THE APIARY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2253, 6 May 1897, Page 8

THE APIARY.

By Novice."

DO BEES PAY?

I WHAT A LEADING APIARIST HAS TO ; SAY ABOUT IT. — HE EMPHATICALLY REPLIES " YES." Under this heading the Wyndham Farmeff publishes the following letter from Mr James Allan, of Thistlebank, Wyndham :~ I am frequently asked tho question, Do bees pay ? And as I suppose nearly all of my acquaintances get your valuable paper — if they don't the loss is theirs — I shall try through the medium of its columns to answer the question once for the season. Ido so the more readily because I think much more could be done than is done with bees ; and nothing is so convincing as the results of what'has been done. Well, I think the following statement will show that they have done fairly well for the season with me. Tho amount of surplus honey taken from the hives was 180 dozen sections j comb honey and 9001b extracted hdnsy, which, with 401b wax, makes the total output for the season valued at £71 10s. Against that I spent for material (all used the seTsSfi) £15 7s 7d, and I allow for depreciation in .boxes £5, or a total of £20 7s 7df leaving a net balance to credit of £51 2a sd. That is the cash result. But, besides that, there is the increased value of my apiary, and it is only fair to the bees that they should get credit for that also. The value in April last year was as under :—: — 30 colonies at 30s £45 0 0 20 colonies at 25s 25 0 0 10 colonies at 20a 10 0 0 15 colonies at 15s ... ... 11 5 0 10 colonies at 103 5 0 0 85 £% 5 0 This year the value stands thus :—: — 70 colon'es at 30a £105 0 0 20 colonies at 253 25 0 0 10 colonies at 20a 10 0 0 100 " £140 0~0 showing a further balance to credit of £43 15», and making a total profit for the yeatof £94 17s sd. Same people might think 30s a high price for a colony of bees ; bub those valued at that price are the cheapest I have got, and I would be quite .willing to give that price for 50 more such colonies next September. Tho 30 that I had lasb year gave me nearly all the , honey and swarms I got, while of the 25 valued at 15s and 10j, 15 died, and the other live would have been just as well to have " departed " also. This year I have kepfc none oE that kind, while all the higher-priced ones are just as full of honey in the brood storey as the been can make them, and, what is quite as important, they «rs full of bees and are clean. The return of £94 17u 5d is equal to 22s per colony last autumn count ; but taking tha spring count of 70, it equals 27s per colony. I think only one thing is wanting to complete this statement, and that is the labour entailed. Wei), from March 31 to September 30 the bees should be left entirely untouched. Everything should be secure and warm, and supplies so large that no fear need exist of starvation. That accounts for six months of the year very easily. During the other six months, if a man had 100 strong colonies to look after and eight or tea cows to milk night and morning, he would require to bo active ; and if the season was a good one he would not have much spare time. Of course the work depends entirely on the inflow of honey. A year that would give no honey would require very little work, while a big inflow would mean plenty work.

Mr^G. H. Jenkinson, who has been for lame years agent for the Department of Agriculture at Wai mate, has been appointed inspector oE stock at Timaru vice Mr Thomson, retired oa account of illhealth. He will be succeeded at Waimate by Mr Britfcaia, from the North Island.

Mr John Goolden, Mayor of Newcaable, intends to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee by giving three garden parties — one to 4000 of the inhabitants, the second to 4000 poor adults, and the third to about 4000 poor children. Each of the poor people would receive a souvenir.