Los Angeles herald., 1910-10-16
BEES CREATE RICHES

There is money in beekeeping if it
is managed properly.
Bee keeping is being carried on with
both profit and pleasure by many thou
sands of people in all parts of the
United States, and while, as a rule, it
is not the sole occupation of those who
pursue it, there are many places where
an experienced beekeeper can make a
good living by devoting his entire time
and attention to this line of work.
The average annual honey yield a
colony for the entire country should
be from twenty-five to thirty pounds
of comb honey, or forty to fifty pounds
of extracted honey. The money return
to be obtained from this crop depends
entirely on the market and the methods
of selling the honey. If sold direct to
the consumer extracted honey brings
from 10 to 20 cents a pound, and comb
honey from Is to 25 cents a section If
sold to dealers the price varies from 6
to 10 cents for extracted honey and
from 10 to 10 cents for comb honey.
All these estimates depend largely on
the quality and neatness of the prod
uct. From the gross return must be
deducted from so cents to 81 a colony
for the expenses other than labor, in
Guiding foundation, sections, occasional
new frames and hives and other in
cidentals, not, however, providing for
increase.
These figures are based on a system
of good management. Beekeeping, to
be profitable, requires hard work,
knowledge and experience. Much study
is required to insure success. 1t is un-
wise, therefore, for the average indi-
dividual to undertake extensive bee
experience on a small scale, since there
are so many more details which go to
make UP success in the work.
Learn the ways of bees, how to ham
die them and what kind of equipment
IS best Then begin on a small scale,
make the bees pay for themselves and
for all additional apparatus, as well
as some profit, and let the business
grow gradually.
Above all, it should be emphasized
that the only way to make beekeeping
a profitable business is to produce
only a first-class article. We cannot
control what the bees bring to the hive
to any great extent, but by proper
manipulation we can get them to pro-
duce fancy comb honey, or if extracted
honey is produced it can be carefully
cared for and neatly packed to appeal
to the fancy trade.
Too many beekeepers, in fact the
majority, pay too little attention to
making their goods attract tive. They
should recognize the fact that of two
lars of honey, one in an ordinary fruit
lar or tin can with a poorly printed
label and the other in a neat glass
lar of artistic design with a pleasing,
attractive label the latter will bring
double or more the extra cost of the
better package. 1t is, perhaps, unfor-
tunate but nevertheless a fact, that
honey sells largely on appearance and
a progressive beekeeper will appeal as
strongly as possible to the eve of his
customer
Much information along these and
other lines in beekeeping can be found
in a new publication of the department
of agriculture. farmers bulletin 397.
entitled The aim of this work
is to give bIdeffy the information
needed BY persons engaged in the keep
ing of bees, and to answer inquiries
that are frequently received from cor
respondents of the department.