^70 



THE AGEI'CULTUKAL NEWS. 



August 25, 1906. 



BEE KEEPING. 



How to get Bees out of Houses. 



An article has been published in Gh/aniiigs in 

 Bee Culture on 'Bee Hunting.' Special attention 

 is drawn to this, as it gives a simple means of getting 

 rid of undesirable swarms in houses without causing 

 damage to the latter. It happens sometimes that the 

 bees have their entrance above the front-door or 

 a window and in this way become a great nuisance. 

 Recourse is generally found in the whole.sale destruc- 

 tion of the bees, with the consequent tearing up of 

 parts of the roof etc., not to speak of the stings that 

 are served out to the intruders. This nuisance is 

 avoided if the course recommended in Gleanings is 

 carried out : — 



From a hive previously prepared for the purpose, take 

 all the frames of brood except two, filling the vacant space 

 with full sheets of foundation or combs ready built, and then, 

 after introducing an Italian i|Ueen, proceed to the scene of 

 action. 



Take with you all the necessary tools, etc., so that 

 progress may not be hindered in substituting articles 

 accidentally left at home. Among the necessities are : the 

 nucleus hive, lumber for platforms. Porter bee-escapes for each 

 hole, nails, saw, and a good smoker. An assistant is needed, 

 and after getting a position near the entrance to the wild-bee 

 hive, adjust the Porter escai)P so that all bees inside must 

 pass out, not to return Then construct the platform so that, 

 when the nucleus hive is set thereon, the entrance of it will 

 face and be ne.xt to the e.xit of the escape. Now blow 

 a whiff or two of smoke into both entrances, and the whole 

 operation will be finished for the time being. After five or 

 six weeks have elapsed, fire up the smoker, throw in a small 

 handful of sulphur, pull off the Porter escajie, and apply the 

 fumes vigorously through the hole, changing the air inside, 

 leaving a dainty harvest for your swarm on the outside to rob 

 out, which they will surely do in less than ten days. 



Bee Keeping in St. Lucia. 



In the Annual Report of the Agricultural Instruc- 

 tor in St. Lucia for the year 1905-6, the following 

 reference is made to the progress of the bee-keeping 

 industry in that island : — 



There are now some 4.50 colonies of bees in modern 

 hives in St. Lucia, including two small school apiaries at 

 Choiseul and Laborie, which are doing well ; it is probable 

 that other school apiaries will soon be started. 



The honey crop for the past year was not a particularly 

 good one : while some bee keepers averaged 100 lb. of .surplus 

 honey per colony, others in less-favoured districts realized 

 only 50 lb. 



There has, however, been a satisfactory difference in the 

 reception of St. Lucia honey in the London market, owing to 

 shipping in tins only a thoroughly ripened article, which 

 realized in the oi)en market L'2.<. firf. to 23s. 6d. per cwt. 



Bees' -wax. 



Mr. H. A. Tempany, B.Sc, has forwarded the 

 following memorandum on a cake of bees'-wa.x found 

 on the windward coast of Antigua: — 



An interesting find was made a short while back on the 

 windward beach of one of the small islands otf the windward 

 coast of Antigua. It consisted of a large cake of bees'-wax 

 weighing about 100 lb., which had been wa.shed up by the 

 sea, and which in all probability had formed part of the deck 

 cargo of some steamer crossing the Atlantic and had been 

 either thrown or washed overboard during bad weather. 



The discovery is interesting in view of the set of the 

 ocean currents, which, flowing almost due west, cause it to be 

 a common thing for debris and wreckage from ships in mid 

 Atlantic to be washed up on tlie windward shores of West 

 India Islands. 



PLANTING CEDAR TREES. 



The Port-of-Spain Gazette, of August 5, discusses 

 the cedar wood industry of Trinidad and gives the 

 substance of an interview with ilr. C. S. Roo-ers, 

 Government Forest Officer, on the subject of planting 

 cedar trees. The following is a brief summary of the 

 article : — 



The cedar industry in Trinidad is at present in a very 

 flourishing condition. The coastal steamers have frequently 

 to refuse the logs, on account of their limited stowing 

 capacities, and many sloops are engaged in carrying the wood. 

 It is pointed out, however, that there is grave danger of the 

 supply being exhausted, unless some systematic eflfort is 

 made to replace the trees. 



If a planter intends to have a cedar plantation pure and 

 simple, the best method is to plant in rows about 7i feet 

 apart each way. As soon as the plants are large enough to 

 interfere with one another, say, in five to ten year.s, every 

 other tree should be cut out. As soon as the remaining jilants 

 obstruct one another's light and air, the [ilantation .should 

 again be thinned ; this time the even numbers should be 

 removed from one row and the odd from the next. In about 

 twenty-five years from planting, the trees are ready for 

 cutting and should be worth £1 per tree. At the end of 

 fifty years, those left would be worth from £3 to £5 per tree. 



An alternative method consists in placing the trees 

 24 feet apart each way, cultivating the intervening spaces in 

 catch crops. This method is less expensive and some 

 immediate return on capital expended would be received. 



ARROWROOT IN BERMUDA. 



The Annual Report on Bermuda for 190.5 has the 

 following reference to the arrowroot industry: — 



There is one arrowroot factory, which is equi|jped with 

 modern plant, and is capable of producing a large (piantity of 

 this valuable conunodity. 



The arrowroot manufactured in the colony is of an 

 excellent quality and commands a high price in home and 

 foreign markets. The price (retail) per tt). in London is about 

 2s. 6f/., as compared with Ls. and 9d. peril), for St. Vincent 

 and other arrowroot. The cultivation and manufacture of 

 this product should lie increased. 



The export of arrowroot amounted to 5 tons 12 cwt., 

 valued at £840, as against 10 tons 2 cwt., exported in 1904, 

 valued at £1,398. 



