The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1876-10-26
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.

HE BEE KEEPING INDUSTRY
MoOres Rural New. Yorker: The fol.
lowing exhibit of the bee keeping in.
dustry from the Industrial Motor. aupears
to us to be rather strongly put In round
numbers, still it may be true. There ia
however one very important point left
out, ana that Is the annual losses by
those VINO are unsuccessful, which, ac-
cording 10 some estimates, amounts to
about as much as the entire profits. II
Is doubtless true, however, that the honey
interest OF this country is one of such
growing Importance as to be attracting
tne attention OF great many capitalists.
money promises fair to become a source
OF national wealth. 1t is estimated that
seventy thousand of our people are en-.
gaged In apiarian pursuits, some of them
having sold last year from fifty to one
hundred thousand pounds each, the pro-
Duct OF their own bees. It is said that
the income of !. s. HARRISON, the great
california honey magnate, derived from
the sale OF surplus honey, is more than
$zo,OOO per annum, over and above all
expenses. In this State, Captain Heth-
erington, of Cherry Valley, sold last
year 58, 600 pounds from his own apiaries
Adam Grim, of Jefferson, Wisconsin. as
much more. In fact, we might 90 on
enumerating individual instances Of the
Prohtableness of this industry until we
hlied 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 little
more than twenty-eight hives apiece, or
In round numbers two millions in all.
Twenty-Five pounds of honey to the hive
lsconsidered reasonable yield of surplus,
worth twenty-five cents per pound, or
$S,SO0,0OO for the crop. The wax pro-
duced is estimated at 20,000,00O pounds,
worth at least $4,000, 900, making the
grand total revenue presented to us by
our industrious little friends annually.
$l4 300, 900. We annually export 81. 200.
O00 worth of honey, and 800, 900 worth
of beeswax. ~
The late Mr.. Quinby, 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
4OO, 900 pounds. Just think of the loss
Honey being sort of volatile oil evap-
CRATES ii not gathered, and "wastes it's
sweetness on the desert air." Mr., Harbi-
son says that the honey thus lost annually
In California is of more value than the
gold gathered! The profit realized by the
keeping OF bees averages from one to two
hundred per cent. on the capital invested.
1t Is business anybody with limited
means can carry on. Students frequently |
support themselves by keeping bees. |
Poorly paid ministers have often de-
pended with more confidence for their
daily bread upon these little industrious
creatures of God than on their parish.
Oners. There have been but two or three
real progressive steps taken in bee cul-
ture since the days of Huber. In 1852
the Rev. l.. Il. Langstroth invented NOV
able comb hives, by which we are able
TO buy those neat little boxes or CAPS we
see at the grOcer's. Later on came the
extracting machine, which throws the
honey from the comb by centrifugal
lorce' leaving the combs intact 80 they
can De put back into the hives and re-
filled by the bees. The greatest inven-
ton, however, has been reserved for this
year.
Most every one has noticed how deli.
,ately and perfectly formed the honey
combs are, so much so that no one ever
ireamed they could be successfully imi.
.ated. But 1T has been done. DIR. John
Long has constructed machine that
turns the combs out mathematically cor
,ect. The editor of Gleanings in Bee
Julture,'" says in his comments on these
combs that the finest specimens of
'omb made by the bees look cheap and
'wkward when compared to them." That
'ur readers may be better able to appre.
'iate the value of this invention, we will
ay that three. fOurths of their time the
,ees are busted making their combs and ,
his, too, in the very honey-harvcst time. ,
)ply one.fourth OF their time is conse.
uently being spent in gathering and !
torlng the honey. Now that the combs
re to be furnished them, and this three.
ourths of their time saved and devoted t
gathering in the wasting honey, the q
evenue on honey and wax will be enor-
lously increased, is it any wonder that
his little insect has been tho chosen :,
Vmbol OF saving industry for years? 8
FORMULAS FOR FEEDING.-Professor s,
oberts, OF Cornell University, has pro. Is
Osed the following ration for cow of b
rye size-twelve hundred pounds: q
eaaom nay pounds per day.
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