ABOUT BEE-KEEPING.

Temuka Leader, Issue 256, 20 May 1880, Page 2

ABOUT BEE-KEEPING.

" The product of honey in California has grown from a single hive of bees, imported into that country thirty years ago, to 35,000,000 pounos a year," says an exchange. The above atatistical account of the production of honey in California should encourage New Zealand settlers to study more closely this aiticle of produce, viz, honey. In our nmbles, we came across a bee establishment, where the bar system is adopted. The bar system is a simple set of bars similar to washingboards, placed side by side, in an upright position, in a box similar to a kerosene case, made exactly the width of the comb formed by the bers. These are put into the box, and 1 he bees commence from the top to fill in unti' they reach the bottom. One after inoher tin «se bars are rilled until the box is full. The bee-keeper can then, or any time before, dmv out one or mo- e bars and extract the honey from it. The bar is replaced, and ihe industrious little insects again fill the empty combs This goes on while summer lasts,the owner wisely 'caving enough fo n d to keep then through winter. It is a strange thing that 16 000 bees do not require more to keep them than it does to keep half that number. Small swarms likely eat more from a half empty box for want of sufficient '.•eat. The owner also had at hand a Yankee honey extractor. (Yankees would extract our teeth, as they do our money, without letting us know that they do it.) Th? honey extractor is a tin case of about 12in l>) 18in, with about 4in of space ; into this case is placed i i a grove a bar full of homy, the face of the comb being first shaved off with a sharp knife ; this done, the case is slung on to a pole 'ike a fork handle, with an iron pike at the lower end the case is secured to the pole by a circle of the tin or zinc being placed around it, and soldered to the c-se. The operator then proceeds to swing round the case, causing the honey to spurt out, which—after striking against the side of the case in front of it—falls down to the bottom of alLthe.honey-Ms soon dashed out, and is as pure as pure ca;i in. This done, the bar is again returned to ihe hive, and the same repeated in the ue.xt one, due care being taken to extract the honey when hot. A i'oor in the end of the box on hinges will showrfhe curious how the bees cany on their work The boxes have a roof in the cottage fashion to carry off the wet, and awnings to keep off the sun. In Christchurch and neign borhood 1 ills' industry is now receiving great attention. In South Canterbury it is yet much neglected, althought it is ac inexpensive source of income. We quoted' a case where a small holder received £7O for his seaso .'s honey, even in New Zealand,and this could be increased tenfold by careful study. The above extract from a Cdifovnian paper shows how r&pidly bees increase when proper care is taken of them. In New Zealand everything is favorable for the cultivation of honey. Ic would be useful to have Dr Irvine to lecture on this subje t here, or in Timaru. Those who haven't studied the subject can have little idea of bow interesting a good lecture on their habits aud customs would be.