18 A. AND M. COLLEGE APIARY. 



rent free to bee keepers for locating bees in their orchards. In fruit 

 growing localities it would be profitable from the orchardist's standpoint 

 to keep bees, even were no surplus honey produced whatever. 



Last, but by no means least, the question of commercial profit must be 

 considered. In well-favored localities, bees properly managed will pro- 

 duce not less than sixty pounds of honey per colony each season, on an 

 average. Considering this to be sold at the very low price of 6 cents per 

 pound, the return will be $3.60. From this should be deducted, in 

 order to secure a conservative estimate of the profit, say possibly as much 

 as $1.10 for time expended, wear and tear on apparatus and hives and for 

 capital invested in other apparatus. This leaves $2.50 as profit on the 

 original amount invested in the colony, which should not exceed $5.00. 

 It will be seen that this results in a net profit of 50 per cent, on the orig- 

 inal investment. However, it must be kept in mind that figures are not 

 always verified in actual practice. While under proper management and 

 in favorable localities each colony may confidently be expected to yield 

 an average profit of $2.50 per year, we would strongly emphasize the 

 point that beginners at least should not "plunge" into the bee business. 

 To be a specialist and a successful one requires good management, knowl- 

 edge of economy in time and money, and a strict familiarity with the 

 technical features of the industry. He who would become a successful 

 bee keeper, and a bee keeper to the exclusion of other business interests, 

 should begin with a few colonies not to exceed five or ten and care- 

 fully study them. As they increase, his knowledge and experience should 

 keep pace, and it may be depended upon that in this advance the bees 

 will increase in numbers fully as fast as the average man can increase in 

 knowledge and experience. In other words, one should grow into the 

 industry, rather than enter it suddenly, thereby preventing heavy losses 

 and disappointments. 



In making the above estimate the price of 6 cents per pound was given. 

 This is below the average price, even where honey is sold in a wholesale 

 way. When sold locally or retailed by the bee keeper himself honey of 

 good flavor and color, well ripened, should bring not less than 10 cents 

 per pound. In many cases bee keepers have built up their own trade in 

 their own localities and in adjacent towns and cities; in many cases by 

 offering only a superior article they are able to command a price of from 

 15 to 25 cents per pound. 



RACES OF BEES. 



For the benefit of those who may be undecided as to the best variety or 

 race of bees to select, a brief discussion of these is here given. 



Black, or German, Bees. This is the bee that is most commonly found 

 in box hives, bee trees and in many of the extensive apiaries in Texas. 

 This bee originally came from Germany, being brought to America by the 

 first settlers. Swarms escaping from their owners established themselves 

 in hollow trees in the woods and have since been gradually increasing and 

 spreading across the continent. Their numbers have been from time to 

 time swollen by the additional swarms escaping from their owners, until 

 now in some sections "bee trees" are comparatively abundant. Of late 

 years many Italian bees have thus escaped to the " woods, and it is not 

 uncommon to find a bee tree containing hybrids and occasionally pure 



