ANIMAL INDUSTRIES 243 



they have been dropping away in numbers in New 

 York and have followed the meat end of the chicken 

 business into the middle western states. 



BEES AND HONEY 



Wheeler Dennison Wright in a bulletin of the State 

 Department of Agriculture published in 1913 says: 

 " Beekeeping on a commercial scale is far from being 

 a royal road to wealth as pictured by some, but re- 

 quires as much labor, diligence and attention to de- 

 tails as many other lines of business. ... In a small 

 way, beekeeping is quite popular as a recreation for 

 persons of sedentar}' ha])its. also as a light employ- 

 ment for invalids. The Empire State ranks high 

 in the production of surplus honey, and numbers its 

 beekeeping specialists by the hundreds. Its honey 

 yielding flora is extensive and diversified." 



A considerable number of beekeepers have colonies 

 of forty to one hundred stands scattered about the 

 region of their operations at intervals of three to 

 four miles or more. According to the census of 1910, 

 there were 156,360 colonies in the State. The rank 

 of New York was sixth, having advanced from eighth 

 place in 1900. In spite of this advance in rank, there 

 were not as many colonies in the State by 30,000 as 

 in 1900, so that other states must have, experienced 

 a heavy decline in number. 



The production of honey was 3,191,733 pounds and 

 of wax 43,198. In the former the State held second 

 rank, being exceeded only by California which is re- 

 ported to produce three times the amount made in 



