RESULTS OF 1926 EGG PRODUCTION AND 1925 COMPARISONS 



No. of Farms 



1926 1925 



January 477 495 



April 324 282 



June 285 271 



May 220 333 



July 280 276 



August 222 300 



September 245 262 



October 275 278 



November 229 262 



December 360 311 



Average 



Ten Months 291.7 307.0 



*Number of hens and pullets 



No. 



Hens and Pullets 

 in Flock* 



No. Eggs 

 Produced 



1926 



1925 



1926 



1925 



Per Cent 

 Whole Flock 



Producing 

 1926 1925 



17411.3 17912.1 



in flock of laying age on 



5965.8 5920.0 34.3 



5t day of month preceding. 



33.1 



BEES AND HONEY IN MONTANA 



(Bees on farms, honey and wax produced, with value from U. S. Census 

 Bureau.) 



Year bees 



No. of No. of 



Farms Hives 



1909 795 6.313 



1919 1,199 11,918 



1926 (Est.)* 1,800 37,000 



•*lstimates based on records of state bee 

 or something less than 1300 farms. 



HONEY 

 Pounds Value 



Produced $ 



WAX 

 Pounds Value 



Produced $ 



135,510 21,802 394 133 



630,608 157,656 7.682 2,614 



3,150,000 521,000 23,000 9,000 



inspector which show 19,202 colonies licensed in 1926 



The above table indicates the growth of the honey bee industry in Montana 

 up to 1919. However, since that time there has been no enumeration of the in- 

 dustry although it is evident that a marked increase in honey production and 

 bee-keeping has taken place during the past three or four years. In 1925 the 

 State Bee Inspector estimated that approximately 100 carloads of honey were 

 produced in Montana, the value being placed at about $500,000. The 1926 honey 

 crop is valued at $530,000 an increase of $30,000 over 1925. 



The bee-keeping industry is found largely in the irrigated sections of the 

 state where large acreages are devoted to the production of alfalfa, sweet 

 and Alsike clover. These three crops are important honey pasture and the 

 main source of supply for the surplus honey produced by the bees. Climatic 

 conditions are unexcelled for the industry and Montana is rapidly reaching the 

 point where it promises to rank high as a honey producing state. 



The natural advantages found in Montana, however, have in the past few 

 years been seriously offset by diseases which destroy the colonies, and that have 

 been spread greatly by the large number of negligent bee keepers. The State 

 Legislature has enacted several laws relative to disease eradication and inspec- 

 tion of apiaries. In 1925 and 1926 over 2100 colonies were inspected out of 

 which nearly 800 were found to be affected. 



