The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1876-08-24
FARM " FxREs1DE.

iustry from the Industrial Motor, appears
us to be rather strongly put in round
numbers, still it may be true. There is,
however, n very important point left
,ut, and that is the annual losses by
hose who are unsuccessful, which, &C
to some estimates, amounts to
about as much as the entire profits. 1t
is doubtless true, however, that the honey
of this country is n of such
growing importance as to be attracting
the attention of a great many capitalists.
Honey promises fair to become a source
of national wealth. 1t is estimated that
thousand of our people are en-
gagged in apiarian pursuits, some of them
sold last year from fifty to one
hundred thousand pounds each, the pro-
duct of their own bees. 1t is said that
the income of /. s. Harrison, the great
California honey magnate, derived from
the sale of surplus honey, is more than
$25, 900 per annum, over and above all
expenses. In this State, Captain Heth-
erington, of Cherry Valley, sold last
year IS, 900 pounds from his own apiaries.
Adam Grim, of Jefferson, Wisconsin, as
much more. In fact, we might go on
enumerating individual instances of the
proitableness of this industry until we
filed a whole column. But perhaps a
better IDEA will be conveyed by more
general figures. The 10000 bee keepers
of this country own on an average a little
more than twenty-eight hives apiece, or
in round numbers two millions in all.
Twenty-Five pounds of honey to the hive
is considered a reasonable yield of surplus,
worth twenty-five cents per pound, or
49, 800, 900 for the crop. The wax pro-
duced is estimated at 20. 00O, 900 pounds,
worth at least $6,Oo0,0 600, making the
grand total revenue presented to us by
our industrious little friends, annually,
$14, 800, 900. We annually export 81 ,2OO,-
900 worth of honey, and 100000 worth
of beeswax.
The late Mr.. Quinby, a most reliable
author, in his work on bees, claimed that
on an average every acre of ground would
yield one pound of honey. The State of
New York alone has 100000 acres,
yet she has never gathered more than
400, 900 pounds. Just think of the loss
Honey being a sort of volatile oil evap-
crates if not gathered, and wastes its
sweetness on the desert air" Mr.. Harbi
son says that the honey thuslost annually
in California is of more value than the
gold gatheredi The profit realized by thu
keeping of bees averages from n to tive
hundred per cent. on the capital invested
1t is a business anybody with limitet
means can carry IN. Students frequentl.
support themselves by keeping bees
Poorly paid ministers have often de
pended with more confidence for thei
!. daily bread upon these little industriou
creatures of God than on their parish
oners. There have been but two or thre
real progressive steps taken in bee cul
ture since the days of Huber. In 1856
the Rev. L. L. Langstroth invented NOV
able comb hives, by which we are abb
to buy those neat little bikes or caps W
see at the grocer's. Later on came tn
extracting mschine, which throws tn
honey from the comb by centrifuga
force, leaving the combs intact so the
can be put back into the hives and re
filed by the bees. The greatest inver
ton, however, has been reserved for thi
year..
8 Most every one has noticed how del
cately and perfectly formed the hone
combs are, so much so that NO n eve
/ dreamed they could be successfully i'm.
' tated. But it has been done. DR.. job
i Long has constructed a machine ths
turns the combs out mathematically co
!. rect. The editor of "Gleanings in Be
< Culture" says in his comments on thes
combs that "the finest specimens {
= comb made by the bees look cheap an
4 awkward when compared to them" Ths
our readers may be better able to Apr,
|. ciate the value of this invention, we wi
say that three fourths of their time th
bees are busted making their combs, an
this, too, in the very honey-harvest tim
Only one-fourth of their time is cons
e quently being spent in gathering an
storing the honey. Now that the com
a are to be furnished them, and this thre
fourths of their time saved and devote
o to gathering in the wasting honey, tt
n revenue on honey and wax will be emo
mously increased, is it any wonder tn,
"a this little insect has been the chose
II symbol of saving industry for years?
PARASITES ON BEEs.-The Bur
q World reports that at the last meetir
+ of the st. Louis Academy of Science
q Professor G. v. Riley, the Presiden
read a communication from G. v
Barnes, of San Diego, California, in rel
ton to parasites found upon the bees
n that State. The parasite was describe
as the color of a iaxseed, and easily di
tinguished by the naked eye. Itappea
K usually under the wing of the bee, an
adheres with considerable tenacity.
occasionally crawls all over the bee, an
is quite agile in its movements. II
bees afflicted with the vermin becon
n agitated and move rapidly owe tt
comb, frequently dying of iDjurie
The parasites were first noticed the
e last year, and have again appeared til
e season, giving considerable trouble
It large apiaries. Specimens of the insec
n afflicted accompanied the letter, ar
Professor Riley said the parasite was tt
d larya of the blister beetle. 1t was we
known that these larva attach then
n selves to bees and were thus carried I'M
n the hive, where they usually left tt
grown bee and attacked the larva. Pr
lessor Riley had not before heard tn
these insects injured the fully develops