402 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Among other things shown by the above table is that 

 Massachusetts, with slightly more than one-half the number 

 of farms that California has, reports only about one-sixth as 

 many as having bees upon them. In Massachusetts we have 

 only a total of one-fifteenth as many swarms of bees as Cali- 

 fornia, yielding an annual income of $18,412 for honey and 

 wax, against $331,989 for the latter State. In other words, 

 the 6,915 bee keepers of California receive eighteen times 

 as much income from their bees as do the 1,799 apiarists of 

 Massachusetts. This difterence can be accounted for in part 

 by the slightly larger income derived from each swarm in 

 California over that obtained from a Massachusetts colony. 

 The California bees yield an income of about $2.57 per 

 swarm; those of Massachusetts, $2.20. 



Undoubtedly the flora and climate of some of the western 

 and southern States are more favorable for bee keeping than 

 are those of Massachusetts, but these conditions do not 

 account for the great difterence in the income derived or to 

 be derived from bees. 



A reference to the complete table printed in the Year 

 Book of the Department of Agrieulture shows that New 

 York stands, of all the States and territories, second in 

 value of honey and wax produced, $352,795, while eighth 

 in number of swarms kept. The average money yield in 

 1899 for honey and wax (not including increase in swarms) 

 was $1.88 per swarm. It would seem that our State is as 

 well located, geographically, for successful bee culture as is 

 New York. That we have as large a nectar- vielding flora 

 there can be little doubt. 



A comparison of the returns from Vermont and Massa- 

 chusetts shows that the Vermont farmers keep a much larger 

 number of swarms of bees than our farmers do. With prac- 

 tically the same number of larms re})orting, Massachusetts 

 having only 79 more than Vermont, Massachusetts farmers 

 report only 8,381 hives, valued at $35,751, — $4.26 per 

 hive ; while Vermont has 12,836 swarms, valued at $46,953, 

 — $3.58 per swarm. The total vahie of honey and wax to 

 Vermont bee keepers in 1899 was $27,290, while our own 

 farmers received only $18,412 for their bee products. 

 Much of tile Vermont lionev is sold in Massachusetts. 



