144 THE BLESSED BEES. 



Your honey took the highest price. You will observe that the 

 boxes were weighed and sold with the honey, which increased the 

 weight of each box one-half a pound. We have this day shipped to 

 you the cushion-ticks, emptied of straw, as per order. The empty 

 crates will be returned soon. We hope to receive your consignments 

 in future. Truly Yours, 



Barton & Grey. 



Subtracting the current expenses from the gross 

 returns gave me a net cash income of $2,966.52. 

 The investment in the business was $830.81, hence 

 I had a clear cash gain of 360 per cent, on the in- 

 vestment. But in addition to this cash income 

 there was a large gain from increase and improve- 

 ment of stock. I had begun the season with thirty- 

 seven swarms, including the one Italian. Estimat- 

 ing the seventeen swarms, left by my father, at 

 $5.00 a swarm, these thirty-seven were worth, before 

 being put into the new hives in the spring, $191. 

 I had improved these bees by the introduction of 

 Italian queens, and by transferring to better hives 

 and frames, so that the thirty-six original black 

 stocks were now pure Italians, and in a most excel- 

 lent hive. I had added, also, sixty stocks of pure 

 Italians to my number. These Italians of my rear- 

 ing were perfectly pure. No better bees were ever 

 bred. Italian bees no better than mine, and in 

 hives inferior to mine, were then selling at $15 per 

 swarm. In order to be on the safe side I estimated 

 the improvement in the thirty-six original stocks at 



