30 THE BLESSED BEES. 



startling proportions. The result was so incredible, 

 that for a long time I refused to believe, and went 

 again to my books and journals to see if there were 

 not some mistake. But I could find no error. The 

 statements as to increase and profits were clear and 

 positive. There seemed no chance for me to have 

 gone wrong. If an increase of three swarms were 

 received from each old one, then the old one and the 

 three new ones would give four swarms in the fall 

 for each one with which I began in the spring. If, 

 now, an average yield of honey be secured from 

 these new swarms, the first season, sufficient to pay 

 for their hives, and a yield from the old hive worth 

 ten dollars, here is the result for five years, assuming 

 that I begun with five hives : 



HIVES. DOLLARS. 



5x4 = 20 5XIO = $ 5O.OO 



20X4 = 80 20XIO = 20O.OO 



80x4 = 320 80XIO = 800.00 



220X4= 1280 320XTO = 3,200.00 



1280x4= 5 I2 ° 1280x10= 12,800.00 



At the end of five years, I should have 5120 

 swarms of bees, and an income of $12,800 ; and both 

 bees and income increasing in a quadruple ratio. 



Of course I saw that this calculation did not take 

 into account the poor seasons in which little honey 

 or increase could be made, nor the losses from win- 

 tering, disease, etc. Nor did I neglect the fact that 

 after the third year I should be unable to manage 



