1884 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



171 



son's piece in onr last journal, it seems to 

 me, covers the ground. 



ONLY $15.00 PER POUND FOR HONEY. 



Perhaps you would like my report for the last two 

 years, but you would put it in Blasted Hopes. My 

 hrpes are as bright as ever, and the honey that I 

 have taken from the bees has cost me but $15.00 per 

 lb., and I can stand that, unless I have to take too 

 many pounds. When you want something not prof- 

 it)^ from bee-keeping, let me know. 



Pittston. Pa., .Ian. 21, 1881. R. JI. Griffiths. 



Why, friend G., your letter is a treasure 

 for this department ; but it seems to me 

 that you ought not to be so happy and smil- 

 ing about it. 1 suppose all that worries you 

 is the fact that you may get too many lbs. 

 of honey. Sad, "isn't it V Don't you think 

 you could figure that honey down so it 

 would not cost more than about $14.75, if 

 you tried hard V 



f^qici'is §n^cum§m§. 



FROM 5 TO 10, AND i:J54 LBS. OF HONEY. 



MERE is my report lor the season of 1883:^ I have 

 tried to raise bees for honey, but never got 

 — — ' as much as I could eat till after I read the A 

 B C, and took Gleanings, which is two years ago. i 

 commenced last spring wilh five colonies, and in- 

 creased to 19; bought 1, which made 20. I com- 

 menced to extract June 14, and got 155 lbs.; June 23, 

 190 lbs.; July 5, 2U2 lbs.; July 17,181 lbs. Total ex- 

 tracted, 728 lbs. I commenced to get box honey the 

 loth of July, and closed up Sept. 26, taking the boxes 

 as soon as capped, so as to have it white as snow. 

 The total amount of box honey by weight was 626 

 lbs.; adding the extracted, 728 lbs., it makes a total 

 of 1354 lbs. from six stocks in the spring. How is 

 that? I have also -10 lbs. of unfinished sections to 

 commence next year. The mercury was 34° below 

 zero in January, and I lost only one colony. The 

 rest are all right. I use the Simplicity hive and tj^x 

 4}4 sections, and get 10 c^nts per lb. for extracted 

 honey, and 18 for comb. My bees are mostly Holy- 

 Lands of I. R. Good's stock. Robt. S. Giherson. 

 Roodhouse, 111., Feb. 6, 1884. 



FROM 8 TO 41, AND 300 LBS. OF HONEY. 



I began last spring with 8 swarms; increased to 41, 

 all in good shape, all by natural swarming, and got 

 about 300 lbs. of honey; that is, comb and extracted 

 all together. Louis Weiner. 



Edwardsville, lU., Jan. 15. 1884. 



from 8 TO 14, AND HALF A TON OF HONEY. 



I had eight swarms of bees last season, which gave 

 me 1000 lbs. of box honey, and six new swarms. I 

 think I can afiford to take Gleanings this year. 



Geddes, N. Y., Jan. 23, 1884. M. C. Darrow. 



FROM 2 TO 8, AND 300 LBS. SURPLUS. 



I started in the spring of 1883 with two colonies; 

 increased, during the summer, to 8. At this writing 

 they are all right yet. Got about 300 lbs. surplus 

 honey. We are using the chaff hive. S. M. Smith. 



Campbell, Mich., Feb. 4, 1884. 



FROM 7 TO 18, AND 600 LBS. HONEY. 



I commenced the season with 7 colonies in fair 

 condition, and increased to 18, and all are in splendid 

 condition up to date. Extracted 600 lbs., mostly 



from alsike clover; did not get any fall honey. My 

 bees are all on the summer stands; the most of them 

 in double-walled hives. I sold my honey all at home, 

 atlOcts.; could have sold more, if I had had it. It 

 has been very cold here —22° below zero. 



Norman Goodnoe. 

 North Lansing, Mich., Feb. 4, 1884. 



DR. LAY hopeful — HORSEMINT. 



Our bees are in fine condition. Only one cold 

 spell, ther. 24°, Jan. 1; 18°, 2d. Warm and fine again. 

 I think we have enough supplies for this season. 

 Horsemint is abundant. We had very light honey- 

 yield last season, but we are hopeful for the coming 

 one. You will not find us in Blasted Hopes, for we 

 are arming for the fight. Wishing you much suc- 

 cess this year, I remain yours truly, J. E. Lay. 



Hallettsville, Texas, Jan. 3, 1884. 



FROM 18 TO 54, AND 1100 LBS. OF COMB HONEY. 



In the fall of 1883 1 went into winter quarters with 

 20 colonies packed in chaff. All came through nice- 

 ly and strong, with the exception of one which did 

 not swarm. From the other 19 came over 50 swarms, 

 which I doubled, so I had 34, making me now 54 col- 

 onies in all. Now for my report : 

 To 31 colonies increase, at $5.00 per colony. . . . $170 00 

 llQj lbs. in sections 1.54 00 



Total, $324 00 

 1 think if I am correct, that is $16.20 profit, per 

 hive, spring count, which I think not a bad invest- 

 ment. All that my expenses were was for sections 

 and foundation. Harlem C. Wellar. 



Monterey, N. Y., Feb. 10. 1884. 



FROM 10 TO 24, AND £0 LBS. OF HONEY TO THE 

 HIVE. 



I began the season near Vistula, Indiana, with 10 

 weak stands, most of them nearly "played out;" 

 had to commence feeding in February, and as I had 

 not the means to buy plenty of feed I gave them just 

 enough sugar syrup and candy to keep them from 

 starving until they could shift for themselves. 

 Many in our neighborhood lost all their bees last 

 winter and spring, and others who saved a part com- 

 plained of the poor honey season. Of course, my 

 success was nothing compared with the big reports 

 you get from other localities; still I do not think 

 that you will put me quite at the foot of the class. 

 My 10 stands averaged a little over 50 lbs. of surplus 

 honey to the stand, and increased by artificial and 

 natural swarming to 24. As I was making prepara- 

 tions to move, I sold the honey for just what I could 

 get at that time, and also a part of the increase at a 

 sacrifice. Sold some of the finest one-pound section 

 honey for 15 cents per lb.; and rousing big swarms, 

 with $5.00 worth of honey, for $5.00; yet my account 

 shows as follows: 



Net proceeds from sale of honey and bees (deduct- 

 ing cost of sugar fed, hives, tdn., etc.) $87 10 



Honey used in family (low estimate) 10 00 



Growth of apiary, 8 stands at $5.00 40 00 



Total, $137 00 

 In October we moved to this place, bringing with 

 us 18 stands of bees; shipped them in an ordinary 

 freight car with our household goods. I examined 

 them a week ago, and found them in fair condition, 

 some of them having sealed brood which must have 

 been started when mercury was away down below 

 zero. I winter out of doors, packed with clover 

 chaff. Now I will see what they will do for me in the 

 Buckeye State. S. P. Yodkr. 



East Lewistown, Mahoning Co., O., Feb. 13, 1884. 



