimmit, and Uvalde 

 produce over 25 pounds per colony. Thus, but five counties 

 have a production equal to the average of the Western 

 States. 



Another map should show the total honey production 

 for each county. It would reveal that the five counties of 

 first rank as regards honey per colony produce 6 percent of 

 the crop of the State ; that the three of the class producing 

 20 to 25 pounds per colony (excluding three with but 45 

 colonies) produce 4 percent of the total ; that the 21 (exclud- 

 ing those with but few colonies) producing 15 to 20 pounds 

 per colony produce 19 percent of the total ; and that all 

 together these 29 counties, having an average production 

 per colony greater than that for the United States, produce 

 29 percent of the total production of the State. 



Of those counties producing 12 to 15 pounds per colony, 

 over the average for the State, 35 (excluding five having 

 less than 100 colonies) produce 27 percent of the crop of the 

 State. Thus, the 64 counties, or 33 percent of the honey- 

 producing counties of the State, produce 54 percent of the 

 total crop. The remaining produce the other 46 percent. 

 This points to the conclusion that the bulk of Texas honey 

 comes from counties east of Austin, which produce about 

 the same amount as the average per colony for the State, 

 12.2 pounds. 



It is to be regretted that 'the value of honey for each 

 county is not given, and that the value of honey and bees- 

 wax is combined in the total for the State, as these figures 

 would give us a better indication of the quality of the prod- 

 uct of different sections of the State. I am aware that the 

 census was subject to much error, and that it is now three 

 years old. But in comparing it with figures secured from 

 bee-keepers in different counties, we are inclined to believe 

 that the census is fairly accurate as a whole, and more to 

 be relied upon than private information. Though a large 

 advance has been made in apiculture in Texas in the last 

 three years, and some shifting in the areas of greatest pro- 

 duction, still the general conditions are doubtless practically 

 the same. Those of you who are familiar with local condi- 

 tions can doubtless better and further interpret the above 



