62 



MISCELLANEOUS PAPEBS ON APICULTURE. 



75,000,000, and that may be considered as a fair estimate of the aver- 

 age number of pounds of comb honey produced in the United Male-. 

 since relatively few sections are exported. Extracted honey is pro- 

 duced more extensively, and it is safe to say that the annual crop is 

 three or four times that of comb honey. Taking into consideration 

 also the chunk honey sold and the honey not marketed but used in 

 home consumption, the estimate of $20,000,000 is none too high. 



It may be of interest to compare the data of various years given 

 by the census. Table I gives the amount of honey and wax, with the 

 ratio between them. It is very interesting to note a reported in- 

 crease in the ratio of honey to wax produced as the use of the honey 

 extractor has become more general. 



Table I. — Production of honey and wax in the United States, 1840-1900. 



Census of— 



Honey. 



Wax. 



Ratio of 



honey to 



wax. 



1840 



Pounds. 



Pounds. 

 628, 303 





1850 



a 14, 853, 790 

 23, 366, 357 

 14, 702, 815 

 25, 743, 308 

 63, 897, 327 

 61,196,160 





1860. . . 



1, 322, 787 

 631, 129 

 1, 105, 689 

 1,166,588 

 1,765,315 



17.7:1 

 23. 3:1 

 23. 3:1 

 54. 8:1 

 34. 7:1 



1870 



1880 



1890 



1900 





a Beeswax and honey. 



The last census, that of 1900, recording crop data for 

 following : 



Total number of farms reported in census 



Number of farms reporting bees . . . ' 



Percentage of total 



Number of colonies, June 1, 1900 



Average number per farm reporting bees 



Value of bees 



Pounds of honey in 1899 



Pounds of wax in 1899 



Value of honey and wax in 1899 



Number of farms of white farmers reporting bees 



Percentage of all farms of white farmers 



Number of farms of colored farmers reporting bees 



Percentage of all farms of colored farmers 



Average crop per farm reporting bees: 



Honey pounds. . 



Wax do 



Average value of honey and wax per farm reporting bees 



Average value of bees per farm reporting 



Average value of bees per colony 



Average pounds of honey per colony 



Average pounds of wax per colony 



Average value of honey and wax per colony 



1899, g 



ives the 



5, 739, 



657 



707 



261 





12.3 



4,109 



626 





5. 8106 



$10, 186, 513 



61, 196 



160 



1,765 



315 



86, 664. 



904 



677, 



985 





13.6 



29, 



276 





3.8 





86.5 





2. 5 





$9.42 





$14. 40 





$2. 48 





14.9 





.43 





$1. 62 



