84 MISCELLANEOUS PAYEES 0?s T APICULTUEE. 
and were their apiaries properly distributed oyer the State, there 
might not be forage enough to support them; but such is far from 
reality. The ayerage is only fiye and a half colonies per bee keeper, 
which is evidently too small. In this is a key to the bee-keeping 
situation of the State ; if the resources are to be fully utilized, more 
bees must be kept, not by more bee keepers, for there are too many 
small ones at present, but by several hundred proficient and energetic 
bee men properly distributed. 
EXPERIENCE OE BEE KEEPERS IN MASSACHUSETTS. 
Although there are too few bees kept, it is interesting to ascertain 
how experienced the Massachusetts bee keepers now are. In order 
to gain this information, a question, " How long have you kept bees? " 
was included in the list of questions circulated throughout the State. 
By thus knowing the length of time these men have been keeping 
bees, some idea of their proficiency may be reached. Of those who 
reported to the author, 38 per cent have had less than five years' 
experience and must consequently be classed as amateurs. TVnile this 
array of amateurs, at first glance, appears high, it becomes more 
significant upon considering that 32 per cent, having successfully 
passed their apprenticeship, report from five to fifteen years' experi- 
ence, or, in other words, have persisted and succeeded in bee keeping. 
On the other hand, roughly estimating, 50 per cent of the bee keepers 
who undertake this branch of agriculture discontinue it within their 
first five years' trial. This is not due to lack of possibilities in the 
bee-keeping industry, but must be attributed in a large measure to 
sensational presentation, in the popular press and elsewhere, of the 
ease of managing and the huge profits to be derived from bees. 
This overstimulation of the bee industry is a positive detriment to the 
bee-keeping interests. The number of persons who have taken and 
will take time for a proper study of bee culture is exceedingly limited 
in proportion to the number who undertake the work uninstructed. 
Consequently a 50 per cent weeding-out process during the first five 
years of attempted bee culture is a stroke of fortune for the industry. 
After fifteen years' experience, and before the twenty-five-year mark 
of service is passed, there is another falling off. The figures of this 
census show that 16 per cent of those reporting have kept bees from 
fifteen to twenty-five years, which, when it is considered that a bee 
keeper is well along in life by that time and often must necessarily 
relieve himself of care and work, is exactly what might be expected. 
Xo less interesting is the fact that 16 per cent continue after twenty- 
five years of service. These are the truly old bee keepers, many of 
whom remember Langstroth and his experimenting. "While they 
may not be exactly up-to-date, they are to be respected for their 
persistency. 
