62 



MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS ON APICTJLTUBE. 



75,000,000, and that may be considered as a fair estimate of the aver- 

 age number of pounds of comb honey produced in the United States, 

 since relatively few sections are exported. Extracted honey is pro- 

 duced more extensively, and it is safe to say that the annual crop is 

 three or four times that of comb honey. Taking into consideration 

 also the chunk honey sold and the honey not marketed but used in 

 home consumption, the estimate of $20,000,000 is none too high. 



It may be of interest to compare the data of various years given 

 by the census. Table I gives the amount of honey and wax, with the 

 ratio between them. It is very interesting to note a reported in- 

 crease in the ratio of honey to wax produced as the use of the honey 

 extractor has become more general. 



Table I. — Production of honey and wax in the United States , 184O-1900. 



Census of- 



1840. 

 1850. 

 1860. 

 1870. 

 1880. 

 1890. 

 1900. 



Honey. 



Pounds. 



^14,853,790 

 23,366,357 

 14,702.815 

 25,743,308 

 63,897,327 

 61, 196, 160 



Wax. 



Pound?. 

 628,303 



1,322,787 

 631, 129 

 1,105,689 

 1,166,588 

 1,765,315 



Ratio of 



honey to 



wax. 



17.7:1 

 23.3:1 

 23.3:1 

 54. 8:1 

 34. 7:1 



a> Beeswax and honey. 



The last census, that of 1900, recording crop data for 1899, gives the 

 following: 



Total number of farms reported in census 5, 



Number of farms reporting bees 



Percentage of total 



Number of colonies, June 1, 1900 4, 



Average number per farm reporting bees 



Value of bees $10, 



Pounds of honey in 1899 61, 



Pounds of wax in 1899 1, 



Value of honey and wax in 1899 $6, 



Number of farms of white farmers reporting bees 



Percentage of all farms of white farmers 



Number of farms of colored farmers reporting bees 



Percentage of all farms of colored farmers 



Average crop per farm reporting bees: 



Honey pounds. . 



Wax do 



Average value of honey and wax per farm reporting bees 



Average value of bees per farm reporting 



Average value of bees per colony 



Average pounds of honey per colony 



Average pounds of wax per colony- 



Average value of honey and wax per colony 



739, 657 



707, 261 



!«• o 



109, 626 



5.8106 



186, 513 



196, 160 



765, 315 



664, 904 



677, 985 



13.6 



29, 276 



3.8 



86.5 



2.5 



$9.42 



$14. 40 



$2.48 



14.9 



.43 



$1.62 



