HONEYBEES. 5 



year's total. After a few years it will be possible to substitute for 

 these estimates figures based upon the records now being built up. 



The average yield for the United States of surplus honey per 

 colony in 1915 according to the September 1 estimate (11, d) is 36.2 

 pounds as against 32.2 pounds in 1914 (11, e), an increase over last 

 year of approximately 12 per cent, and a decrease of 11 per cent 

 under the yield of 40.6 pounds in 1913. 



These estimates of yield per colony are believed to be somewhat 

 high for the average producer. They are based primarily upon re- 

 ports from a special list of reporters who are in the main progressive 

 beekeepers, utilizing modern equipment, and obtaining thereby larger 

 yields than the average person who keeps bees. While they are 

 asked to report for the community whenever possible, the reports 

 are often limited to or influenced by the results in their own apiaries. 

 While these averages are checked and modified by returns from the 

 regular crop reports, the figures shown, though below the average 

 for commercial apiaries, are likely above the average for all bee- 

 keepers. In any event, the figures on relative number of colonies 

 and yields per colony for 1915, 1914, and 1913 are reasonably com- 

 parable, having been furnished by the same reporters, and represent 

 at least the relative production of the three years, as estimated Sep- 

 tember 1, 1915. 



In May, 1914, the correspondents of the bureau estimated the 

 number of colonies to be 103.7 per cent of 1913, while this year the 

 number is shown as 99.8 per cent of 1914. The total production 

 this year, so far as could be estimated on September 1, will be 112 

 per cent of 1914 and 92.3 per cent of 1913. 



The total absolute production of surplus honey in 1915 can not be 

 satisfactorily estimated because of the lack of dependable knowledge 

 of the actual number of colonies. 



It is estimated that of the total production, California furnished 

 this year about 12 per cent, Texas 8 per cent, and Iowa and New York 

 6 per cent each. 



The form of honey produced (Table 4, 12) shows that this year, in 

 comparison with last, a slightly less proportion of comb and extracted 

 honey and a slightly greater proportion of bulk comb honey has been 

 obtained'. 



The Northern States generally, with the exception of Illinois, Wis- 

 consin, and Nebraska, show a high proportion (one-half to two-thirds) 

 of their production in the form of comb honey in sections, while in 

 the. South and Wesl generally this form is only from one-third to one- 

 half of all, and in a few States very much less. Conversely, the pro- 

 porl ion of bulk comb or chunk honey is relatively high in the Southern 

 States and of extracted in the Western, the latter form comprising 90 



