The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-01-08
HONEY In 1883,
Whnt II Dee.Ikeener Earned Under Al
s.gt verse CifcnmsiBnceB.

Whnt IL Dee.Ikeeper Earned Under Adj
ir verse Circumstances. t
0n0Hddga Cor. Rural New Yorker. II t N
Thinking tho numerous readers Of the
Rural Nep Yorker would like to hear aome.
thing about bees, | send you a lew notes
regarding the season Of 1SSaas 10 honey In
this locality. The steady cold during the
winter Of 1929 was very hard for the bees
to endure las they arc natives Of a warm
climate), which caused many to die nf long
confinement, for, to DO healthy, bees should
have a flight once in six weeks or two
months, while during The past winter they
could not fly for nearly five months. The
result WAS death 10 many stocks and great
reduction OF numbers among those that
survived. Then, to make matters sill
worse, we had a cold backward spring, SO
that II WIS well into May before many
young bees could DO reared. Again, the
summer proved to be The coolest and
weitest Of any ever known by the writer,
40 that the bees did not get even a
living from the white clover, which
bloFsomed In greater profusion than
usual, and Ind 1t not been for basswood
our honey crop for 1883 would have
been complete failure. The flowers OF
the white clover and most other honey.
producing blossoms stand uprigh. so as to
catch the rain, which dilutes the nectar or
washes it away entirely. Thus 1t becomes
y necessity that weather psftially dry at
least should exist during the time such
flowers ore in blossom II the bees are to
secure honey from them. On the contrary.
the flowers OF the basswood hang down,
or are like on inverted cup, 80 that slight
rain does not affect tho honey In them.
Hence bees will 10 out after honey during
Eastwood bloom Immediately after q
shower, while in csse Of clover II will be
half day or more before any honey will
be gathered after it has rlined. From the
above reasons it is plainly to be eaen why
Eastwood was the only flower when
yielded honey during the past cold, wet
summer. One thing was in the bees favor,
however, whichpWpsthat the cool weather
prolonged the time during which bess.
wood YVES in blossom, 50 larger yield WIS
obtained from that source than Usual, which
made up in part the deficiency from white
clover and other ti,wers. One year
ago l went into winter quarters with
50 stocks Of bees, but by sales and loss in
wintering they were reduced to IS, 10 of
which were fairly good swarms, and the re.
mainder from weak to very weak. The 40
good swarms were worked for honey, and
the Is weak ones devoted to queen rearing.
At writing have so swarms for winter in
as good condition as we're the 50 year
sgo The result Of the seasons work is as
tollowt: From the 10 worked for honey
obtained 4 $40 pounds, the larger part OF
which YVES comb honey, which sold at our
nearest railroad station at l6 cents pound.
This gives an average yield OF 1919 pounds
OF honey from each colony, which, at 1G
cents per pound, would give the product
Of each colony, in doltala and cents, at
Sl7 p, Alter adding the fale OF bees and
queens to the amount obtained for honey,
and then deductiny all expenses except
nay own time, Hua have Sl,O2l 90 as q
salary for taking Gaze Of so swa,ms OF bees
for year, during which baeswood was the
tree or plant which yielded honey. Surely
bee keeping will compare iavorably with
almost aay other pu,suit in life.