West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1882-03-15
Bee Culture.

kctpluS mas attracted Out Ilttle
attention in the past, it has now be-
gun to grow in favor. We have very
few modernized bee-keepers in our
State, but enough to prove that
bookkeeping is as profitable here as
in most other States.
Bookkeeping has been reduced to
a science. The invention of the
Movable Frame Hive dated new
era in the industry. Then came
the honey extractor and comb
foundation, and a new business
sprang into life, a business that to-
day furnishes pleasant employment
to thousands of men and women in
this country.
The honey crop of this country
reached eighty millions of pounds
last season, and all this honey finds
a ready market at fair prices. There
is great and increasing foreign
demand for American honey. We
shipped to Germany alone four mil
lion pounds last season.
The honey resources of West Va.
are we think from the reports
of bee-keepers in different parts of
the State, fully up to the average,
and far better than in some of the
States. l have been keeping bees
now for about four years. | COM
menced with but four colonies, and
have worked for increase of stock,
rather than honey. wanted to in
crease to fifty colonies. | have now
80, and would have had so colonies
long before this, at least at the end
of the third year, if l had not sold
any; but | have sold more or less
every year. Although / have work
ed almost exclusively for increase of
bees, l have each season worked
one or two colonies for honey, so as
to get an idea of what I could do
when l got my so colonies and
worked altogether for honey.
Old bee-keepers say 1880 was the
worst honey season for 20 years, yet
l got from my two colonies worked
for honey 100 pounds, 60 pounds of
surplus honey to each colony, with
30 to 40 pounds of honey remaining
in each hive, for winter stores for
the bees. One season | got 1920
pounds from one colony, besides two
new colonies. If | work for honey
exclusively, | can count certainly
on at least 60 pounds of comb hon
ey, and if extracted, 100 pounds to
the colony.
control my bees, divide and
sub-divide, and increase the num-
Der of colonies as | please, but the
amount of surplus honey | get de-
ponds somewhat on the season, tho
we never have a season SO unfavor-
able that l can't get60 pounds from
every good colony, if | make no in
crease of stock. This surely gives
me a good profit.
All the work connected with the
business is light. | can say to all
who desire to engage in a light,
pleasant, healthful occupation that
Bookkeeping is my choice. 1t re-
quires but little capital to begin
with. If should begin now with
but two colonies, l could in three
years build up to fifty. Of course if
we make such increase of stock we
won't get much honey. We must
get what bees we want, and then
we can work for honey, and if we
understand our business we will
get it, just as surely as the farmer
gets his crops of corn every season.
A strong colony Of bees will store 80
pounds of honey, and make all the
comb in two weeks; if we have
patent comb to give them, they will
gather 10 to II pounds a day in a
good white clover season.
There are now in this district
Grant, Peasants county,, about
100 colonies of bees, mostly Italians
in frame hives, all in a highly
prosperous condition. All who
have bees in bee-boxes can have
them transferred to movable frame
hives, and ifdone early in the sea-
son, say by the 10th of May, get 60
to 70 pounds of honey. This hive
gives universal satisfaction wherever
introduced. There is no experiment.
ing to be done 1t has been well
tried, and is the only hive used by
successful bee-keepers, some of