ANNUAL REPORT—AGRICULTURE. 
49 
BEE-CULTURE 
Has bad its ups-and-downs in Wisconsin, as in most other 
portions of our country. Whether our people have not learned 
the art of protecting the swarms during the cold of winter, or 
of providing them with proper pasturage in summer, or what¬ 
ever the reason of their partial success, it is a fact that bee- 
culture is but little in advance of what it was ten years ago. 
Herein we differ from Iowa, in that, while we have made but 
a small gain, in that state there has been a falling off, as will 
be seen by the following : 
Statement of amount of Beeswax and Roney produced in Wisconsin and Iowa. 
Season. 
"Wisconsin. 
Iowa. 
1850 . 
131,001) 
207, 294 
299, 347 
321,711 
'917,877 
639, 713 
18G0. 
1870 . 
It is worthy of remark, however, that a few of our bee cul- 
turists who have taken pains to provide themselves with Ital¬ 
ian bees, and have mastered the perhaps not easy art ol tak¬ 
ing care of them, have made it a most profitable business ; in 
proof of which reference is made to the accompanying com¬ 
munications from Messrs. Wm. Wolff and Adam Grimm, both 
of Jefferson, Wisconsin. 
One of these gentlemen—Mr. Grimm—who has been in the 
business some six years, commenced the season of 1870 with 
600 colonies, which number was increased during the summer 
to 903. Of these he sold 449 colonies ; sending them to all 
parts of the country, though more particularly into Utah, and 
realizing from $11 to $15 per hive. The total amount of 
honey produced by him during the year was 22,725 pounds. 
What he sold averaged' him nineteen cents per pound, all ex¬ 
penses deducted. 
Mr. Grimm winters his bees in cellars, and loses not to 
exceed one and one half per cent. 
In view of his remarkable success in thus producing about 
one-tenth of the annual honey product of the whole state, it 
4— Ag. Tr. 
