BEEKEEPERS.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18308, 16 February 1925, Page 5

BEEKEEPERS.

FIELD DAY AT ST. MARTINS.

Tjw Canterbury branoh of the National Beekeepers'Aeaociationheld ita annual field day at the apiary of Mr Ambrose Johnstone, St. Martin*, on Saturday. About: 40 bury beekeepers -were present.-'>'v •

Mr P. Jack, president of the branch, opened the proceedings and conducted * P*Jp" tical domon»tration on manipulation b* hives, giving useful hints on perfect combs, etc, . Subsequently" ho lead « paper on the qualities required in a successful bee-, keeper, stressing the - neoajjity. for. tjw 'acquisition, of eooineee and steadiness.' As in farming, much, of the euccesa. of epriculturo depended o« the aeag'ons, he eaid, but they could not ignore tha importance of the part played by man. Baqk-Jeaniing alone would not make a auweaful apiariel, but it could not be dented that the man who studied the wor-ke of the beat writflra of literature on beekeeper*, could not help being * better apiarist, when he added the knowledge thue gained to hie .other qualifications. In conclusion, lie adviaad novio.es to obtain j*«re. stock, keeping records of every pound of honey taken from eaoh colony. EOnts for the Month, ;.■.;■;.■*

Mr, G. H, Sargeaut, Government Aniariat Instructor,' read a paper in which he gave seasonable hints for the month of February.

"During the month of February «ve* ikr. greater part of, Canterbury, the •wain extracting op«&t,ians win be completed *nd the apiarist will be getting his crop ready 7or market," eaid Mr .Savgcani. "Thia ■'«*• j son (the extracting period) i» ihe time that a, beekcepfer has to work-the hardest, very long hours being th/A order of >ne day. There is a great deal of heavy lifting to.be done, arrange your apiary how you may; but nobcjdy is likely to complain on tW»' score as lilavy supers mean a good crop. All apiarists should have placed their order* for tins, oaaee,. glasa. jara, or whatever eon" tainera they may need, with the mannfeeturer, or firm ihat atocka theae artiolea, in good time... it is aatoniabing to find the number of beekeeper* who hang oh! untiL they are just about to extract before they think of getting tine, etc., for their crop. Neglecting to order these necessities often jlaces the honey producer in a serious position. One. of the leading manufeoturera of heney container* in: recently said to me, 'I don't know how it is, but these honey kings don't seem to know what they want in tine, etc., till the laat minute.'

"Mo«t commercial beekeeper* export the major portion of their crop, and one' would think thai; by tbia time d all these apiarists would be expert*, or nearly so, at the work of preparing their honey for the oversea* market. This, however, I ara sorry to say, ii by no. ni*ana the caae. A great .d«l of honey atiU arrives at the {Trade atore in a semi-granul*t«d condition, and the graderla obliged to put it baek to * later grading with the object of allowing'it to w%eh «he consistency required for export honey. Tins often arrive, for export that have beep, allowed to get maty and little done to improve their appearance. The use of beiwine oases is allowed, providing all traces of marks, etc., that would reveal their original opntent", are removed. This i« flftes dwa in a haphazard fashion. Then producer*' numbers -are either forgoten or put on in such' a manner that it would require, a/ardent skilled in the reading of, ancient Ejjyjrt' to decipher them. Net weight* of honey are ajao often not put on oaaea, or put on in the same waya.. u producera' number*, A. good sample of honey in other respect* is often spoiled to a great extent by the amount of froth and arum in some of the tine or all of them. "When it come* to marketing honey for local consumption "often » much. WJrae state of affairs exists. Here the hon«y 4o«i not .haye.tc; pass, the, ;crscaj. _eje if the. grader, and some beekeepere'appear ; td ihink that it is no greajt concern of theirs how tb,e; honey 4» told ao long 1 a*, it..it JEwaey, put up-by tbeee people i»;th*.main eauac j of the low prices ,p»id for th*t* article locally. ;A. pu«h»leT'j4«t4i»g ijfnmi 4 Wisy at a store 1» hot likely to go back, to that store, wd may-be put of honay-for aameeonsiderablo time.' Uj wWee* '» - rnakin* these remark* is that quite recently I have come ofltoas „c*hi in two ftt "ha* of „ . the '.argec- qa#t«Thu?y, wrtak estat.Uthme.ntß b*v« AseonUnued stocking honey mainiy; owing to: the;: \raaa«i»{actory condition in which, honey la«.Mr}vo4 from

(Ooatbratt «V fort of nm eoUww-)

the «u»ri«t»j- 3 -- ■-■ ;p*r« an ?1 tions i» «W«wl '" lias be«n realised;, ■■'■ -~~ : .- m v '<*,**:■■*.,-■•■: ; ' _4iter3pon. tea vmp.,pm^WJ&agai*:; Mrs JohwtaM *nd Uw lutta. ' •