HONEYBEES AND HONEY PRODUCTION. 5 



higher than of those belonging to farmers. If the most 

 probable figm-e mentioned, 6,000,000 colonies, be accepted as 

 representing all colonies of bees in the United States and the 

 average yield be considered as 25 pounds, which appears 

 conservative, this would account for a total production of 

 150,000,000 pounds of honey. 



An inquiry of leading manufacturers of beekeepers' sup- 

 pHes concerning sales of 1-poimd sections, with a conserva- 

 tive allowance for those produced by small firms and indi- 

 viduals, indicates for the season of 1917 a total of about 

 55,000,000 such sections, and for 1916 and 1915 about 

 53,000,000 and 45,000,000 sections, respectively. If we 

 accept the common assumption of 1 pound per section, and 

 aUow 5 per cent for wastage of empty sections, this would 

 indicate a production of about 52,000,000 pounds of comb 

 honey in 1917, Reports to the Bureau of Crop Estimates 

 from a list of over 5,000 honey producers indicate that the 

 proportion of comb honey in 1-pound sections to all honey 

 obtained from the bees is about 38 per cent. While this 

 figure reflects the facts for the men reporting to the bureau, 

 it is known to be too high if applied to all honey produced, 

 especially in many Southeastern States, where a true return 

 for all beekeepers would show much higher figures for 

 "chunk" honey and lower for comb as well as extracted. 

 A figure for the United States of 33 per cent of comb would 

 be nearer the truth. If this figure be applied to the indi- 

 cated production of comb honey, it would point to a total 

 production of about 158,000,000 pounds. Commercial 

 honey handlers consider that the proportion of comb honey 

 is much lower, which, if true, would mean a corresponding 

 increase in the indicated total production. The leading 

 commercial authorities in the United States on honeybees 

 and honey production estimate that the total production is 

 considerably in excess of 200,000,000 pounds. 



DEPENDABILITY OF TABLES. 



In presenting the material appearing in the following 

 tables it should be stated that so much of these data as are 

 drawn from the reports to the Bureau of Crop Estimates by 

 its fist of honey producers are of varying degrees of de- 

 pendabihty, according to whether the cooperation in the 



