‘3 
BER KEEPING IN MARYLAND. 229 
LTECELEPIORYE, 
Tur Neeps or SucH AN INVESTIGATION, cece) aa 
As pointed out above, prior to 1908, very little had been done in this 
State to promote scientific apiculture. The only information available 
concerning the industry in the State was that given by the census of 
1900. It was there stated that 5,098 farmers in Maryland had reported 
28,013 colonies. These bees produced in 1899, 306,788 pounds of 
honey and 7,860 pounds of wax, valued at $38,857. Few people are 
aware that the industry amounted even to this much, as it had not 
been promoted in any organized manner, and even the few individual 
expert bee keepers had not properly advertised their business. 
While brood diseases of bees had been reported from Maryland by 
the Bureau of Entomology United States Department of Agriculture, 
no extensive attempt had been made to ascertain the distribution of 
these diseases, or to prevent their spread by the education of the bee 
‘keeper in the best method of treatment and prevention. No attempt 
had been made to increase the demand for pure honey in our markets, 
and thus curtail the sale of the cheap manufactured syrup compounds. 
The bee keepers who were in the business, were working independ- 
ently and not cooperatively, and those who desired to improve their 
apiaries had no opportunity to exchange views with their associates 
in the business, and few were aware of the sources for up-to-date in- 
formation concerning the business. 
RESULTS OF COOPERATIVE WorRK. 
At the outset, this limited investigation in cooperation with the Bu- 
reau of Entomology, it was necessary to secure the names of as many 
bee keepers in the state as possible, in order to communicate with them 
and thereby learn the status of the industry at that time. A report 
blank asking various questions concerning the apiary, was sent to each 
bee keeper, whose name could be secured. A list of the publications 
of the Bureau was also inclosed so that the bee keeper might indicate 
in which he was especially interested. By this means valuable 
information was secured, and made possible, a preliminary study of 
the needs and possibilities of the industry. The desire of the bee 
keepers for information, was indicated by their request for one or 
all. of the publications of the Bureau of Entomology on Apiculture. 
DISTRIBUTION OF BEES IN THE STATE. 
From information at hand, it would seem that about 80% of the bees 
in Maryland are kept on the Western Shore. Of this, 80% on the 
Western Shore, about 74% are kept in the Northern and West coun- 
ties. No explanation can be given for this condition, as bees would 
probably do better in the Eastern and Southern parts of the State, 
than in other regions. However, this distribution indicates the need 
of development of the industry and the education of the people to the 
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