OUR DISTRICT AND OUR SETTLERS.—No. 5.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 38, 12 January 1884, Page 2

OUR DISTRICT AND OUR SETTLERS.—No. 5.

rar ooa special nxronnn.] A Laxosly Populated Disinter. Sihcb my last communication, I have visited, away up in the hills, the magnificent estate owned oy Mr. J. Woodbine Johnson, Mr. Locke’s station at Makauri, and the apiary adjoining the latter estate, on a section of land owned by Mr. Grey, near a spot where the Taruheru river is nothing more than an insignificant little streamlet. The proprietor ahd founder of this local industry is Mr. George Stevenson, formerly of Gisborne, aud latterly of Ormond, where he made his first start in bee-keeping. His first impressions were that the district of Ormond was not so good for the successful carrying-on of this industry as Makauri, but, as he could not secure a site in the latter place, he set to work in Ormond by stocking the apiary with fifty small box hives, which he purchased from Mr, Hammond, and then obtained 100 Langstroth hives in the flat, The lateness of the season at which he commenced operations was a serious drawback to his starting, but nevertheless his enterprise was rewarded by a large yield of honey, From 48 Laugetroth hives, he was successful In extracting 2,0001b5. of honey. Mr. Stevenson, however, kept his eye upon the Makauri district, convinced it is the best part of the Bay for bee culture, because, as he puts it, here there are miles of cabbage-trees and extensive flax-swamps on the flats, while the hills behind are covered scrubby bush, and the soil is the richest in the Bay. On his new ground, to which I was conducted yesterday by Mr. Samuel Locke, Mr. Stevenson has erected a comfortable dwelling-house for hie own use, laid out a good kitchen-garden, and planted trees. He has also erected store-houses, workshops, &c., to meet the requirements of tlfe local inhe is now carrying on in a most systaffiatio manner. This is now what may be termed the honey harvest, and it was an interesting sight to stand in the midst of his 85 hives, watching the operations of the thousands of workers who “ Gather honey all the day From every opening flower.” This particular spot may be duly termed “ a largely-populated district,” where the “hands” show no symptoms of laziness or fatigue while laboring in the heat of the day, travelling, Mr. Stevenson assures me, as far away as six miles in search of the. delicious nectar yielded by Nature’s choicest gifts. Bees are said to be a wonderful “ people,” enacting and carrying out very stringent laws for the good-government of each other, and very loyal to their queens until they kill them. As such is the case, it is one of the most important parts of Mr. Stevenson’s business to get queen bees so hatched as to save them from destruction before they have well and truly fulfilled their proper station in life and discharged their duties. The bees now producing so much honey at the Taruheru Apiary, the name given to this beestation, are common ones, but the breed is being crossed by the introduction of the Ligurian or Italian kind, acknowledged to be most excellent workers. In his apiary, Mr. Stevenson has entirely discarded all oldfashioned notions of bee-management, and adopted the American principle, by which a far greater quantity of honey is obtained, the life of the bee is saved, and their colonies are managed with apparent ease. Whether the bees know their keeper or not I am unable to

say, but if I formed an opinion, based upon the bold manner in which Mr, Stevenson moves among them, removes the covers of the hives and the section boxes, and handles them with impunity, I should say they fully understand that their keeper is to be exempt from the penalties and pains they claim as their prerogative t 6 inflict upon . every, body else who trespasses within the confines of their honey manufactory. One of them, on the occasion of my visit, tobk a sudden fancy for my left ear, and, I presume, being under the impression that I did not wear rings in my ears because no holes had been bored, after much buzzing around landed on the ear in question and commenced boring. The little wretch gave me reason to remember my visit to the apiary. The other thousand of operatives engaged at this factory treated me with that consideration and respect as a rule accorded to members of the Fourth Estate, My friend and guide; Mr; Locke, was tantalised occasionally by two bt three taking a promenade Mund his nedc, but they did not behave in the least way spitefully; Enough on this matter. In the course of our tour round the " COWnies " Mr. Stevenson showed us a lot of bess that was only hived on the 21st December. Twelve days afterwards Sfllbs. of honey was taken, and the hive is again being tepidly filled up. From another hive, Kt In order, on the same day he also removed 821bs of extracted honey and fifteen section boxes, I mention this as fair samples of the large amount of honey the bees gather in such a brief space of time; and the advantages the new system of bee-keeping have over the old. There is not space at command to detail all the little technicalities adopted in the successful management of bees. The object of my visit was to bring into prominence what promises to be a most important local industry in the future of Poverty Bay, where dwells many enthusiastic apiarists. Therk is always a good demand for honey and wax; but on tho new principle more honey and less wax is obtainable than was the case formerly; This season Mr. Stevenson calculates on. obtaining about two tons of honey, much of which he will supply in small boxes of about a pound weight in the comb, and a large quantity done up in 11b. tins for export; I congratulate Mr. Stevenson on having ao; quired such a splendid site for carrying on operations. Early history speaks of honey ae being the chief food of man wherever civilisation held its sway. According to a writer in one of the bee journal!, honey first lost its honored place as an article oi food by the introduction of sugar, the UM of which became general in the seventeenth century) ae its use increased the use of honey decreased, until at length the Bee-Masters’ Guild was abolished, and the skill and experience of the old bee-masters were lost to the world. The attention now being paid to the production oi honey shows that history repeats itself, and that North New Zealand in common, and Poverty Bay in particular, are districts to play no unimportant part in producing thia valuable article oi food} and I recommend anyone who has not yet paid a visit to this great plain, obscured from the main road by some straggling bush, and buried from eight by the apparent close proximity of the hills, to take a trip there, ana give Mr. Stevenson a call. He will be glad to show any interested person how the honey is rapidly produced. In my next I intend giving a detailed account of my visit to Maiaetaha, the country seat of a very old settler—Mr. James Woodbine Johnson.