NEW ZEALAND HONEY.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXV, Issue 4666, 25 February 1924, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND HONEY.

GROWTH OF THE INDUSTRY. The senior Government apiary instructor, Mr E. A, Earp, has returned to Wellington from a visit to the South in connection with the field days of the Southland Beekeepers’ Association, and the scheme for the employment of bee keepers as part time apiary inspectors. Mr Earp stated that the scheme was one that was being applied to three districts —Waikato, Wairarapa, and Southland.- Altogether some 25 men are engaged in assisting the department to carry out inspections. The system of inspection had been taken up enthusiastically by the beek.epers, and so far as the work has gone this season very big results have been achieved. The scheme has been tested out’ in commercial district's, and if .successful, will be further extended.

Generally speaking, and nothwithstanding the dry spell, said Mr Earp, reports from bee keepers were fav ourablc, and it was anticipated that the crop in the South Island would be a good average one. The quality of the honey was excellent, as was usual whejn the clover pastures were in good heart. Questioned as to the progress the industry wa.s making in the Dominion Mr Earp stated that the export of honey from New Zealand had attained fairly large the amount sent overseas last season being in the vicinity of 600 tons, an<f the quantity was growing annually. Roughly, about 6000 people were engaged in bee keeping.

To show how rapidly the industry had developed, the senior Government apiarist stated that in 1913 nq honey had been exported from the Dominion. in 1914 the compulsory grading of honey was introduced. Tn 1921, there were 8427 person,s engaged in bee keeping, with an output of 2,807,OOOlbs. The returns for 1923 showed a decrease in the number of. people keeping bees; yet the output was considerably greater than in 1921.