The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1878-06-26
THE LOUISIANA FLOATING BEE
Palaces and the Bee King

FEEDING AN ID HONEY MAKING.
At the foot of Burdett street. Car
golton, Mr.. c. o. Perrine, of Chicago,
has fitted up two large barges as
floating apiary. Each barge has
capacity and conyeniences for a thous-
and hives OF bees. These will be
iowed up TO Kennerville next week
they will start up the river with
about thousand colonies on the two
boats.
THE PLAN OF THE ENTERPRISE.
Mr.. Perrine has been in Louisiana
eighteen months studying up the bee
business, aud preparing for the grand
onward movement for which he will
he ready in few days. His plan is to
start with his bee palaces and his one
thousand colonies from southern
Louisiana when the honey flowers are
in full bloom, to remain but day or
two at landing, and move up each
night to another landing and fresh
field. He thinks the bees of from
one to two thousand colonies will
take the cream from the country
around the landing from one to two
miles distant in one or two days. In
Ahs manner he expects to move up
she Mississippi to St. Paul 3 distance
of nearly 1000 miles, where he will
arrive about the last Of July.
Returning he will halt about two
months somewhere above St. Louis,
and will reach Louisiana with his
palaces and bees in October. 1t will
be his object to take the autumnal
flowers at each point in their prime
precisely as he takes the spring flow
ers in his advances up the river He
expects his early swarms on his boats
10 increase his colonies to 5000 in
April and May
THE BEE PALACES.
The colonies of bees are in hives
with movable combs, on the most
approved plan of modern hives.
These stand in four walls, Eve hives
one above the other, nearly the whole
length OF the boat about $50 hives in
each line.
The rails of colonies on the right
side and left side have Openings for
she bees to come out on the water
front a space of two feet between
che hives and the guards answer for
a gallery for the bee man to walk on,
IN front of the hives.
In the middle Of the boat there
arc two other walls of colonies, $50
hives in each, facing an inner court
six feet in width. The bees from
these colonies reach the open air
through the skylight opening in the
root above the court
Between the first and second rows
OF hives from the outside there is an
aisle three feet in width, for the con-
wenience of the bee man in handling
the hives and the honey.
The distance from the barge deck
TO the roof over the colonies is fif
Seen feet.
BELOW DECKS.
The space below decks il ten feet
IN width and about seven feet high
and is to be used for sleeping apart
ments, making and repairing hives
handling and extracting honey snC
putting it in marketable shape. The
dining and cooking room will lse "a
the steamer that towS the bee fles.t
THE CREW AND THE INVESTMENT.
TO run the steamer and lna,lacC
she barges and bees, from fifteen K
twenty hands will be needed. Th,
cost Of the whole establishment
harges, bees, steamer and the com
plete outiit. will not be much short q
$4,000
GEN ERAL FACTS AND IrEMS
Mr. Perrine has been engaged il
ahe honey business in Chicago, twelve
or thirteen years, and has lately made
it n special study He has dealt
largely IN California honey He ex
poets to find The best market ior his
honey in Europe.
Honey in the comb usually sells al
about twenty cents pound whole
sale. Strained honey sells al whole
sale at seven or eight cents . pound
or from eighty cents TO i dollar 3
gallon. A gallon Of strained honey
weighs about twelve pounds.
The demand for honey is incrcas
5ng in the United States, but Europe
furnishes the best market Tor tbs
article
The plan of moving bees to gel
abe benefit of different ranges and