that the increase in the number of colonies by swarming was excep- 

 tionally great during that year; also that several car loads of bees 

 ■were shipped into the State. A Census bulletin on Colorado agricul- 

 ture, dated June 2, J902, gives the following paragraph under the 

 heading Honey and Wax: 



"In 1900, 4,518 farmers reported, in the 

 aggregate, 59,756 swarms of bees. They 

 obtained, in 1899, 1,732,630 pounds of honey 

 and 24,930 pounds of wax, the gains in the 

 last decade being 87.4 per cent in the former 

 item, and more than twofold in the latter. 

 The leading counties in 1900, as in J 890, were 

 Jefferson, Arapahoe, Montrose,- Delta, Lari- 

 mer and Weld." 



It might be well to add that the bulletin 

 referred to does not give details, either by 

 counties or otherwise, and that it estimates 

 the value of the 59,756 swarms of bees at 

 $195,096, an average of $3.26 per colony. 

 During the spring of 1902 many colonies 

 changed hands at $6.00 per colony, and some 

 at even higher prices. At the present time 

 prices are much lower, and doubtless will 

 remain low until next spring. 



Since the figures of the Census were collected there has been 

 a large increase in the number of bees in Colorado, and there are 

 reasons for believing that at the present time (August I, 1902) there 

 are nearly eighty-five thousand colonies in the State. This, of course, 

 is a guess, but not an entirely unintelligent guess. It will have been 

 noticed that the number of bee-keepers given by the Census bulletin 

 is largely in excess of any local estimate ; and it w^ould seem that 

 the Census figures in regard to the number of persons owning bees 

 ought to be substantially accurate. 



The following approximate estimate of the number of colonies 

 in the State is given on the authority of Mr. Frank Rauchfuss, his 

 figures being prepared independently of those above given and after 

 the foregoing paragraphs were written ; 



Arapahoe County 8,000 



Bent County 2,000 



Boulder County 8,000 



Chaffee County 200 



MRS. BOOTH, Denver. 



