102 



MISCELLANEOUS PAPEBS ON APICULTXJBE. 



Table VII. — Distribution of greenhouse cucumber growers and record of bees 



used in greenhouses. 



County, 



Bristol 



Essex 



Middlesex . 



Norfolk 



Plymouth . 

 Suffolk .... 

 Worcester . 



Total 



Number 

 known 

 to be en- 

 gaged in 

 cucumber 

 growing. 



12 



10 



33 



4 



2 



56 



118 



Number 

 report- 



7 

 2 



21 

 1 

 1 

 1 



40 



a73 



Number 

 of colonies 



of bees 

 known to 



be used 

 annually. 



140 

 15 



244 

 50 

 20 

 15 



100 



6584 



"Average of those reporting, 8. b Estimated total, 944. 



'PTTT7 1 TJT?"!? TVT A *» TTTTTn 



It is doubtful whether in any other State in the Union more 

 colonies of bees are sold, in proportion to the number on hand in the 

 spring, than in Massachusetts. As is pointed out, the cucumber in- 

 dustry has much to do with this. Although there are many small, 

 more or less amateur bee keepers in the State who customarily sell 

 their surplus colonies, the trade is not at all confined to them. The 

 supply houses and commercial bee keepers sell heavily, which is 

 remarkable in a region where there is so little bee keeping on a large 

 scale. Peculiarly, every county in the State shares in the trade 

 about equally, in proportion to their respective number of colonies. 

 The table, arranged from the statistics of 1906, shows that the bee 

 keepers of Bristol, Essex, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Middle- 

 sex, Norfolk, and Worcester counties sold approximately one-fifth of 

 all the colonies on hand in the spring. _ Pl/Luth County, however, 

 took the lead, selling 39 per cent, while in the remote counties of 

 Barnstable and Berkshire, and in the metropolis county, Suffolk, the 

 sale was relatively light. 



Table VIII.- 



-N umber of colonies sold as compared with colonies on hand in 

 spring of 1906. 



County. 



Barnstable 

 Berkshire . 



Bristol 



Essex 



Franklin., 

 Hampden . 



Number of colonies 



of bees. 



Spring 

 of 1906. 



Sold in 



1906. 



185 



1 



495 



29 



321 



80 



531 



107 



491 



102 



366 



73 



County. 



Hampshire. 

 Middlesex . 



Norfolk 



Plymouth.. 



Suffolk 



Worcester.. 



Number of colonies 

 of bees. 



Spring 

 of 1906. 



408 

 1 962 



! 364 



463 



I 67 



• X* Xt7v 



Sold in 

 1906. 



72 



170 



3 



202 



