THE HONEY SUPPLY.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 7757, 10 January 1891, Page 3

THE HONEY SUPPLY.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PBESS. Snt,- i —The recent news" that the honey supply had fallen off, and that the big bees are suspected as being the eaters of it, I offer a few observations that may tend to discover the source of the honey supply, and should also assist to explain a falling j off in that article. It may be noticed that flowering plants are not exempt from their troubles aud their difficulties, and at times prevent their full development,, consequently little honey is produced by .them on such occasions. Then a very.:, dry or a very wet summer season will also prevent this development of flowers; theu in the event of a good, seed harvest season there may be less honey ; and why on this occasion .because soon after the fertilisation of the flower is. affected the honey enters into the process of building up the seed itself. This, then, would 'seal up the springs from which issued the nectar. Then, again, plants; require rest, and do not moom regularly. Then obviously there' cannot be expected honey without flowers. To illustrate the subject we will suppose there were 500 acres of red clover, or any other honeyyielding crop, in a radius of a lew miles of Chri-.tchurch two years ago, and only 100 in the present year. It, needs no demonstration.to see there mast boa falling off this year. So a little variation in the supply of honey need not frighten anyone. Since my letter in the PnEss of January 6th on'the "humble be* and red clover, I was asked what about the red clover not seeding until the humble bees came here? I know it did seed when it had a suitable situation, even before, they were introduced, on rather poor land? I have found seed. But now suppose the fanners did not consider the plant was a biennial, and turned their cattle on the after crop, and the. plants were eaten down too close, what prospect of seed would there be for them? and, as was before stated, the situation has much to do with it.—Yours, &c, ' John Drrrrow, Florist, Srpingfield road. January Bth.