Money from Honey.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 31 May 1910, Page 4

Money from Honey.

The business of bee-keeping—it, li as long si nop ]Missed the stage of being ii mere hobby—is takiivg such a hold in the Ha we I'd district (says tfhe Star) that apirists, and .porihaps others, wiH road with interest some observations by "Small Holder" in an English newspaper under the jingling bonding—Money from Honey. Not long ago it reported that an Okaiawa enthusiast had sent Home a ton of honey in one consignment ; .it .Monday night's meeting of the liaworn, Technical School committee it was stated that the bee-keeiping classes were doing splenaiul that another bee-master with 75 hives (soon to bo materially increased) was coming to this district. If the writer to whom we have referred is correct in his surmise people who. are going in for beos will have no cause to regret 'their enterprise. Says lie: "We are in sight of a boom in h<mey. Prices will begin to advance this season, and in 1911, and for several years to follow, honey— and 'beeswax too will show such n. sharp rise that bee- keepers will reap voritable golden harvests." Those wiho are attending the technical classes, and those who are merely keeping bees and trusting to luck that the harvest will turn, cut all right, should take notice that these large profits are only anticipated for the person who conducts bee-keeping on the lines oif modern scientific bee-cultrue —the man who understands tlus ways of the bee, opnrateis w-Ptih modern appliances, harmonises farm and garden planting with agriculture, and takes all reasonable precautions against annual, insect, and fungoid enemies of the beos. The man, 'however, who takes up beekeeping 'just as a hoibby you know,' or because he thinks that ho can master the art of profitable beekeeping by reading a shilling book on the subject, is bound to run up against all kinds of uuforseen difficulties and finis,h up witih bitter disappointment, wishing that he had left bees alone. The increasing deficiency in the world's supply of honey is given as one of the causes underlying the coming boom. "The output of honey" (tho writer is in England) "depends upon the numerical strength of the colony, and 'both upon the management of the keeper. From 40 to 50 lbs of honey per >lnve is an Average take, and the highest record well authenticated—belongs ito a Californ*inn bee-keeper, who took from one single hive 700lbs of honey . Last season honey sold at (id .to. Is a pound, but it is safe to prophesy that iits market price will never again hundred uses for •beeswax, and are will be much dearer. Excepting, perhaps, Central and South American Republics and Cuba, there is an eitiiornuMisly increasing deficiency in the world's supply of honey and wax. The huge world's production of 300,000 tons of honey per annum falls abort of the demand by thousands of tons. First of all, the habit of eating honey in place of jams is spreading •throughout the world Medicine is using enormous quantities as a demulcent and flavouring agent; but above all experience proved that cakes, biscuits and swjetmeiats made with honey keep far 'better than those made with sug.ir, and popular taste has decided that they are much nicer. In the wax market eruditions arc even more promising for the beekeeper. To-day we have found a hundred uses for beeswax, and are still finding more. The American, German, French, Brazilian, Chilian, and many other governments are spending thousands of sovereigns to teach tiheir rural populations' luiw to take advantage of the coming doom. England alone of the great nations is doing nothing, ye>tscientific bee-keeping is an investment whic'h returns a sure o0 -per cant. When an industry promises so much many who are pursuing it are doing so iu the most up-to-date way. The bee-keepers of Hawom and district are nut only reaping a profit but many of them ure so enthusiastic 'fchflt the hi ves hav« become a source of d'ailv pleasure and ahsi rbin/i interest. We hope that the b;; :n will be realised and that bee-keeiper.s ill South Taranaki will enjoy their reward.