The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-11-13
RETURNS FROM AN APIARY
A Moderate Estimate For q Fairly Good
Locality.

Moderate Estimate For q Fairly Good
Locality.
Agriculture, like all other branches of
agriculture, depends largely upon the
natural resources of the location, and
the favorableness or unfavorableness of
any particular season, no matter how
skillful the management, may make
great differences in the years return.
The kpowledge, skill, industry and
promptness of the one who undertakes
the care Of the apiary have likewise
much to do with the return. Further
more, profits are of course largely affect
ed by the nature and proximity of the
markets. Frank Benton, assistant ento-
mologist Of the agriculture department
at Washington, writing in this connec-
tion, says:
A moderate estimate for fairly good
locality would be 80 to 35 pounds of ex-
tracted honey or 90 pounds of comb
honey per colony. This presupposes
good wintering and an average season.
When two or more Of the important
honey yielding plants are present in
abundance and are fairly supplemented
by minor miscellaneous honey plants,
the locality may be considered excellent,
and an expectation Of realizing more
than the yield mentioned above may be
entertained. With extracted honey of
good quality at its present wholesale
price of 6 to GENTS per pound andtcomb
honey at 10 to 10 cents, each hive should
under favorable circumstances give a
gross annual return of 80. so to So. From
this about one third is to be deducted to
cover expenses other than the item of
labor. These will include the purchase
of comb foundation and sections, repairs,
eventual replacing of hives and imple-
ments and the interest on the capital
invested.
By locating in some section particu-
larly favorable to apiculture-that is,
near large linden forests, with clover
fields within range, supplemented by
buckwheat, or in section where alfalfa
is raised for seed, where mesquite, Cal
ifornia sages and { wild buckwheat
abound, where mangrove, palmettoes
and It'll, or where sourwood, tulip trees
and asters are plentiful-the net profits
here indicated may frequently be dou-
bled or trebled.
But these favored locations are also
subject to reverses, the result of droughts,
great wet, freezes which kill back the
bee pasturage etc., and, though some
years the profits are so much larger
than those named above as to lend
very roseate hue to the outlook for the
accumulation of wealth on the part of
any one who can possess himself of a
hundred or two colonies of bees, the
beginner will do we'll to proceed eau
tiously, bearing in mind that much ex-
perience is necessary to enable him to
turn to the best account seasons below
the average, while during poor seasons
it will take considerable understanding
OF the subject energetic action and some
sacrifice to tide over without disaster.
On the whole, there should be expected
from the raising of bees for any purpose
whatever only fair pay for ones time,
good interest on the money invested and
a sufficient margin to cover contingen-
cies. With no greater expectations than
this from it, and where intelligence d.
reefs the work, agriculture will be found,
in the long run, to rank among the best
and safest of rural industries.