THE APIARY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3249, 21 June 1916, Page 9

THE APIARY.

By J. A.

BEEKEEPERS IN CONFERENCE. Thursday. June 8, was the second day of the Beekeepers' Conference, the vice-presi-dent, Mr Rentoul, of Cheviot, being in the chair. The' first business of the day was the report of the committee appointed to suggest changes in the constitution. This report recommended that the system oi branches should be retained and encourraged, and that a new method of dealing with the finances should bo adopted. The scale of fees was not altered, but it was provided that all of the fees should bo sent on to the National treasurer, and that ho, after receiving trio subsidy, .should pay to the branches a sum equal to at least 75 per cent, of the money collected and forwarded by them. Some other mino* changes were suggested, and the report was agreed to without alteration. The quite l evident satisfaction with the new proposals shown by delegates from Waikato, Taranaki, Christchurch, and Southland leads to the hope that the changes may prove beneficial. ..Mr Baden-Powell, representing the Bristol and Dominion Co. (Ltd.), addressed the conference on the export trade, showing the work done by the company to advertise and distribute New Zealand honey among some 5000 grocery stores in England. He also urged the need to keen up the supply for export, as now that a good market had been found, to fail in supplies would be ruinous. At the conclusion of the address and after a good deal of .discussion it was agreed to urge the executive ef the National, with the help of the branches, to focus the work of the year on the question of organising the export trade, and to work for this and in conjunction with the Co-operative Honey-producers' Association. 'Mr Cockayne addressed the conference, giving a long and valuable address on trees and plants in relation to bee-culture. The paper was listened to by the conference with much interest, and «t its conclusion many questions were asked of the speaker. One of these had reference to a question much debated in the south as to whether the dairyman was a loser through the bees stealing the nectar from his clover plants. Mr Cockayne said that a little food value might bo lost, but that it was infinitestimal when compared with the value given by the bees in fertilising the flowers. Mr Cockavne received a very hearty vote of thanks.

The election of office-bearers was. taken a day earlier at this conference, _so as to permit of them having a meeting before the break-up of the conference. Mr Ronton!, of Cheviot, was elected president, and Mr Barker, of Peel Forest, vice-president, while Ml" Bricked was re-elected secretary.

A deputation, consisting of Messrs Warcup, Askew, Sage, and Allan waited upon the Minister cf Agriculture, the Hon. Mr MacDonald. in reference to questions raised in the conference for the improvement of apiary conditions. The requests were for (1) the appointment of two additional instructors; (2) the prohibition of importation of bees from other countries in order to prevent the introduction of Isle of Wight disease; (3) the classifying of _ honey for railage in the same class as dairy produce; (4) the starting of a State apiary in the South Island in connection with the proposed Stato farm; (5) the gazetting of Bluff as a grading port for honey. The deputation was favourably received, the Minister, however, pointing out that thero was no hope' for additional instructors under the present conditions, the difficulty being- ai, present to maintain the present stntt'T Favourable consideration was promised with regard to the importation of bees, more especially in the case of countries where the disease was known to exist. Jn '.he case, of the reclassifying- of honey for railage, nor much hope was held out; but representations are to bo made to the Railway Department. The question of a St'ito farm in the South Island being still only .n the proposal stage, the Minister oould only promise to take it into consideration when that proposal had matured. A promise was given that grading would be undertaken at, Bluff. Papers were read bv Mr R. H. Nelson f" Han We Increase Our Honey Crop by Working More Intensively?"), by Mr J. 0. Robhs ("Management of Out-apiaries"), and by Mr Jas. Allan f" Winter Management of Bees"). As is always the case

when papers of a technical nature are read, an interesting discussion followed. In future notes we hope to refer to some of these.

After votes of thanks to the president find secretary-treasurer and the department officers, a most enjoyable conference was declared closed.