62 
MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS ON APICULTURE. 
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, 1840-1900. 
Census of— 
Honey. 
Wax. 
Ratio of 
honey to 
wax. 
1840 
Pounds. 
Pounds. 
628, 303 
1850 
a 14, 853, 790 
23,366,357 
14, 702, 815 
25, 743, 308 
63, 897, 327 
61,196,160 
I860.. 
1, 322, 787 
631, 129 
1,105,689 
1, 166, 588 
1,765,315 
17.7:1 
23. 3:1 
23. 3:1 
54. 8:1 
34. 7:1 
1870 
1880... 
1890 
1900. 
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 
12.3 
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 
