The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-11-19 00:00:00

BEE-FARMING IN 1870.

The following letter has been sent for publication :

For several year. my annual balance-sheet under .he above
heading has appeared In the columns of a very respectable
periodical devoted to the advancement f horticulture : but
as the Bnnily Book of Bee 4, published lu the spring of thin
year, has been Instrumental in giving an Impulse to the In-
telligent bee keepers of the United Kingdom, and in creating
a deeper and wider spread Interest in the subject, we hope
you will find a small corner in your influential page.! r the
appearance of our profits and louts in bee culture.

My garden Iv on the immediate south of the black, but no
mean, city of Mtn.chester. Oar position is too near the city
for honey gathering Hence we tend most of our hives of
bees four or five miles into the country, where they are
placed in cottage and market gardens during the spring and
summer mouth.. Any out-of-the.way or rubbishy corners of
such gardens answer well as a stand or home for bees. We
gladly pay rent for a small space in such places and our
items of expense for rent and carriage are always heavy, and
astonish those whose bees are never removed from their own
gardens.

The present year, like 1808 and IS9, has not been favour-
able tut honey gathering. icing to the long-continued
drought apd easterly winds honey was but scantily secreted
In and yirTded by Ifiwern Easterly winds seemed to prevent
or stanch back the secretion of Loney which too abundantly
found in the nectsrs oft iwers when the wind is warm from
south or west The month of July, which Is usually the
best of the lesson, was this year quite a failure, as hives
lost weight then, Instead of gaining it. in this part of Eng-
land.

In 1668 our Income from bees was £32; expense., £6;
profit, £27. In 1669 our Income was £43; expenses, £l3 ;
profit, £3O. This year our Income I. £7O ; expenses, £2O
profit, £5O. Of course, the Income Is derived from the sale
of honey, honeycomb, wax, and hives. Our honey is sold at
Is. per lb., honeycoMb at Is. 31. and Is. 61. per lb , hives In
autumn are eel fat their honey value. Our expellee. Ws
year were swelled up by these Items ;—Carriage, £5 ; rent,
£6; empty new bless and board., ; fetdhig, £1; total,
LW.

Bet how many hlves do you keep? Lest autumn we had
42, which were valued averagely at 235. per hive, which is
7a apiece lees than really good hives are worth. Owing to
the protracted winter and cold spring months flee of the
weakest hives died, and tit or seven more were so reduced
and weakened that they never swarmed at all. Nine
swarms became f ugUi yes and were lost for want of time on
our part to look alter and hive thcm. Ode hive of bee. and
lots of little presents of honey and honeycomb were given
to friends.

The number nf hives kept as our stock this autumn is 45,
which are in flue condition, averagely GI. • piece better
than those of lost year. If 101 l he • good honey year they
will enable us to present a more favourable balaticesheet
next time. We value them at 26+ qich. We use no
IVO4 den boxes of any kind as domiciles for bees, con-
sidering them objectionable from almost every point of
view. Expensive Week too, are out of the question, as
they consume and 'note money and serve rio good end to
the purchaser. We use nothing but well-made straw hives
of large dimensions, which we think answer and look better
than any other kind of hive. Our bees are the common
sort—the real honey bee—mpie mellificvx, which can never
be surpassed fr lidinetry and real work Only think iit a
fink lug man having 2,000,0 nu of ierv,inti working for him,
Mal not one lazy creature among them, save a few drones
which a-e procr.c lat certain eeafons for hopfirtant pu.-
poses • We Mak irgh'y and • XII to speak well of our
infect servants, for they require hut little attention and
cost comparatively little for if on. What I. ovens of in-
dustiy, economy, cleanliness, sivially, contentment And
loyalty are ten ght ty them ! Whoso Mtn duces to the
notice of we rling Mtn any.hirg more 'froth able or more
cast y unensged that • few swarms of beet *ill lie ballad
and berced no ahem& ctor.
Itusho'nie, Mafia ester. A. TETTIGREW.