Morgan, Ky., March 14, 1881.
=Poor Season but Fair Profit.=—After selling my surplus colonies,
I commenced the season of 1880 with 37 colonies in fair condition;
increased by division and natural swarming to 63, and 12 nuclei.
I reared 30 Cyprian and Italian queens; had 100 Gallup frames of
foundation drawn out, and extracted 400 lbs. of honey. Estimating the
increase at $6 per colony, and deducting the expenses, my income for
care and labor is $250, or about $6.50 for each colony in the spring.
I put 75 colonies, in fair condition (including the 12 nuclei), into
winter quarters Dec. 8; some were short of stores, and all had poor
honey. On March 1st I found 8 colonies and 4 nuclei dead—4 starved and
8 died from the effect of poor honey and long confinement. More of them
are diseased and must have a flight soon or die. With the loss of stock
already mentioned, and allowing for more to follow, the credit will be
cut down to $3.50 per colony. The season has been the poorest I ever
knew, but even $3.50 is a fair profit on the investment. White clover
gave no honey; basswood lasted only 10 days, but yielded well; had it
lasted 2 weeks longer I should have had an average yield of honey for
the season. Without this flow of basswood honey, the bees must have
been fed, but now they have enough stores to carry them through till
spring. As the heavy snows have no doubt preserved the clover, the
outlook for honey this summer is good. I hardly need say that I am
pleased with the Weekly BEE JOURNAL.