AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
35 
For the American Agriculturist. 
PROFITS OF BEES. 
bees versus poultry. 
In the American Agriculturist of January 
24, No. 72, there is an article on Poultry, in 
which are some tall statements of profit. The 
subject is so well finished, and the profits so 
fairly stated, that it seems a pity to insinuate 
as a possibility that some specimens occa¬ 
sionally “ eat their own heads off.” But I 
don’t intend to object to the article ; on the 
contrary, I like it. I should have kept si¬ 
lent, however, but for the challenge in these 
words, “ will any of our political economists 
please to indicate in what branch of rural, 
or other industry, annual return can be 
made for capital and labor I” 
Now I am disposed to put in the claims of 
my little favorites, the Bees, and see how 
they will stand the comparison. To pursue 
the course of the article alluded to, I could 
say with equal truth that, “ more th in double 
their value may be realized per annum in 
net profitand should they happen to ex¬ 
ceed it over “ four times,” uo they do in sumr 
seasons, there is no necessity of deducting 
“economical feed,” for it should be remem¬ 
bered that “ the bee works for nothing, and 
finds itself.” 
But, as a bill of items is more satisfactory 
than indefinite sundries, 1 shall give it 4 as 1 
can furnish all the figures without guessing 
at a single item, having had one apiary the 
past season, of which a young man in my 
employ was half owner. The figures are 
copied from our settlement—he took the 
principal care, and I furnished the materials. 
June 1st, 1854, this apiary consisted of 
83 stocks ; a few of them first best, most of 
them light, with stores just sufficient; some 
fifteen were entirely out, and had to be fur 
nished with food in the spring, but they were 
all strong in numbers, having been wintered 
in the best possible manner, and the combs 
all clean and bright, without mold, &c. 1 
find these bees charged with 60 new hives, 
at 25c. each. $15 00 
50 Covers to boxes, at 10c. 5 00 
81 Stands, at 7c. 5 67 
188 Glass hives, at 10c. 18 80 
48 do. do. 15c. 7 20 
Honey fed to some of the lightest.. 3 00 
12 Firkins for strained honey. 5 13 
12 Cases for packing glass boxes for 
market, 29c. each. 3 48 
Teamwork. 5 00 
Freight to market. 5 17 
Time in attendance at $15 per month 34 00 
Board, $2 per week. 16 86 
Interest on stock, 83 hives at $5.... 29 05 
$153 36 
They are credited with honey and 
wax sold.$438 41 
After selecting out the poorest (over 
40) such as contained diseased 
broods, &c., there were left 
123 good stocks for winter, an 
increase of 38, at $5 each... 190 00 
628 41 
Expenses deducted. 153 35 
Net profit. $475 05 
It will be seen that they have more than 
doubled in value notwithstanding the dry 
weather. Also all the new hives are charged 
to this year, 40 have been emptied and ready 
for another year are not credited. Hives 
last several years ; the same of covers and 
stands. The time is the greatest item of 
expense, being every hour required in at¬ 
tendance, (an item seldom reckoned when 
figuring the profits of poultry), and includes 
the time of taking the bees out of the cel¬ 
lar, cartage, placing stands, looking for and 
destroying worms, putting on and taking off 
boxes, watching and hiving for several 
weeks in theswarmingseason, from 8 o’clock 
A. M. till 4 P. M., examining stock for dis¬ 
eased broods, taking up poor stocks, remov¬ 
ing the combs, straining the honey, 
making wax, packing the boxes, taking 
to market, putting stocks in the house 
for winter, &c. Having an apiary at 
home, this one was located a mile and a half 
distant; consequently, much time was lost 
in going and returning, being more than it all 
amounted to while there. With but one 
apiary, and that at home, this part of the 
time would be saved, besides many other 
matters of waste which might be detected 
in season and prevente d. 
Now would you not enhance the value of 
farmer's products by encouraging this branch 
of rural industry, as well as poultry, which 
has this advantage, that while fowls are con¬ 
suming much that is suitable for the food ol 
man, the bee takes nothing 1 Thousands of 
this delicious food are annually wasted that 
might “ be had for the gathering.” It is pro¬ 
duced by the forest, neiu, garden, and road¬ 
side ; no place but the bai ren desert is desti¬ 
tute. It is yielded in quantities for ten 
thousand times the number of gatherers that 
we have at present. “ The harvest is abun¬ 
dant, but the laborers are few.” Probably 
one acre of buckwheat wili produce 50 lbs. 
of honey, and white clover the same. The 
thousands of acres growing buckwheat aim 
clover in the United States, or even this 
State, multiplied by 50 would compare some 
what favorably. Reduce this yield per acre 
on the average even down to one pound, aim 
take the 640 acres on the square mile, the 
47,000square milesin New-York would show 
some 30,000,000 lbs.; or, when the square 
miles of all the States are multiplied by the 
same rule, we have in the aggregate a pro¬ 
duct worth looking at. 
One locality can not be over-stocked with 
either poultry or bees without diminishing 
the profits of a proper number: but here 
again the advantage is with the bees, as it is 
impossible to keep fowls enough in one 
place for the net profits to amount to one 
half of the sum here shown. 
Another thing: The reports of poultry 
profit gives us only the cost of feed. Why 
not give the time necessary for feeding, look¬ 
ing after eggs, packing, taking to market, &c.? 
I know that to feed a brood of chickens once 
takes but a short time, that it is a very small 
matter to set an old hen, and that it only 
takes a minute to get the eggs from the nest 
in the grass—after you have found it. “But 
these items are small trifles ; children 
can do the most of it, or some one that 
would do nothing else at the time.” Yet, 
most of these things must be done every 
day ; a brood of chickens fed several times ; 
then small matters in the aggregate amount 
to something. Now, to make a fair compar¬ 
ison, let us have the whole debit side of the 
chickens. 
I will anticipate one objection which will 
be urged against raising honey, that is, the 
“uncertainty of success ; that while any one 
has skill sufficient to raise poultry, few pos¬ 
sess requisites for managing bees profitably.” 
I would say in answer ; only get a tenth 
part as many to engage in bee-keeping as 
have raised chickens, and the amount of ex¬ 
perience gained would make success next to 
certain, or, as common in one as in the other; 
both would be equally plain. A dollar in¬ 
vested in a practical book on the subject 
would furnish all the “ mysteries ” necessary 
for successful management by any one of 
common ability. It can be done, too, with 
the cheapest possible hive not patented. I 
will challenge the whole fraternity of patent 
venders, to produce one more profitable than 
those I use ! I have little doubt that the pat¬ 
ent-hive business has done more to retard 
success in bee-culture than all other causes 
combined ! It discourages by the expense ; 
by failing to perform what is promised ; by 
falsely representing that there are seen ts 
and difficulties in the way, which their par¬ 
ticular hive alone will obviate ; that a pe¬ 
culiar shape to the hive is all important; that 
it is first and last, and everthing necessary 
for complete success throughout the whole 
business. In this matter it would be well 
to do like some of our politicians—‘go ba k 
to first principles ”— he nature of the bee, 
and take a new start. Remove this erro¬ 
neous impression respecting expense, that 
now extends through all the intermediate 
ranks, from the patent-buyer to the patent- 
granter, the whole of whom seem to know 
about as much of the real nature of the bre 
as Sambo did of the telegraph. 
M. Quinby. 
Palatine Church, N Y. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
REMINISCENCES OF WINTER EVENINGS. 
Thirty or forty years ago, the means of 
intellectual improvement for the young were 
far less than they now are. Newspapers 
and periodicals were less common. Lyce¬ 
ums and lectures were unknown. In the 
rural districts, there were very few amuse¬ 
ments for young persons, during the long 
winter evenings. There was but utile social 
i itercourse among farmers’boys. If ih. y 
could be spared to attend school three months 
in a year, their services were needed, morn¬ 
ing and evening to take care of the cattle, chop 
wood, build fires, bring water, and attend to 
other duties incident to their condition. 
But after the services of the day were ended, 
there was a long evening unoccupied. Books 
were few. There was no stimulus to the 
young mind to awaken a love of letters. A 
single newspaper during the week, scarcely 
attracted the notice of the children, who 
knew nothing of political matters and cared 
less. It was a desideratum therefore to oc¬ 
cupy the time of the younger members of the 
farmer’s family and make, their evenings 
profitable to them. My father had been an 
old schoolmaster. He loved books and won¬ 
dered that his boys were so indifferent to 
those he provided. They were taken from 
the “ Social Library,” owned by a long list 
of proprietors, living in all parts of the town 
and kept near “ the old meeting house,” so 
that books might be exchanged on tne Sab¬ 
bath. This was deemed “ a work of neces¬ 
sity and mercy,” which might be performed 
on Sunday; and well it might be so consid¬ 
ered, for most of the books treated of religi¬ 
ous themes, and many of them were volumes 
of sermons. Occasionally an ancient work 
of history was found there. Such books 
had few charms for children. 
Grieved at our own want of taste for litera¬ 
ture, my father resolved himself into a “ com¬ 
mittee of ways and means” to occupy the 
time of the young r members of the family, 
during stormy weather and winter evenings. 
He, therefore, established a little school in 
which various exercises were introduced to 
enliven our heavy hours. There were six 
of us to be taught. A little emulation was 
excited. Sometimes a spelling school was 
set up. Time was given for preparation and 
then the hour of trial came. No reward but 
commendation was bestowed. Sometimes 
reading, or music, or waiting, was substi¬ 
tuted. Often general questions were pro¬ 
pounded and each was eager to solve them 
all. In geography, the capitals and bounda¬ 
ries of countries were called for; or the ani¬ 
mal vegetable and mineral productions of a 
particular State or Kingdom were proposed 
as a lesson, lnt. resting events from the 
weekly {.aper were added by the teacher. 
Sometimes the great bible, having a concord- 
