BEES AND CLOVER

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21334, 29 November 1934, Page 2 (Supplement)

BEES AND CLOVER

The acclimatisation of European plants and animals in Now Zealand wa:> often carried out under great difficulties by the early settlers. One particular feat of acclimatisation, that of red clover, was a veritable triumph of applied science. What have bees to do with clover? Up to 50 years or so ago few people in Canterbury realised there was any connexion. All they knew was that red clover had been imported into the colony for nearly 20 years, and in that time it had made little or no progress. When seeds were planted they grew readily enough, but after flowering once the crop died out. This was of no use to the farmer. In the Old Country red clover automatically renewed itself from

year to year. There must be some definile "reason why the plant did not behave similarly in New Zealand. Accordingly the matter was placed in the hands of the Canterbury Acclimatisation Society, a body specially constituted to deal with gaps left by nature in -our plant and animal life. A scientific investigation made by the society soon revealed that there were no insects in Canterbury heavy enough to press down the keel of the clover (lower, obtain pollen from the stigma, and bring about the necessary cross-fertilisa-tion. The society therefore looked about for an insect that would be heavy enough. They decided that the English humble-bee would be most suitable. It was one thing to say humblebees must be brought from Eng-

A Triumph of Scientific Acclimatisation

(By Donald Coicic)

land; ii v.-;i., <*r u!]:i ;• ihu:". •<■ )><■:):■ them. The in'-;!, iv.n.mi ;:' arrived in lßT.'i. and 'hey \v- i- a'l dear). The second co!isi:;h!m■"! arrived in lmli. and tin > "•> i■ ■ aM fiend. Extraordinary preeaot'eoj: were taken to ensiiiv l>>e sa(V:y of Iho third rr.iiMnnii.on'. n l"-)-. hot these also were dead win a ihey arrived. Two only wtri- alive ol a batch of 145 bees delivered in lm'.l. It speaks well lor thf uril ol' the early members of the society thai they tried so of en and so unsuccessfully. But tluy had their reward in 1885, v. ie.n 45 bees of a consignment of '.'A',:', were actually delivered alive. Later in the year 48 more were delivered in uood condition; and the experiment v/as iairly started.

rt. succeeded almost, uiiiuyriu.l■iy. Once Hie. live bee-, wire m "nc'.a Zealand they showed r<> si:;u--. el dying', indeed, they a! f>o<v ei.nimeneed t<> multiply. ai.d before five vears had passed ilk-u- e!r- "- iirf ants'had penetrated to every corner of the South Island. And the; clover. . . It grow, and i! grow, unlil within nine years from the time Iho bees wore liberated the total value cf the seed produced was £200,000. Thus was founded an important industry. In the year 1932-33, the. last for which figures are available, the total production of red clover and cow-grass seed in New Zealand was J.738.2181b. In the peak year 1922-23, the production was 2.570,650 lb. Now you see how science can help the farmer, and how much he owes to the bees.