56 



GLEANIN(iS IN BEE CULTURE. 



.Ian. l.V 



werp high: llie crop, in their esiimaiion, cer- 

 tain, and so they were impressed with the cer- 

 tainty that in<'vitable wealth must fall to every 

 one engaging in liop-raising. Tlicn. natiii'ally. 

 the absolute cejtainty of coming wealtli usher- 

 ed in a feeling that it was already in possession. 

 At furthest the gold was only over the fence, in 

 the soil of tlie hop-licld. and a little plowing 

 and liarrowing in tlie spiing would secure it: 

 so they were already wealtiiy, and acted on the 

 assumption. No effort was made to secure a 

 line of retreat. Victory was sure. Extrava- 

 gance in the building of liop-houses, in laying 

 in supiilies for the pickers, and for the han- 

 dling, weighing, diying. and packing of the 

 hops, ruled the hour. But the storm came. 

 Insects infested the hops: the quantity, quality, 

 and price were all lessened, and bankruptcy 

 overtook nearly all of them. The same thing 

 is illustrated by num(!rous instances in the 

 pine-lumber business. High expectations ob- 

 scured the necessity of cai'<^ and economy, and 

 waste kicked the profits out of doors, and let in 

 disappointment and failure. 



Ruminating upon these things in conneclion 

 with the business of honey-pioduction, the idea 

 suggested itself that perhai)s our notions of the 

 status of bee-keeping with respect to profits 

 and necessary expenses need readjusting, and 

 that the present series of bad years would be a 

 good time to consider the subject. 



It may be, f tliought, that we are risking a 

 chance of failure by encouraging fanciful pros- 

 pects of success which are much too highly col- 

 ored, so that we become content to calculate 

 that, though by the spending of time in the 

 useless manipulation of the bees, and by the 

 purchase of elaborate lines of machinery and 

 supplies we make the cost of comb honey 13 or 

 14 cents, we may yet be sure of a crop lai'ge 

 enough so that the difference between those 

 figures and the selling price will yield a good 

 profit. I do not question the prospect of profits 

 in fair seasons, with good management: l)ut I 

 wish to call attention to the danger of putting 

 too much reliance on the profits, trusting that 

 they will carry us through, no matter what the 

 seasons are or to what a high point we run ex- 

 penses. If one practices proper economy, and 

 thereby keeps ('X])(Mises down to the lowest 

 reasonable point, he has still no bonanza, to be 

 sure, but a safe, comfoi'table business. The 

 criterion of expensesshould be actual needs— not 

 what it may be supposed the business will beai-. 

 If we make this latter the test, as the majority 

 are greatly inclined to do, we are all sufficiently 

 optimistic to fall into the fatal error of putting 

 the average yearly production too high, and. 

 as a consequence, to encounter failure in the 

 end. 



Mr. G. M. Doolittle has said, that, if laboi' 

 and capital get their due rewai'd. the cost of 

 comb honey is 1:5 c<'nts per pound. It would 

 be interesting to know how he arrived at his 

 conclusion. Did he take the average of the 

 seasons, as they are with him. as a basis? In 

 that ca.se. as the seasons with him average bet- 

 ter than with bee-keepers genei-ally, to them 

 the cost would be even greater thaii to him. 

 Then I should like to know how much of the 

 cost is labor, and how much capital. May be 

 he is extravagant with laboi-. Not long since. 

 if I remember correctly, lie gave it as a reason 

 why lu! prefei'red a liiv(> whose frames re(iuir(>d 

 handling to one which coulil be handled in two 

 sections to accomplish the same purpose, that 

 he enjoyed handling the frames— thai h(> got 

 his pay in fun. It may be that Mr. D. and some 

 other bee-keepers nuiy grow fat on fun; but I 

 am ijretty sure that our wives and children will 

 not grow fat on the fun that we alone enjoy. 

 We may well imiuirc. too. whether he figures in 



this kind of labor to make up the 13 cents cost, 

 and so is contriving to get full pay from each 

 of two sources. At all events, it requires no 

 argument to show that it would not do to per- 

 mit the cost of honey to reach 13 cents per lb. 

 If it were a necessity to permit it. but few of us 

 would I'emain in the business. 



There is no one but will admit that we should 

 keep the cost down to the lowest possible point, 

 and all would be glad to know what that point 

 is. Of course, there must be no extravagance 

 in buildings nor in supplies, and there must be 

 no loss of valuable time. I have made, and 

 submit tentatively some estimates which may, 

 at least, serve as a stimulus to further calcula- 

 tions, as well as a conclusion to the suggestions 

 I am making. For my figures I have taken 150 

 colonies as perhaps the average number that 

 could be kept profitably in one place. The ex- 

 pense is made up of what may be called the 

 fixed charges; i. e., tliose that' are the same, 

 whether the crop is large or small, and the vari- 

 able charges, which are made up of those ex- 

 penses which vary with the amoiuit of the crop. 

 The larger the crop, the less, of course, is the 

 cost per pound; and my figures are made so as 

 to bring this out somewhat in detail. I esti- 

 mate the value of the necessary plant as fol- 

 lows: 



Sliop luid cellar $300 



Tools, cases, and extras 150 



loO colonies of bees at $5.00 750 



^_^__^ Total $1200 



So my table will'stand thus: 



FIXED CHARGES. 



Interest and wear and tear on plant, at 10 per 



cent nil $1200 $120 



One m;ui 6 weeks during- lioney-harvest 45 



Takina' l)t't's into and out of cellar 5 



Otlier manipulations 5 



Total $175 



VARIABLK I'HAKGES. 



Cost pt'i' (.'acli 1.500 ll)s. siii'phis, being an average of 

 10 lbs. per coloiij'. 



2(100 sfCtions S 7.00 



Foundation lO.UO 



Fastening in tV)niidatioii 1.00 



Putting: sections togethi'i- 1.00 



("rates 10.00 



Packing 4.00 



Conimissioii and fieiglit 17.00 



Total $50.00 



Total cost of a ciop of 10 ll)s. on the average, or 

 ir.uii lbs., $225. 



To this must be added $50 for each additional 

 average of 10 lbs., whence we get the following 

 restilts: 



With an a\-e)-age of 10 lbs., the cost per lb. is 235 

 di\ided 1)\' lodO, which gives .15. 



Witli an a^•eI■ag■e of 20 lljs.. the cost per II). is 275 

 divided by :iOii(i, wliieb gives .0916. 



With an average of 30 lbs., the cost per lb. is 325 

 divirleil l).v 4.'')00. or .(.72. 



With an average of 40 11)s., tlie cost per lb. is 375 

 divided by 60(i0, or .0625. 



Willi an average of .")0 Ills., tlie cost per lb. is 425 

 divided by 751)0. or .056. 



With an average of 60 lbs., tlie cost per lb. is 475 

 divided by 91(10, or .0.52. 



With an average of 70 11)S., the cost \<ov lb. is 5;.'5 

 divided by 10,.500, or .05. 



Calling the market [irice 15 cents, and taking 

 a further step, we have the net profit in each 

 case as follo\\'s: 



Value. Cost. Net profit. 



