136 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Feb. 27, 1902. 



follows, therefore, that whatever affects our vital interests 

 as bee-keepers in your section or my section will do the 

 same in any section. In other words our interests are iden- 

 tical. They should be mutual. We should grasp the idea 

 firmly, that our individual actions, isolated as we are, may 

 affect bee-men all over the State, and that their acts in turii 

 do even more certainly affect us. I believe the interests of 

 isolated bee-keepers demand a general recognition of these 

 facis. When we once learn to appreciate that we, in common 

 with other bee-keepers of the State, have substantially the 

 same subjects to master, the same difficulties to surmount, 

 and the same dangers to guard against, then it will be easy 

 to see the benefits which will come to us through organization. 



Good bee-literature is undoubtedly invaluable to every one 

 who keeps bees; but information which is elicited through 

 the asking and answering of questions, and the exchanging 

 of ideas upon the spot, can not be well gleaned from books 

 or papers. Besides, knowledge so acquired usually "sticks" 

 better than so-called book-knowledge. 



Again, object-lessons, such, for instance, as the display of 

 a lot of comb honey properly cased and graded as the 

 market requires, would come within the province of a 

 bee-keepers' meeting and, according to my ideas, would 

 impart more real information on the matter of graduig 

 in one day than illustrations and descriptions could in a 

 year. Let us not fail to consider fully the importance of 

 the educational feature of such organization; for it must 

 be remembered that it is at the point of production that 

 bee-keepers will have to make their last stand when exces- 

 sive demands are made upon them. 



Organization offers to isolated bee-keepers possibilities of 

 obtaining their supplies at reasonable prices. The price which 

 we must pay for these hinges largely upon the quantity 

 we can use. Quantity regulates the first cost, and it also 

 determines the freight-rates. If we can order a car direct 

 from the factory or from the manufacturer's agents, and 

 tlwn divide the same among us, we will be gainers thereby 

 to the amount of at least one profit, plus reduced freight- 

 rates. If you will take the time to figure it out, you will 

 see that there is a considerable saving in it. 



Through organization, and to my way of thinking, 

 through that alone, can we hope to keep the price of honey 

 somewhere near its true level. To those who have not 

 experienced the helping influence of our State organization, 

 I would say: Try for yourselves. Who in our ranks has 

 not felt himself at sea regarding the market value of his 

 product when the opportunity to sell has presented itself? 

 Would you not have welcomed valuable information on the 

 state of the honey crop and the honey market at such 

 times? Or, would you not be pleased to think that your 

 crop, together with the crops of your neighbors, could be 

 handled for you to the very best advantage to yourselves 

 at the least cost to each producer? 



To many of us these are comparatively new ideas, 

 and we can not be expected to lay aside our old methods 

 at once; but this grand plan of organization will bear our 

 careful investigation. 



I have yet one other advantage to mention, which would 

 be ours through organizing our forces thoroughly. It is 

 in the matter of securing desirable legislation. Bee-men, 

 like dairymen or stock-breeders, require helpful legislation. 

 To secure tlie same, our legislators must be convinced by us 

 that we actually need it, and that there are enough of us to 

 make it worth while bothering, anyway. Should a single 

 bee-keeper, or even a dozen, apply for the enactment of a 

 certain law, the law in all probability would never be 

 enacted. Should an organization of several hundred men 

 back up the same application, we would probably receive 

 what we asked for. If a law — let us say the law on spraying 

 fruit-trees — is being violated, and some isolated bee-keeper 

 enters complaint, he may or he may not make his voice 

 heard. "Very likely not. But let the organization of which 

 he is a member take a hand in the case, and we may 

 e.xpect to see the wheels of justice begin to turn forthwith. 



In every case where individual effort can be of 

 avail, organized effort will effect more; and where indi- 

 viduals are helpless, there we may behold the power of 

 organization. All bee-keepers need the help which a 

 strong union is able to give, but none need it more than 

 those who are laboring under the disadvantages of 

 isolation. 



Brethren, our interests certainly need attention. Let us 

 take them under consideration. Frank H, Drexel. 



i.^>^iic.:4.^:c.&t.jsCJ^^j^.^it.^sCAt.»c 



Contributed Articles. 



fffT^- 



Bee-Keeping as a Business— Good Advice. 



BY C. P. DADANT. 



"Does bee-keeping pay as a business? and would you. 

 advise a young man to go into it as such? Where can I 

 get a practical knowledge of the business from an experienced 

 man? My experience is limited to the care of a few colonies 

 on the farm. — R. Al. ISlack. " 



It is rather an unpleasant task to give advice to a young 

 man as to what he should do. Much of the success of an 

 individual depends upon his aptitudes, his tastes, his edu- 

 cation, and men are not always found in the business which 

 is best adapted to their inclinations. Many a poor mechanic 

 might have made a good farmer, and many an unsuccessful 

 farmer might have made a good business man, if only his 

 opportunities had been different. So, in the question, "Does 

 bee-keeping pay as a business?" the aptitudes of the man 

 must be considered. But if the question is asked, "Can bee- 

 keeping be made to pay as a business if properly managed?" 

 the answer could be given in the affirmative by many suc- 

 cessful bee-keepers. 



Our location is not a very good one for bees, and yet we 

 have often said that the average annual yield of a colony 

 of bees has usually been with us about 50 pounds. The last 

 ten years would probably somewhat lower this average, which 

 had been more than made in the ten previous years, for 

 the past few years have been very unfortunate, owing to the 

 almost total absence of white clover in the pastures and road- 

 sides in this part of the country. But this conditon of affairs- 

 will certainly not last, unless there is a positive change in the 

 climatic conditions of the. Mississippi Valley, and a steady 

 recrudescence of drouths, in which case not only the culture of 

 bees but most other agricultural pursuits would suffer greatly. 



I said that 50 pounds per colony would be a good aver- 

 age. This is counted as a low estimate by many apiarists 

 living in favored, regions. In many parts of Wisconsin, Mich- 

 igan and New York, a:s well as in the new States, such as 

 Colorado, the average of yield by colonies in the hands of pro- 

 gressive bee-keepers I believe to be above 50 pounds per 

 colony. In California it is perhaps several times that amount, 

 but the low price of honey there in good seasons would 

 counterbalance the larger crops. 



Counting on an average of 50 pounds, the net price of 

 honey that is secured by the producers in an all-around 

 business is certainly not less than 8 cents per pound, net of 

 packages, cost of boxing, etc. This makes a probable profit 

 of $4 per colony, spring count. 



This estimate is taken in a general way. It is impossible 

 to make an absolutely reliable estimate of any farm crop, and 

 the bees are not an exception to this. But if we take the 

 reports of wheat acreage and number of bushels reported, we 

 will come to a very fair knowledge of the entire crop of 

 the wheat-producing farms, and, in the same way, the product 

 of the bee is very nearly estimated. 



A practical apiarist who makes bee-culture his business 

 can easily take care of 200 colonies of bees in producing 

 comb honey, and of twice that number, or more, in the 

 production of extracted honey. And if he is wide awake, 

 and does not manufacture his own hives, and manages to 

 take a little cheap help at the opening of the season, he 

 may be able to teach school during the winter, for five or 

 six months, at least, during the time when the bees are not 

 busy. An occasional Saturday will be sufficient to keep 

 informed as to the condition of the apiary, whether wintered 

 in the cellar or on the summer stands. 



If the man "grows" with his business, the outlay need 

 not be very great, as the original cost of a few colonies of 

 bees and that of the empty hives is a very unimportant cap- 

 ital. An industrious man will rear his own queens, and 

 may even rear some for sale. Then he may sell a few 

 bees, a colony here and there. The careful saving of all 

 the broken pieces of comb, burr-combs, drone-combs, and 

 cappings, ought very nearly to pay for what comb founda- 

 tion is needed. There are very few lines of business — 

 except perhaps chicken raising — where so few implements 

 are needed. But poultry-raising is not to be compared to 

 bee-culture. The fowls need constant attention. They have 



