A Profitable Apiary / In Carniola, bees swarm early

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Section five of the American b Journal, Volume one, number three,
March eighteen sixty one. This is a LibriVox recording. All
LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information
or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Read by
Katy Johnstone the American b Journal, volume one, number three,
March eighteen sixty one, by various A profitable apiary in

(00:26):
Carniola Bees formerly from the rural New Yorker. A profitable apiary.
We find from time to time in many of our
agricultural journals large and sometimes incredulous accounts in regard to
the profits of b culture, and hence it seems to
be necessary to furnish proper testimony when such information is given,

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that it may be received as reliable. To do this,
I would say, without further preliminary remarks, that the apary
of which I am about to state a few astonishing
facts is in the town of Alabama, Genesee County, ne
U York, and is owned by Quancy s Herinatin, whose
PO address is akron Erie County in this state, and

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who will cheerfully verify the following statements if necessary. Mister
H had in the spring of eighteen fifty nine five
stalks of bees in the week's hive, which is provided
with a surplus honey chamber holding two boxes and will
when full contain about twenty five pounds. These stocks that
season gave five swarms which were saved, four put into

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the Langstroth movable cone hives, and the other into the
week's hive. All of these wintered well, so that last
spring eighteen sixty mister H had ten good stocks. How
much surplus honey mister H had last season, I am
unable to say he had quite a quantity. However, the increase,
it will be obvious, was quite ordinary. The ten stocks

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this season eighteen sixty gave seventeen swarms which were saved. All,
with the exception of six, were put into the Langstroth hives.
Mister H has this season taken off from the hives
of ten stocks and seventeen swarms eight hundred and thirty
six pounds of surplus honey, the principal part of which
was disposed of by contract at fourteen cents per pound

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eight hundred and thirty six pounds surplus honey at fourteen
cents per pound, one hundred and seventeen dollars and four cents.
Seventeen swarms exclusive of hive at five dollars each eighty
five dollars. Profits of the ten old stocks two hundred
and two dollars and four cents, or twenty dollars fifty
two one hundred per stock. The week's hives eight in

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number gave two hundred and thirteen pounds of surplus honey,
nearly twenty seven pounds each. The langstroth hives thirteen in
number gave six hundred and twenty three pounds of surplus honey,
nearly forty eight pounds each. It will also be observed
that only twenty one colonies per dudu surplus honey twenty

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one colonies eight hundred thirty six pounds honey, nearly forty
pounds each. I presume that someone is now ready to
make inquiries. Have these colonies honey enough to winter them
with safety? Have these colonies been fed? In reply to
these inquiries? I would say that I visited mister H
and his apiary a few weeks since for the express

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purpose of ascertaining these points. Mister H and myself examined
each colony thoroughly and estimated that the colonies would average
at least thirty pounds of honey, nearly every frame being
filled with comb and honey, As twenty five pounds is
generally sufficient to winter a colony of bees. Even in
an exposed situation, there will be no danger of losing

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any bees for want of food. There seems to be
but little difference in the weight of each colony in
the Langstroth hives, as by means of the frames, mister
L has been enabled pretty nearly to equalize their content.
Mister H informs me that the fields in his vicinity
were literally covered with white clover, which secreted an abundance

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of honey nearly the whole season, thereby affording to his
bees extraordinary facilities for laying up large and almost fabulous
stores of honey. Mister L says that no honey nor
liquid of any kind was fed to his bees. Were
it not that I apprehend some of the foregoing statements
may by some be discredited, I would give the profits

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of one or two of his best colonies. It may
perhaps be the better way, all things considered, to let
what has been said suffice. In conclusion. Let me remark
that the foregoing statements in reference to the honey were
condensed from a memorandum which mister h keeps expressly for
the purpose of knowing the exact profit of each colony. M. M. Baldridge, Middleport,

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Niagara County, New York, December fourth, eighteen sixty. In Carniola,
bees swarm early and very frequently in favorable years. In
the apiary of the Reverend mister Juder of Sava, a
swarm issued on the thirtieth of March eighteen forty seven
from one of his hives, and another from a different

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hive on the first April in the same year. Mister
Jeufor of Danny had ten swarms that year as the
increase of one hive. The parent hives swarmed six times,
and the first and second swarms sent forth two each.
He obtained ninety four good swarms from thirteen old stocks.

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Please send us names of bee keepers. End of Section five.