THE APIARY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3403, 4 June 1919, Page 9

THE APIARY.

By J. A. BEEKEEPING IN IMPERIAL VALLEY, - CALIFORNIA. Mr E. R. Root describes, in Gleanings, a visit paid to Imperial Valley, which he describes as a land of sunshine, cloudy days being very much of an exception. The main products o f the valley seem to ba alfalfa —or, as wo call it, lucerne —and cotton. Mi- Root says there arc more than 100,000 acres of alfalfa and nearly as much of cotton. In Imperial Valley they can cut alfalfa as often as six times in a season, which m?ins that there will be as many blooming periods, as usually it is cut just when it is well out .'n ilower. Where alfalfa yields readily—and this it seems to do in this land of sunshine —it is a magnificent honey-placer. We have sampled the honey as produced in the district, .and can speak highly -for the quality. The cotton plant does not seem to be so reliable, but where it does yield it does well; and Mr Root speaks of an apiary which secured 1000 cases of 1201 b each from. 1200 colonies—a yield quite good enough, and this mainly from cotton. California is noted for the irregularity of its honey crop on good years —that is. when the rainfall goes up to, say, 20in honey comes in in abundance; bi.it when the rainfall, as is often the case, does not exceed 4in or Sin, the beekeeper may find himself with a starving apiary and no honey at the end of the season, and may have to feed tons of sugar to keep his bees alive. In the Imricrial Valley this is not so. There cro some 600,000 acres under irrigation, with large further areas still in prospect,' &nd this makes it practically independent of rainfall. There are from 50 to 70 beekeepers in the valley owning somo 15,000 colonies, and practically every available location is taken, up. These beekeepers, in common with beekeepers over all the northern States, have got their wintering problems. They need to cellar the bees to protect them from the frost and snow of winter, but particularly the hard frost. We in the Dominion would consider it a great hardship if wo had to provide such accommodation for our bees. There can be no doubt that our island climate gives us a very great advantage. _ With them, also, it is necessary to provide shade in the summer rime; the heat is so fierce that otherwise the combs would in somo cases melt down. This is done most usually by a frame roof covered with lattice- w r ork; this is considered better than tree shade. THE CONFERENCE. When this week's notes reach the reader's eye the writer will, ho hopes, be in attendance at the annual conference. AVo hop a to be able in, the following week and subsequent weeks to give our readers some report of what is going on in the bee world of the Dominion. The first of these reports will be of the H.P.A. meeting, which takes place on the 10th of the month,_ the day before conference rnoets. This is an. adjourned annual meeting, and is held at this time for the convenience of the shareholders who can mako of it a "winter Ijpliday and

attend the conference at the same time. Latest advices indicate a very quick delivery of honey this year. Shipping arrangements are satisfactory, except that tho freights aro still very high, and the export honey will soon bo all gone. Wo are- again in the position that local prices are better than export, so that attention will probably be again turned towards supplying the local markets. 0 IS IT A SAFE PRACTICE? TWO BEEKEEPERS WHO DO NOT APPROVE RIGHT'S FOUL BROOD TREATMENT. On page 21 of the January issue of Gleanings appears an article under the title "Is It a Safe Practice?" The article describes what is called "tho nursery method" of treating a "mild" caso of American Foul Brood. Now, Mr Editor, I. am one of those "foul-brood inspectors" (we call them inspectors of apiaries out here in California) who does, most emphatically, question this "method of cure." I disapprove for the following reasons: (1) The method is in opposition to all the accepted scientific data wo possess in regard to American foul brood. These data have been accumulated through many years of the most careful and painstaking study and experimentation on tho part of both scientific 'and practical beekeepers. Suppose it bo granted, for the sake of the argument, that "some good beekeepers have tried the method with excellent results." I would answer that statement with the "editor's own words: "It is probably true that the disease may appear in some other combs." Is not that statement in itself enough to convince anyone that the method is unreliable? A method that does not certainly eradicate disease is not, and cannot justly bo called, a cure. Picture in your mind the condition of affairs that wodld exist in the apiary of the average beekeeper who tries to treat. Ameri can foul brood according to this method. If it is a genuine case of American foul brood, even though only a few cells appear, there is no doubt but that other combs will show the disease sooner or later. These combs will have to be looked for, found, and treated. Tho process must go on until tho last, vestige of the disease has been eradicated. The method of treatment resolves itself, finally into a continuous performance :n which, instead of eradicating the disease, tho beekeeper is engaged in juggling dif-eased combs and colonies in tho midst of a more or less healthy apiary. (2) My second objection for disapproving even publicity of -such a method o{ treatment of American foul brood is, that it tends to lessen the sen.se of danger and dread of the disease- that should always exist in tho minds of all beekeepers. There are entirely too many beekeepers who treat the' matter of brood diseases lightly. The author's views of the details of this method of treatment, are bound to create, or-encourage, the belief that foulbrood infection is not as contagious as careful inspectors say it is What is still worse; Mr Right's published endorsement of such unscientific methods tends to increase the number of those who are willing to hazard their own and their neighbour's interest- for the sake of a doubtful experiment. If one man, can try his little scheme of treatment and set by with it, why should not an inspector let every Tom, Dick, and Harry tinker with disease to his heart's content? What is needed, in order to rid the country of the scourge of foul brood, is a wholesome dread of the infection—a dread that will prevent any such tinkering with disease as described in the article referred to. - (3) My third reason for .disagreement is found in the statement of the editorial note as to the people who are most likely to be benefited or injured bv this publication. It: my humble opinion tho "careless man" is tho very fellow who is most likely to t*y tho method. The "careful man" will not try the method at all: Perhaps this is but the statement of pe.'sonal opinion; in which case the opinion of the authorities in bee culture would naturally outweigh that of a mors "foul-brood inspector." But if the opinion of an inspector is worth anything, it seems to me that it should bo uttee.ed in favour of moro drastic treatment of all brood diseases; and that all temporising, and much of the experimenting that is done, should' be eliminated. The danger is not confined to the apiary_ that is infected, but menaces all the bees in the country-. Whoever called this treatment of American foul brood "the nursery method" is to be congratrlated on his choice of a name. It is. without doubt, a nursery of tho disease. —Robert B-. M'C'aix, Inspector of Apiaries for Santa Barbara County, California. BEEKEEPERS' GQFsSFEREJvJCE. CHRISTCIIURCH, May 30. At the Canterbury Bee-keeping Conference to-day a good deal of reference was made to the suitability of bee-keeping for discharged soldiers. It was decided to urge on.the Government the necessity for tho establishment of ■ a State apiary in tho South Island. Miss M. Shepperd suggested that 20 such apiaries should bo established, and put under the charge of discharged soldiers, who could receive their training from Government instructors. A start could bo made with 20 or 30 colonies, which could be gradually increased in number, so that discharged soldiers could earn a good salary before left to themselves.

The conference decided emphatically to oppose any relaxation of the grading regulation in regard to liquid honey.