The Somerset reporter., 1886-01-27
Maine Beekeepers In Council.
ANNUAL MEETING IN MORRISON HALL.

The Maine Bcekeepcrs aSSoclalioh mt
in Morrlson's hall last week commencing
Monday afternoon We gave an account
of the meeting until the time of going to
press last week.
The number present at this meeting
wa. not so large as usual, but those that
were present took hold with will, and
allowed no time to run to waste. Presi-
dent Mason delivered an able address,
Secretary Hoyt made the following sta
tistical report:
II again becomes my duty, aS your Sec
rotary, to present the annual report. We
number at the present time, one hundred
and eleven membcrs-ninety-tWo gentle
men and nineteen Notwithstanding gam
of sixteen members during the year. At
the last regular meeting the II amer OF
gathering statistics, relating to the bee
and honey industry of the State. was left
with the President and Secretary, who al
ter due consideration of the matter
thought it better to gathcrAthe statistics
by towns rather than from individual
bee-keepers, as has been the custom here
tofore. Accordingly cards of inquiry
were sent to nearly every city, town d
plantation III tHt Nlatt. w hht tiit IT,
turns have not been so full and satisfac-
tory as we would have liked, still enough
have been returned to give us a better
idea of the extent of the bee keeping in
dustry in the State ti.an we have had
heretofore.
From the reports received, have made
up the following estimates: Number of
persons engaged In Bookkeeping in the
State two thousand three hundred and
sixty; number of colonies of bees in the
spring of 1886, thirteen thousand three
bundled and ninetythree; number IN the
fall of 1885, twenty-five thousand five
hundred and ninety seven; number OF
pounds of honey taken during the sea
son of 1885, three hundred and eighty
four thousand Ave hundred and three, OF
one hundred and min ty-two and Que
fourth tons; number of pounds of wax
taken, three thousand three hundred and
four; value of bees In the State at the
present time, including hives d FIX
lures, two hundred and twenty-five thou
sand nine hundred and seventy dollars;
value of the honey crop of 1850, at ilf-
teen cents per pound tifty-seyen thous-
and six hundred and seycnty-fiyc dollars
and fort ;-iive cents value of wax at thir-
ty cents per pound, nine hundred and
ninety -ohe uoiihTS anu t"cht. ''h'"
making the total value of the product of
the busy bee in the State during the past
year, fifty -eight thousand six hundred
and sixty-six dollars ana sixty-hve cents
also gather the following items of i'll
terest from the reports received: There
are about two hundred towns in the
State In which no bees are kept There
are twenty-five persons engaged in bee
keeping In the town OF Dexter; seventeen
in Oxford, and thirteen III Bluehill.
There are five hundred colonies OF bees
in the town of Caribou, two hundred III
Poland: one hundred and sixty III Coiuin-
bia There were ten thousand POUNDS OF
honey gathered i'll the town OF caribou; :
five thousand two hundred ana MY IN
Clinton, and three Thousand pounds III
Poland, the past season.
The early part OF the season OF 1850
was very unfavorable Tor bees Many
colonies That had succeeded III gettinS
through the winter, dled' or were greatly
more favorable, considerable surplus
money ha'ins peeii .ahch i,o'i' t'le run
,;nns ~ mo Stato rinyer yintrr.killed
badly, and the weather being unusually
wet during its period oi oioom, ,ae,e-
A., .mJ !, r r,, ora,, If horov ,yas gotbered
from basswood. and in the west part of
the State, large crop was gathered
from faii MOVERS Inc season upon .lle
"" "" bnno W." and ;ncroaso NJ hncs
The State Agricultural Society offered
quite liberal premiums for display of
| bees. honey, and apiarian implements, Mt
their annual fair at Lewiston. Although
the numbers of exhibitors were not so
large as could have been wished, there
was a very creditable display, being the
largest, by far, ever shown in the State.
| The interest in Bookkeeping Is increas-
ing with each succeeding year; also the
| facilities for gaining practical knowl-
edge of the business. There are six flour
ish ny Bee.keepers' Associations in the
State, one having been formed at Bruins
wick during the past year, known us the
"Mane Agricultural Society,""
HUMMER Vi esS"s' WHY io"' o"o ~
Isaac Hutchins upon the coming bce'
brought ont considerable discussion. ND
a. ,,., 90 .ho aig.,ro,t roco. -,
vi '''' ''''i ''' VI '"' ''"'''"' '"Ne -
bees and their crosses. F.o Addition
read an essay entitled, "Of what practi-
an, h,a. .ro A., ;,,,,,,oo,o,ts in boo-
hcep'"S' anu W "ha' eA'e"' n''y "oe-
keeping be carried? An essay, written by
l.. f. Abbott of the Lewiston journal,
,yo. re,d entitled ..pnre Honey" An in
" I,,', 90
tercstiiiS ietIcr iro''i d. iu'''''ei' VI
augusta, was reau, Ior wiz, 1ho ,,seoo,
atloh extended VOC "a .'i'mns, !"
NUMBER OF ques'iohs were pIo"sn' up ~
dlscnssion' :, Among Tie ''oie '"'poi'a"''
were the 1olioWlhg' . ,a..,
are drohes Oh any o.her use 'ian I'LL
iizlhg queehst various oP'nioh' W., VIZ
expressed upon TINS queS.ion' soi,ie l''inh,
ing they may he'p !" e'npoia'nS a INV
capplnS tne money, "iso ~ ncepins Wy .,e
warmth OF INC hlVe, pI' We n''Joi..s w.
cldea tnat they were Oh iio use '''e' ''''''
LOT lertiilziilg tle queens. ~, ,
is stiinuiatiNe iceoi"s III VIC 'pi'"S
desirable! .., co.,,, l.,
All favored SUlillulhllNt lttNlIlS III