THE HONEY BEE.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume 4, Issue 60, 10 April 1851, Page 3

THE HONEY BEE.

(From the Family Economist.) No. 11. In our first article we promised to give the details of Bee-management; but before we come to particulars, we shall enter fully into the advantages to be gained from keeping these useful and industrious little insec s. as lew persons would be willing to undertake the care of bees, unless the benefit'! to be hoped for are clearly pointed out. And first, we may mention the gain in domestic enjoyment; bow much ol comfort might a few hives of bees be the means of introducing into many f.unilirs, where the complaint i- so fremiti nt—" We cannot get sugar to our tea," —" We cannot make fruit puddings lor our children" " because we cannot aflord to buy sngir." The answer is :— '* Try honey ; it is suitable for cither of ili3>i: purposes, and good and wholesome for children, wh > are vciy fund ol it ; or, if you do not lik« honey, sell it, and buy sugar,—u pound of good honey is

worth two pounds of sugar,-—tlien your little girls and boys may have n treat. Recollect that you have not lo labour for honey, ns the slave lias to produce supar; tlint you have no woges to pay ; that when once you have made your few shillings' outlay, oil will be profit; your interest will he great, and your >tock increasing year by year, Tlio excellence of all is, that the industrious bees will work and toil for you, while you may stand quietly I>>' —not to prow idle, but ' lessons of industry learn.'" Next, is the pecuniary gain : a large sum of money is annunlly paid tor honey anil wax brought into tliii country (Kngland) from abroad, the amount is variously estimated ; it may l e taken, however, tit about £200,000. And w liy should not the Knglish cottagers earn the whole of this sum ? [And, here, we, in New Zealand, may equally and becomingly inquire why the native cottager should not provide himself with the me-ins which these insects ad'ord of nourishment and wealth '] Dr. IWavor tells us of a cottaper in Berkshire who cleared JE27 in one year by his bees ; and tlu-re tan be. no doubt but that with proper Attention, wo might produce enough wax and honey for the consumption of England. [And tlure enn be no manner of doubt that with the smallest care, the natives ot New Zealand might produce nicli n large supply of honey and wax as to yield them n handsome return of money for their pains.] In addition to the positive benefit which would arise from more extended bee-keeping, there is an indirect, hut important advantage which must not be overlooked; namely, the increased productiveness of the garden and orchard; for nature appears to have designed the honey, not primarily for the use of man, but to attract the bees to the blossoms, that they may carry the pollen or dust from (lower lo (lower, and render them fertile. It is a well-known botanical fact, that the fructification of plants is accomplished by the farina or dust from the stamens or pistils ot what arc called the male blossoms, being deposited in tli>? interior of the female llowers ; and thus oidiards have been known to produce double the crop after bees were kept, that ever they did before ; hence it has been well said, " if there were no becs, there would be no apples." It is, therefore, much to bo regretted that so few persons keep bees, an occupation from which so much pleasure as well as profit may be derived ; and so many useful lessons ot industry, ond domestic and poli'icnl economy may be learned. And it is still more to he deplored that our country cottagers almost univeisnlly neglect this, among; the means which might add so much to their comforts and enjoyments. Wherever we go, this fact is pi;iin ; the little well-cultivated garden with its goodly row of bee-hives is wanting. Either the depressing influence of poverty leaves the man without the spirit or the hope of improving his condition ; or he is too indolent and wants the ability or inclination to engage in any pursuit of n useful character. How beneficial, on the other hand, would be the result to any family, if the keeping of bees, and the example of their wonderful habits, should lead the father of that family from slothful and sensual pursuits, to the simple and natural pleasures associated with bee-husbandry in the cultivation of the garden. As these remarks are made with the view of inducing persons lo make trial of this very profitable branch of family economy ; and as thuse tvl.o may be disposed lo do to, may not he acquainted with the proper method of proceeding j it is necetsary to state, that those who intend to commence, should either purchase a stock or hive ol bees, and have it removed to their garden before the spriog is too far advanced, or make an engagement for a swarm to be brought home in May or June. [ln New Zealand November or December.] '('lie proper way of removing them is by tyim; the hive in a cloth, which being suspended on a stick, may bo safely enrried to the place where the bees are to remuin. In our next articles, wc intend to explain the best methods of management, as practised wilh much success in Kurope at large, and by some few individuals in Kngland. Total I.oss of the "Inman" Ikdiaman. It is wilh considerable regret we announce the. lots of this fine ludiamnu, on tier outward voyage from England to Hombay, on a reef of rocks named the Cargados (iarayos or iVareretl-hai'k, wilh a melancholy loss of human life. The annexed narrative is from a gentleman who was o passenger on board : " Nothing of any note occurred until the night of the 4th of April last, when at 8 o'clock the captain informed us that, if his reckoning was correct, we should cither be clear or very near upon the Cargudos reef. Ueing ratlur taken almck at the cool way in which he expressed himself, I ran forward to the fbrrtistlc, followed by the cuptain and one

ol ihe passengers. 20 minutes had not elapsed before I distinctly saw breakers alie.nl, which I immediately pointed out to the captain, who turned to one of the seamen standing near him nt the time (named Peter Martin), and asked him if lie thought they were breakers. lie replied 'Yes, they arc;' i it the same time the look-out man on the I foreyard sang out ' Hreakers n head.' Wc were then going si* knot*, with the starboard tacks about two points free, wind east, steering north. The captiin ordered the helm to be put up, and she fell oIT to the W.N.W., and in far less time than it has taken me to write she struck, nt first slightly, then wont on with a fearful crash, starting every timber in her, pieces of wreck floating up all around us. We saw in a moment that all hopes of saving the vessel were at an end, as she heeled over to the leeward suddenly, the sea making a clear breach over her every roller. This was the work of a few minutes only. Three-parts of the crew were by this time on their knees, crying and making the moat I'roiitie appeals tu llca»cu for nid. All order and discipline were now at an end. The carpenter and two seamen attempted to cut away the masts, but owing, I suppose, to the excitement of the moment, they cut nway I the weather rigging only. The masts of course went by the board, but, being still ] attached to the vessel by the lee rigging and hilling over to seaward, they served as a bat-tering-rain, beating the vessel to pieces every successive roller. After the first burst of excitement was over a simultaneous rush was rundo for the bonis, but we found the only one that was available was the starboard quai ter boat; the other two had been staved Ito pieces by the wreck. The captain was not slow in taking to our only apparent chance of escape—the remaining boat—cis>ht of the seamen speedily following him. They shoved <■(!', but pulled back once or twice near to the vessel, nskini! for water and bread, which of course was out of our power to supply ibem with. He then pulled away altogether, which was the last we saw of him. The ship by this time was breaking up fast; the sternframe burst out nml was thrown up on the starboard quarter, and in a few minutes afterwards she patted amidships, leaving 13 persons exposed to the fury of the surf on the forepart of the starboard broad-side, whero we remained till the morning broke. The tide turned about this time from ebb to flood, when the rollers camo in with redoubled violence, and dashed the remainder of the wreck into pieces. All were immediately hulfeling with the waves. Sharks innumerable surrounded us on all sides, which very much increased the terrors of our situation. Owinir to my being hurled on the rucks by the aurf two or three times, I lost my senses, and was perfectly unconscious as to what occurred till I found myself resting on a spar with a sailor. I found the ship had gone to picees, and that five of our comiades had perished. Water surrounded us in every direction, with nothing in view but one or two small sandbanks, and those a long distance oil", lly night we bad constructed a rude kind of raft, on which we slept, but as ihe tide ebbed we grounded, and, wilh the exception of our heads, we were literally sleeping in the water, cold and wretched, but still, comparatively speaking, safe. We renviincd on the raft'in this state two days and nights, the sun scorching us by day, and the wind, owing to our lining wet, making us dreadfully cold at night. On Sunday, the third day, having found a small quantity of oatmeal, we deteimined to start for the nearest sandbank. A (it) gallon cask of beer, two six-dozen cases of wine, a piece of bad pork, and the oatmeal, were the only things saved from the wreck. We turned the laft, and after a severe day's work reached the bank about sunset, and once more put our feet upon dry land. We had only eaten once, and then but sparingly. Thus we lived 14 days and nights, subsisting on sharks' llesh and the wine and beer we saved. Not a drop of water was In be had. On the 20th of April wc saw a vessel to the leeward of us, and endeavoured to attract her attention by means cf b hoathook and a shirt attached; but she did not or would not see us. The next day, about an hour before sunset, another vessel hove in and about the same spot the ship of the previous evening was seen. We again hoisted our signal and walked about the bank, to show there were living creatures on it. We thought she did not sec us, and after taking our oatmeal and slintks' flesh wc lay down for the night's rest. In a short time, however, we were alarmed by the harking of our dog, and on getting on our legs discovered lo our delight, a boa' close in upon the sands. She belonged to ihu vessel we had Been in the evening. The mate and one of I lie passengers went on board (hat night, and the rest of the survivors were taken oil' the next morninz, when we were conveyed safely (o the Mauritius."