62 



AIISCKLLAXKOr.S IWPKKK 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 States, 

 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 





ra Beeswax and honey. 



The last census, that of 1900, recording crop data for 1899, gives the 

 following : 



Total number of farms reported in census 5, 739, 657 



Number of farms reporting bees 707, 261 



Percentage of total , 12. 3 



Number of colonies, June 1, 1900 4, 109. 626 



Average number per farm reporting bees 5. 8106 



Value of bees $10, 186, 513 



Pounds of honey in 1899 .' 61, 196, 160 



Pounds of wax in 1899 1, 765, 315 



Value of honey and wax in 1899 S6, 664, 904 



Number of farms of white farmers reporting bees 677. 985 



Percentage of all farms of white farmers 13. 6 



Number of farms of colored farmers reporting bees 29. 276 



Percentage of all farms of colored farmers 3. 8 



Average crop per farm reporting bees : 



Honey.... pounds. . 86. 5 



Wax do.... 2.5 



Average value of honey and wax per farm reporting bees 89. 42 



Average value of bees per farm reporting $14. 40 



Average value of bees per colony $2. 48 



Average pounds of honey per colony 14. 9 



Average pounds of wax per colony .43 



Average value of honey and wax per colony ■ $1. 62 



