The honey bee: a manual of instruction in apiculture

Bull. 1, new series, Div. of Entomology, U. S. Agriculture.
Frontispiece.
An Apiary in Maryland.
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.
DIVISION OF ENTOMOLOGY.
ASSISTANT ENTOMOLOGIST.
WASHINGTON:
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE.
1899.
U. S. Department of Agriculture, Division of Entomology, Washington, D. C, May 27, 1899 .
Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith for republication a manual entitled, The Honey Bee: A Manual of Instruction in Apiculture, by Mr. Frank Benton, who has been in charge of the apiarian work of this Division for several years. The constant demand for information concerning bee culture for a long time indicated a need for such a public manual, and the work was begun and nearly completed under the direction of my predecessor, Dr. G. V. Riley. The manuscript was submitted September 20, 1895, and the edition of 1,000 copies was soon exhausted. In April, 1896, Congress ordered a reprint of 20,000 copies, in which some corrections and additions were made by the author. He has also taken advantage of the reprint of another (the third) edition to make some slight additional changes.
The apiarian industry in the United States is practically a development of the last forty years, although isolated individuals were engaged in this work long prior to that time. The importance of the industry at the present day is not generally realized, and the following figures will probably be surprising to many well-informed individuals: