The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1879-03-13
TOPICS FOR FARMERS.
The Honey Industry In This Coun.

TOPICS FOR FARMERS.
The Honey Industry In This Coun.
try-The Importance which bee-keeping
has assumed as regular branch of in |
dustry in the United States may be con-
ceived when it is stated that over thirty |
five million pounds of honey are here |
produced and sold annually. The ten
dency in this, as in other occupations, |
has been for the trade to be carried on
by persons having large capital. The
bee keepers have frequently from two
thousand three hundred to five thousand
swarms of bees, and some far larger
numbers. Messrs. Thurber & Co., New
York, have about twelve thousand
swarms of bees Of course, it is only
by thorough organization that such
who toll without pay, can be looked
United States is to farm out the swarms.
and those who own orchards in suitable
localities to allow an apiary of perhaps
hundred swarms to be placed in their
grounds. At distance of three or four
miles another apiary will be placed
with some other farmer. For this ac-
commodation either a fixed rent or a
share of the honey produced is paid,
and the bee owner sends expert work
men to c'ean the hives, to take out the
boxes of surplus honey as they are
filed, and to destroy the moths, grubs
and other creatures that take advan-
| tage of the bees frugality. AS showing
| the lucrative character of this business.
it is said that firm of shippers paid to
one bee-keeper for his seasons crop of
honey sum larger than the salary of
the President of the United States. 1t
is estimated that on an average one acre
will support twenty-five swarms of bees,
and as the yield of swarm is generally
about fifty pounds of hs ney, it is evil
dent that this trade may yet be greatly
developed. Already the firm above
mentioned, in addition to corps of ex-
perienced bee-men to tend the hives, find
occupation for nine men and two steam
saws during the five weeks of the year
in cutting up the timber for seventy
two thousand boxes used to hold the
comb-honey. The glass-makers also
find some custom from the honey deal
ers, one hundred and forty-four thou.
sand panes of glass being required to
make the slides and ends of these boxes
Much attention has been paid to the
improvement of the breed of bees, and
the queen bees have been imported from
Italy, Cyprus and elsewhere, for the
! purpose of improving the stock. Some
years ago fine Italian queen bees were
sold for as much as ten dollars each il
New York, but by forming nurseries
, and rearing queen bees carefully Sc
lected from fine broods, queens of goot
blood, if term may be borrowed from
,, the turf, may now be bought at price
. ranging from one dollar to five dollar
: each. Side by side with Improvement
= in the culture of the bee, too, ther
have been many ingenious contrivance
introduced in order 20 save the tim
;, and labor of the bees and of the hone
> dealers. About ten years ago a GeI
:. man suggested that thin corrugate
!, sheets of wax, which he called "artif
L cial tablets" should be provided for tn
bees to make their comb from. These
= however, did not come into general ust
= but few years ago Mr.. W. HI. Hog
. effected an improvement by starting th
E side walls of the cells. When thes
;. foundations" as they are called, wei
= presented to the bees, the intelliger
:, little creatures at once took advantag
~ ~ of them and extended the side walls s
II as to form the regular hexagonal eel
! The machine by which the impressio
~ is made on both sides of the wax is ver
simple, and somewhat resembles
re clothes-wringing machine, only Il
y iron rollers are studded with little he,
IS agonal-headed pins just the size of tt
of hot rho,, 4l,o \,
I, sheet Of wax is passed through, the We
"a is pressed up between the pegs to tt
is height of about one-sixteenth of {
TO inch, thus indicating the position al
us offering the substance for the constru
ed tion of the cell walls. Another remar
On able adaptation of machinery is afford
1t by the use of a rotating frame, whi
I'M causes the cells of the comb placed
lis it to be emptied by centrifugal fore
~. The empty, uninjured comb is aft
as ward replaced in the hive and aga
ul used by the bees. As about three fourt
en- of the time of the bees, it has been co
ne puted, is taken up by the construct
of the comb, it will be seen that
ed these coatrivances a great saving of /
IN IN labor is effected. With the rapidly
pe creasing supply obtained by this we
ell organized system of bee-keeping.
er; erG; dealers in honey in the United Sta
" are already trying to open new cham
gh for trade, aud to create fresh uses
ny the product of the hives. With t
object in view prize has been Offer
ust by the American Bee-keepers' Assoc
of tion for the discovery of method
'ut converting honey into the form o
ON crystalline sugar. Looking forward
vas time not, probably, far distant-wt
lgh honey will be produced as cheaply
lie raw sugar (honey may now be bous
wholesale at seven cents per pound inc
ith fornia), the dealers hope to be able
en-, provide a substitute for glucose VIII
ne, will equally well serve the purpose of
cook, the confectioner and the brewer
lTEMS EOR FIELD AND HOLLSE