THE APIARY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2985, 31 May 1911, Page 12

THE APIARY.

By J. A,

Reverting to our note on the subject of possible loss to farmers through bees taking the nectar from white clover, _it transpired in tho course of conversation with Mr Anderson, M.P. for Mataura, that he had been approached by dairymen to have some legislation in the way of restriction preventing bee-keepers, I presume, from allowing their bees' to graze on other people's clover. I don't know how it was purposed to have this earned out, dr whether these complaining have any scheme in their mind or not. To us it seems that even if it were just or wise to do so (which we submit it is not), there is no possibility of doing it by any rnoamp short of the total prohibition, of beekeeping. Siurely no sane person would for a moment consider such a thing.. It was pointed out to Mr Anderson that something had already been done in this direction in America We very much doubt this. We certainly have not heard of ilt, and we have watchod closely the cream of United States literature on bee-keeping for the last 20 years or more. There has been difficulty there between fruit-growers and bee-keepers. The fruit-growers in. some States maintained that the bees in jurod the fruit, but this has been abundantly disproved. It is now known that only where fruit cracks with wet or birdlf break into it do bees touch it at all, and then it is only to lick the exuding juice At one time there was a good deal of feeling with regard to this _ matter, but of late years little or no notice is taken of it. The only other difficulty that we know between the parties mentioned comes from tho beekeepers, and that is a complaint about spraying during fruit- bloom being prejudical to the bees. Fruitgrowers a.ra finding out, however, that, it is prejudicial to the fruit talso, and that it is better to spray after the bloom is past, and so this difficulty is also being got over. There is, however, another question akin to the above that has created some interest in the States, and is, we think, likely to grow in importance, both in the States and other bee-keeping countries, and that is the

LICENSING OF BEE-KEEPING AREAS. This question bristles with difficulties. First there is the interest .of lond-owuprs who may or may not be bee-keepers at all. Then there is the interest of the beekeeper who controls no more land than the necessary site for his apiaries.. The difficulty is that unless some right is given, a district may be overstocked with bees. And it becomes something of a hardship to an old-established apiarist who has been for years keeping an apiary apparently large enough to take full advantage of the area within its reach to find others, as it were, attempting to "jump his claim" by establishing their apiaries clcso beside him. It is this position that has brought out .the suggestion of licensing .given areas, and this giving the bea-keeper the right to the area which his license covers, and for which ihs has paid. As wo have said, the whole question bristles with difficulties, Sind it is not probable that any attempt to solve them will be made before bee-keeping has assumed far greater dimensions than it does at present. And than, it will bo still more difficult to do. ADVANCED BEE CULTURE. A book on bee culture written by W. Z. Hutchinson, was brought out in. 1905. This book we have read with pleasure and iprofit, and we always keep a copy handy for reference. As its name implies, it is written for the expert. A new edition has just been issued by the A. J. Root Company, revised by Mr E. R. Root. And this is what the reviser has to eay about it: "Taking it all in all, the new edition is entirely the work of Mr W. Z. Huitchinson. While I have acted in. the cafpar city of reviser, I have added no word of my own except here and there to put in a connecting link in order that the did matter might join on smoothuy to the new. Taking it all in all, there have been added between 50 and 40 pages of entirely Slew matter, and something like an equal number have been struck out, so that the new edition will be abcut the same size as the old one.

"As a writer on bees Mr Hutchinson has few equals. For clea.rne;e of style, and accuracy of judgment, he is second to none. B\is enthusiasm shines forth cm. every page. His selection of the new and useful from an extended discursic.n is intuitive. The last edition of 'Advanced Bee Culture' is made up of the best ideas of ou.r best experts, properly classified and condensed by a master of the art of boiling down discussionis.

"I do not hesitate to say that this is one of the most valuable books on teas that was ever put out; and while its title wouM indicate that it is designed only for the advanced bee-keeper, yet I am sure tihat a large number of beginners in the business will find it exceedingly helpful and interesting, especially if they will take it in connection with some other work like the 'A B C and X Y Z of Bee Culture,' or any text book designed especially for the beginner class." W© presume that the New Zealand agents of the Boot Company, the Alliance Box Oompojiy, Dunedin, will in time be

able to meet any inquiry for this book. We can thoroughly recommend it. SOME BEE FIGURES. Dr Miller in his "Stray Straws" culls the following from a French paper, L'Apieulteur:— "Alin Caillas estimates that a bee carrying .0007 oz of homey at a load will make 12,652 trips to fill a section 4in square and lin thick. If it average five-eififatine of a mile to the trip, it will travel as much as a third of the way round the world. In a colony of 120,000 bees, if 80,000 aire fielders and each one makes 10 trips of five-eighths of a mile daily, the total) travel far the dav will be more than twice the distaneo to the moon. As fliers, the doctor remarks, the Wright brothers are not in it with the bees." A STANDARD HIVE. In Gleanings of Bee Culture of March 15 the following by Mr L. Hopkins is published : "I was much pleased, Mr Editor, m noting your remarks on this subject in your issue of' November 15, and quite agree with you as to the great advantages that would result to bee-keeping in your country could a standard hive bo adopted. There has been sufficient time to test the various forms of frame hives that have been in use since Langs troth gave us his, and I don't think there would be any difficulty at the present time in deciding which is the most convenient and best. The _ advantages of having one form of hive in use are so many and so great that I think it folly not to use every endeavour to bring so desirable a condition about. It is a national and an urgent question, and therefore cornes properly within the scope of your National 'Bee-keepers' Association, which, in my oinion, is the rigiht party to deal with it. "You, Mr Editor, are not altogether blameless for the present condition of things as I see them. It seems to me that you have been too ready to publish illustrated articles on so-called improvements from inexperienced contributors; and the fact of your publishing such articles under big headlines has given them such prestige that, no doubt, many beginners have accepted the improvements (?) as the latest thing out. It is usually the inexperienced who bring forward the doubtful improvements. "In speaking of the advantages of having but the one form of hive, I do so from some experience. It was my good fortune in 1877 and 1878, after experimenting for some years with various forms of primitive hives, to obtain a copy of La.ngstroth's 'Hive and Honey Bee.' After some little study I concluded the ten-frame Langstroth hive was just what I needed; and after a season's experience I felt quite satisfied with my choice. At that time there were no frame hives but my own in use in New Zealand. Shortly after I contributed a series of articles on modern bee. culture to two leading daily papers, always advocating the ten-frame Langstroth; and in 1881 I published the first edition of my bee manual, in which I gave full instructions for making it, and compared by diagrams the Langstroth frame with the Quinby, open and closed end; Adair; American; Gallup, and Abbott's Standard. "Being, as it were, forced for the time into the supply trade, as well as running a bee farm, I made none but the ten-frame hive; and in after years, when I was asked by new arrivals from England to supply them with the British standard hive,_ I always Suggested such a prohibitive price that they were forced to accept the only hive then made, and in most cases they afterward acknowledged they were pleased. I was frequently asked to make the Heddon (which I had tried myself, the Danzenbaker when it was boomed, and other hives of different dimensions; but I always asked too big a price. My friend Mr Brickell, at Dunedin, also acted similarly, so that to-day T do not personally know of one single hive in use in New Zealand other than the Langstroth, and, with one exception, they are all of ten frames. In the case of this one exception, the owner told me that were he starting again, with the knowledge he has gained, he would give up the twelve-frame hive for the ten. "I believe that New Zealand is the only country in the bee-keeping world in which the one frame and the one hive are used throughout; but I can assure you, Mr Editor, it took some fighting through the press to keep this condition of things, and there is no fear now but that it will remain so.

"Manufacturers need keep only one kind of hive and. frame in stock, with extractors and other apnlianees suitable for it, therefore fchev can be sold cheaper on that account. Knowing from experience how preat are the advantages, I can only hope that yoa will awaken such interest in the matter as to bring about, sooner or later, thf> rdontio" of a hive. "Auckland, New Zealand."