1 o M AY , 1 9 1 1 . ] Wintering Bees. 315 



7. Basic slag, applied as a single dressing at the rate of half a ton 

 per acre, has generally proved a most effective agent in improving the 

 feeding value of pasture, and its effects are not nearly exhausted at the 

 end of nine years. 



8. It has proved much more profitable to apply a heavy dose of basic 

 slag as a single dressing, than to divide it into two equal portions and 

 apply these with a three years' interval. 



9. A repeated dressing of basic slag has, however, had a marked 

 effect in some cases, and the productiveness of slagged pastures that are 

 showing signs of exhaustion can be rapidly improved in this way. The 

 action of a repeated dressing appears to be more rapid in many cases than 

 the action of the first dose. 



10. Basic slag put on in the middle of June (December, in Victoria) 

 had much more effect than the same quantity applied in winter. Whether 

 this result is of general application can only be determined by further 

 experiments. 



11. Where a direct comparison has been made between the effects of 

 equal quantities of phosphoric acid derived from basic slag and super- 

 phosphate respectively, the former manure has always produced the greater 

 amount of live-weight increase. When the cost of the manure is taken 

 into account, the profits from the use of basic slag have always been 

 much greater than tho.se from superphosphate. 



12. Potash added to a phosphatic dressing generally resulted in the 

 production of more live-weight increase, but this increase was not a pro- 

 fitable one. The expediency of using potash on pastures — as contrasted 

 with meadows — therefore receives no support from these experiments. 



13. The addition of moderate dressings of sulphate of ammonia or 

 nitrate of soda to land already treated with phosphate has increased the 

 yield of herbage, but has, as a rule, reduced the yield of mutton. The 

 use of nitrogenous manures on pasture would, therefore, appear to be bad 

 practice. 



14. Dissolved bones compare badly with basic slag and superphosphate. 

 This is doubtless due to two reasons : — (a) the slower action of part of 

 their phosphate, and (b) the presence of nitrogen. But the nitrogen of 

 dissolved bones, being less active than that of sulphate of ammonia, the 

 general effect on the sheep of the dissolved bones has been better than that 

 of a mixture of superphosphate and sulphate of ammonia. The use, how- 

 ever, of dissolved bones on pasture would seldom appear to be justified, 

 especially as their phosphoric acid costs more than the same substance in 

 thf form nf basic slag. 



WrNTERING BEES. 



F. R. Bcnhue, Bee Espcri. 



At the end of the honey season every bee-keeper should make a thorough 

 examination of his stocks to ascertain whether each colony has a fertile 

 queen, a sufficient force of worker bees, and enough honey to carrv them 

 through till September or Oc-tnber. To get liees successfully through the 

 winter months is a most difficult problem in North America and Northern 

 Europe, especially whore the rigour of the climate makes cellar-wintering 

 almost a necessity. 



