Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1860-02-16
The Honey Bee

EDITOR FREEMAN;-l am glad you have
devoted liberal portion Of your paper to
agriculture Vermont is emphaticaly an
agricultural State. Hsr people are farmers
and yet, we have depended upon our sister
States for information upon the subject Of
farming.
1 hope that tbs portion of your paper may
be ably and constantly sustained, and our
best practical and scientific farmers contrib
ute Of their knowledge and experience
wish to call the attention of your read
crs to the merits of the Honey Beo As a
Nation, we are far behind the old Countries
in the culture Of, and attention to, the Bee;
and as State, we come far short OF New
York and others, in this important branch Of
agriculture. Why is this? 1t is certainly
not because onr State is not adapted to the
wants of the Bee, for it has been repeatedly
proved that large pro6tsmay be realized by de-
voting attention and care to the apiary But
is it not because the best manner of keeping
them, and combating their natural enemies
is not understood
Ia many places in Germany, thousand
Colonies are kept AMI often many more are
congregated together at one place. The pro-
cee1s realized from the bee, in the Empire
Of A ,stria, for the year of 1857, was over
seven million of dollars.
visited Mr.. Quiuhy's apiary, who is the
author of a good WORK on Bee Keeping, last
fall. He is probably the most extensive
Bee Keeper in the United States, and GER
tainly possesses an enviable share Of expert
once having kept Bees over tw-nty years. He
informed me that he had an interest in four.
teen hundred Colonies His apiaries are on
tho Mohawk, being placed about two miles
apart, and hundred swarms in place. He
resides at St. townsville, N. Y.
His harvest of honey was some twelve
thousand pounds, in glass boxes, Of about
five pounds each, it bringing him twenty.
three cents pound, gross weight. On COM
pairing notes, found that his swarms did not
gather SO much honey as mine, proving con-
clusively that this is the better Bee country.
Bee Keeping has been considered all luck,
because our seasons are Short and before
sufficient force could be brought to gather
the sweets, the harvest is past. To succeed,
our Colonies must be strong in the spring,
and by proper wintering they will be strong
and healthy. I believe that there is vast
amount of wealth ungathered, that might be
saved. am CONVINCED that the greater
portion Of our State would keep at least
twenty swarms to the square mile, giving to
the State $4,000 swarms, and, at moderate
estimate of honey per hive, from three to
five million pounds of honey, or from six
hundred thousand to million dollars gath.
cred yearly.
It Is the belief of the best Bee Keepers
that honey may be produced as cheap as SUI
gar of the best quality, and that the poor
may procure this luxury at little expense. A
large amount Of profit may be realized, if
our Bees are kept and protected from our
severe winters, and their enemies, the miller,
mice, &c. Now Bees can be, and are, sue
cessfully kept, and the public needs iufOrma-
ton upon the best manner. We very much
need Bee Journal, but as there is none
published in this Country, We must ask for a
small place in our agricultural papers.
Parents, many young men would be
persuaded to stay on the farm, if you would
rive them a swarm of Bees, and book upon
the subject, and let them have the profits
Tie Young arc passionately fond of the deli
cious nectar, and there is something so en-
ticinr in watching the busy bee, as it builds
the beautiful comb in glass hive, that many
might be persuaded to forsake the taverr
and store, and engage in the culture ant
study of Bees in their leisure moments.
hope our practical apiarists will give us
their experience through the columns Of your
paper. | have thus far wintered fifty two
swarms successfully, and feel no concern but
that they will come through the winter a,
strong and healthy as they were in the fall
J. T. SANBoRN.
Hardwick, Feb. 2.