and its Economic Management. 85 
further feeding, as the single colonies certainly do in most 
cases, and thus a further saving, not enumerated above, is 
effected. 
How can 640 acres produce 15,000 Ibs. 
of honey, more or less, according to management, in one 
season ? We will consider that one acre of flowering 
plants yields an average of 5 lbs. of honey daily, and if 
allowing only, 100 acres to yield honey, this brings it out 
at 500 lbs. for each good honey day ; while out of the six 
months of the working season, in allowing only 30 days 
as good for honey gathering, we have then 500 Ibs. 
multiplied by 30, giving the total of 15,000 Ibs. for the 
season. 
It may be safely considered that these averages are 
very low indeed, and it may well be said, “What then 
becomes of all this valuable food, so liberally provided by 
the hand of Nature, seeing it is so very seldom any apiary 
yields a surplus anything like approaching these figures?” 
It can only be that this gratuitous secretion of the 
flowery lovers of our tiny workers is lost by mismanage- 
ment in many instances. Stocks are not strong when they 
should be; the right kind of bees may not be cultivated ; 
while lastly, too many colonies are often placed in one 
locality, when, indeed, the whole number are little more 
than useiess consumers. 
In many localities, therefore, it may be considered as a 
great point in management that 50 really sound colonies 
are all-sufficient for securing the highest results, and these 
for the time being should again be reduced at the right 
time, when the very best returns are anticipated. 
But why confine an apiary to one square mile? Of 
course the bees from a given spot will cover a wider 
radius, but there are other bees, probably, in the neighbour- 
