THE HONEY INDUSTRY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2480, 5 June 1915, Page 8

THE HONEY INDUSTRY

. CHECKING FOUL-BROOD MORE: INSPECTORS NEEDED Tho annual conference of the National : Beekeepers' Association was continued yesterday, Mr. Jas. Allan presiding. The session opened with a discussion .on "How Could Members Assist tho Apiary Department Instructors in Checking the Spread of Foul-brood?" Mr. J. Eentoul led the discussion, and said that lie was of the opinion that most of the trouble through foul-brood was due to the negligent bee-keeper of one or two hives. . It was absolutely necessary that the culpably negligent should be prosecuted, for only by stringent measures were they going to cope with the difficulty.' The position should be, ho contended, that When a man got a colony of bees he should realise that he had got to keep them so that they would not bo a detriment to the neighbourhood. If he did not the Department should take action to compel Jhiin. : The chairman thought that the time of warning was now passed, and the Department should enforce the laws against the outlawed box-hive, and the offending beekeeper. • . Mr. Maddox, who has had experience of bee-keeping in America, said that there . local inspectors were employed, paid by the county. In California the disease iWas quto under control. Mr. T.. ~Vf. Kirk, Government Apiary Inspector, pointed out that a direct tax ,was made thero on the bee-keepers. If the bee-ieepers here wanted a direct tax 'he was sure the Minister would meet .them, but the desire was to keep direct ' ' taxation off the industry. He pointed out that tho Department had a very uphill game, for they only had four inspectors at the present moment. To that fact was <lue most of the matters complained of. He bad applied for two additional instructors, but he did not think they could be supplied at present owing, to the war. He asked for tho active co-operation of the bee-keepers themselves in connection with, the inspection work, and indicated : that , after next spring action would bo taken, against offending box-hive keepers. A paper entitled "A Short Cut in the Treatment of Foul-brood" was read by Mr. C. J. Clayton, who described how ho had got over the difficulty of night inspections, by replacing new hives, of corresponding description to those about to be treated: By his method, which be fully! explained, ho had treated hives at . all. times of the year without failure. Food Value of Honey, 'A TQrv interesting paper by Mr. B. C. 'Aston, F.1.C., F.C.S., was read, entitled "The Food Value of Honey," in which he 6tated that on account of the ease with which they are absorbed sugars are calculated to enable the organism to resist • the effects of fatigue better than any other food, and axe specially valuable in increasing tho capacity of persons required to do work in a more or less exhausted ' condition. 'In bone-building structure honey had a decided advantage over cane or beet sugar, and compared favourably, with other pure carbohydrate foods such, as butter and. sugar in mineral content, or even with, the "staff of life" ifoelf in iron content.. As to the absolute food valuo of honey compared with sugar and other non-starchy carbohydrates, ..it. came second, he said, to cane and beet sugar. ' Honey was one of _ the most frequently imitated foods, owing to the low cost of the sugars (one of which could be made from sawdust) employed. The manufacture of artificial honey had indeed become a fine art.in America, where Dollen and dead bees were skilfully add.ed to give verisimilitude to an otherwise bald and unconvincing article. The watercontent of New Zealand honey seemed to be. lower on the average than that of any other country. If this was proved New Zealand honey should, other things being equal, have a proportionately greater food valuo. \ Extension - Work.. \Th~e report of the' Extension Committee is follows was adopted: "Your committee have the honour to report tbat having, carefully considered the question of increasing the National membership, they suggest: (1) 'That the executive and present members take every opportunity .for a personal canvas of bee-keepers; (2) that the executive appoint an organiser if at all practicable; (3) that a circular be drawn 'up for distribution by district secretaries and others, the circular to set forth the advantages of cooperation and tho work tho National can, and is" doing; (4) that a year's, free subscription be given as a' bonus to any member who secures, two additional members to the association.'" ' During the afternoon a deputation of three waited on the Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. Sir Francis H. D. Bell) a«<l brought under his notice the ( work the association was doing, and the fact that they were hampered in • their ' work by lack of funds. They sought tho ! Government's assistance in this and ■ other 'TPSDBcts. The Minister promised to

' Dnriiig the afternoon a deputation of three waited on the Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. Sir Francis H. D. Bell) brought under his notice the work the association was doing, and the fact that they were hampered in • their T ,-ork by lack of funds. They sought tho Government's assistance in this and other'respects. The Minister promised to

■ give consideration to the matters mentioned, and to lay them before the Minister concerned (the Hon. W. F. Massey). A deputation also waited on tho Goneral Manager of Railways with regard to freight rates on honey. Tho following' resolution was passed s— "That it be an instruction to the incoming executive to .communicate with all agricultural and pastoral societies, with a view to the. adoption by them of a standard schedule for honey exhibits, and that a model schedule be submitted to therm on something like these linos: Gib. liquid honey, in commercial jars or tins; Gib. granulated honey in similar packages; one case of honey ready for export; 61b. beeswax as it comes from mould; two bottle 3 honey vineear in white bottles; one full size Hoffman frame of extracting honey; a half-size ditto; the : whole to be products of exhibitors.'' It was also resolved to urge the Government to appoint two additional instructors, and further: "That'this conference urge upon tho Minister of Public Health the advisability of amending the regulations under the sale of Fodds and Drug Act, so that the water content of honoy shall not exceed 20 per cent." Election of Officers.. The election of oKcers resulted as follows:—President, Mr. J. S. Cotterell ,(To Aroha); vice-president, Mr. J. Eentoul (Cheviot); executive, Messrs. A. C. Askew (Mfliiakau), R. J. H. Nicholas (Hawera), for the North Island, and W. E. Barker (Peel Forest) and W. B. Bray (Bank's Peninsula) for the' South Island; secretary; Mr. Stewart Wright (Dunedin). The retiring 'secretary, Mr. R.' W. Brickell, was unable to stand again. Members spoke in appreciation of his past services, and a vote of thanks wa3 put oh record for his valuable services. A vote of thanks was also passed to tho outgoing president (Mr. Jas. Allan).