92 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Feb. 7, 



Question;) "Box^ 



In the multitude of counsellors there is 

 safety. — Prov. U-14. 



How many Colonies Can He 

 Keep in Iliti Location i 



Query 957.— First, I will give the source 

 from which our honey comes. We have per- 

 haps 100 acres of willow, soft maple and elm ; 

 next comes fruit-bloom, trees without num- 

 ber of all kinds, and after this, white and 

 Alsike clover, of which we have at least 100 

 acres. Following these, the mammoth clover 

 helps to finish up sections. Then comes (the 

 "get there" everybody) the basswood; about 

 3000 trees are within reach of my t;ees. There 

 is plenty of buckwheat hero, but it does not 

 secrete of late years. And last, but not least, 

 fall flowers are waving in every direction. 1 

 think there were 500 acres of golden-rod, as- 

 ters, snapdragon, etc., also in range of same. 

 Now comes my question : How many colonies 

 can I keep in one place, here, and make it 

 pay ?— Michigan. 



G. M. Doolittle— From 200 to 300. 



Chas. Dadant & Son— 100 to 150 col- 

 onies. 



Eugene Secor— 500 in such a favored 

 locality. 



Rev. M. Mahin — As many as one man 

 can manage. 



Jas. A. Stone— I would say 200 colo- 

 nies. Try it, and see. 



E. France— 100 to begin with, if you 

 know how to handle them. 



W. G. Larrabee — You have a good 

 locality that ought to support 150 colo- 

 nies, or perhaps more. 



C. H. Dibbern- 1 should thinlj you had 

 a field that would easily support profit- 

 ably 200 to 800 colonies. 



Prof. A. J. Cook— Surely 100 colonies; 

 perhaps more, though occasional years 

 of drouth will leave you honeyless and 

 moneyless. 



P. H. Elwood— Try It and let us know. 

 I don't know. Quiiiby thought 60 or 70 

 in a place paid best in the Mohawk Val- 

 ley (N. Y.) 



Dr. C. C. Miller— Just from reading 

 the description it sounds as if 300 or 

 400 might do wtll, but when you act- 

 ually try it you may find 100 to 150 



enough.; cu C-^Oi .~:m CD CD I 1 



J. E. Pond — This is one of the ques- 

 tions that can only be answered by guess. 

 Perhaps 200 colonies would be about 

 right. Much will depend upon manage- 

 ment, however. 



Mrs. Jennie Atchley — You kind of 

 scare me. I don't know. But if all your 

 trees and shrubs, weeds, etc., produce 

 honey in abundance, it will be hard to 

 overstock your locality. 



Dr. J. P. H. Brown— It depends upon 

 how the location is already stocked. If 

 few colonies are kept by others, you 

 might venture 50 or 75, and in favor- 

 able seasons it might support 100. 



B. Taylor — In a locality very similar 

 to this, I have kept 200 colonies, and 

 good yields from them. Much depends 

 upon the apiarist as to how many colo- 

 nies can be profitably kept in one yard. 



Rev. Emerson T. Abbott— That de- 

 pends entirely upon the man who bosses 

 the job. I should not want more than 



200 colonies in any one place, yet a good 

 man at the business might make a larger 

 number profitable where there is such 

 an abundance of bee-pasture. 



H. D. Cutting — I would like to have 

 200 colonies In .just such a location. 

 BUT I have ?een just that kind of loca- 

 tion, and 25 colonies did not average 10 

 pounds per colony. You must have 

 other conditions. 



Mrs. L. Harrison — I do not know. The 

 most that I ever saw kept at one place, 

 was 600 — at Wewahitchka, Fla. The 

 owner of this large apiary said that he 

 had too many in one place. The bee- 

 pasture there was the best I ever saw. 



G. W. Demaree — The discription you 

 give of your honey sources Is all one 

 could well imagine, except 100 acres of 

 white clover Is not large. In my opin- 

 ion, you can handle from 200 to 300 

 colonies in a locality like the one you 

 describe. 



J. A. Green — Y'ou would probably 

 make it pay with any number up to 

 400, but to give the best returns from 

 labor and outlay, you would not want 

 over 150. Yours seems to be an excep- 

 tionally good locality Ordinarily I 

 should not advise over 75 in one place. 



R. L. Taylor — That depends upon the 

 character of the season. In a very poor 

 year for nectar 5 colonies might fail to 

 pay, and in an excellent year 500 colo- 

 nies might pay better ihan any less num- 

 ber. In ordinary seasons 500 might 

 pay, but 300 might pay better. At a 

 venture, I should " guess" 250 to 300 

 would be best, on the whole. 



Wm. M. Barnum — It depends entirely 

 upon how much time you can devote to 

 their care. The number of bees in the 

 neighborhood, will also have some in- 

 fluence. You have drawn a very flowery 

 picture, however ; and were it one-half 

 true, I would not be afraid to handle 

 200 colonies, divided into two or three 

 apiaries. One man can just about care 

 for 100 colonies, excepting possibly dur- 

 ing swarming time, when the good wife 

 can probably help him through. By 

 careful management, the two might care 

 for the 200 colonies. 



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Barnes' Foot-Power Machinery. 



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ReadwhatJ.I. PARKNT.oi 

 Th A RLTON, N. v., Bays—" We 

 cut with one of your Com- 

 bined Machines, last winter 

 5<t chaff hives with 7-ln. cap, 

 HK> honey-racks. 500 broad 

 frames, li.imu honey-boxes 

 and a preat deal of other 

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 U will do all you say itwill. 

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