Some things don't change that much. Wheeler Dennison Wright in a bulletin of the State Department of Agriculture published in 1913 says: 

Beekeeping on a commercial scale is far from being a royal road to wealth as pictured by some, but requires as much labor, diligence and attention to details as many other lines of business. However, the thorough going apiarist, well adapted and educated to the business, given a good location and a favorable season, usually has no complaint to offer. As along other agricultural lines, weather conditions often exert an adverse influence and poor seasons intervene, which necessitate extra care, fortitude and enthusiasm on the part of the beekeeper, to safely bridge them over.

The Empire State ranks high in the production of surplus honey, and numbers its beekeeping specialists by the hundreds. Its honey yielding flora is extensive and diversified. There are localities in this state that are ideal in their capacities for honey secretion. Many of these are fully stocked with bees, while undoubtedly many others as good contain few, if any, bees. Some of these are necessarily somewhat remote from the railroads and principal thoroughfares, but the additional expense for transportation, etc., would find compensation in the larger yield to he obtained in an otherwise unoccupied location.

Since automobiles have been greatly reduced in cost, they are becoming quite popular with beekeepers for use in traveling to out-apiaries, taking honey to market in small lots or retailing to private customers. A light auto truck may be used, or a touring car with removable tonneau, or a runabout of suitable design may be fitted with a platform or box on which may be loaded a goodly stock of supplies for the out-apiary or as much honey as is safe to load on the car in question; but do not overload. Remember that the cost of upkeep is much less on a moderately light car than on a heavy one. On the former, the tires are smaller and therefore much lower priced and the mileage per gallon of gasolene much greater.

PLB

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