SEPTKMnEK I, 1915 



711 



elcMPonIs so iiccessarv for tlio niainlenaiiee 

 i)f bee life. I'ollcii siraiiis in the bees' stom- 

 achs are in a urowiiij;- coiHlilioii — e. ij.. live 

 food. No inoal substitute- which is inert 

 — fan ever adequately take the place of the 

 natural supply. Belter ]ilant a variety of 

 pollen-bearing ))lants, and for this purpose 

 there are none better than the Australian 

 acacias. 



The wattles should thrive in the United 

 States, and the profusion of bloom — which 

 comjiletely eclipses the foliage — should 

 surely delight the apiarist and his bees. 

 J^'or potato land the silver wattle {Acacia 

 dealhata) is eminently suita:ble. Sandy 

 loam country for the black or tan wattle 

 (Acacia decurrens) and rising stony land 

 for the golden wattles.f A characteristic 

 feature of the Australian "bush " or forest 

 is the great number of wattle seedlings tliat 

 come up after the terrific roasting of a 

 brush fire. This is due to the heat cracking 

 (he hard seed covering and jDermitting mois- 

 ture to reach the \ital germ. When han- 

 tUing wattle seeds it is advisable to remem- 

 ber thi.s, and to pour boiling water on them 

 the night before planting; also do not give 

 any manure or fertilizer. 



Some of (he Australian forests are com- 

 posed of one variety of euealypt only — 

 e. a., yellowbox {Eucalyptus melliodora). 

 While this tree yields splendid crops of 

 honey — up to 300 lbs. per colony — it fur- 

 nishes little or no pollen, consequently 

 strong colonies dwindle down to mere 

 nuclei. It will be seen from this that the 

 (juestion of a pollen substitute is a vital one 

 to Australian ajtiarists. 



TAcacin pi/rtiantha. 



About pollen substitutes, wo have had tlit; 

 I)est success with the wiiite of an egg — al- 

 most puie albumen — beaten up with pow- 

 dt'i'od sugar to a candylike consistency. The 

 bees bi'oed up very strongly on (his com- 

 pound. 



In all the discussions we have heard or 

 read on this subject, none ajipear (o dwell 

 on the inert character of all meal, such as 

 peameal, rye flour, etc. — substitutes. Illus- 

 tration: A man buys a paddock and sends 

 a sainple of soil to the agricultural chemists 

 for analysis. This report states that it pos- 

 sesses all the constituents necessary for the 

 production of a maize ci'op, and yet maize 

 may refuse to grow in that paddock. The 

 elements are thei-e, but inert — that is, ihey 

 are not in a form suitable for plant assim- 

 ilation- 



As the readers are probably aware, the 

 bark of the wattles is rich in tannin, and is 

 valued on that account for making leather. 

 Black wattles are ready to strip when 

 about seven years old; and the bark is 

 woT'th about $35 per ton. South Africa has 

 planted them extensively, and has built up 

 an export trade in tanbark. The Coo(:a- 

 Jiiundra wattle i)egins to bloom when about 

 liiree years old; and to see an Australian 

 river with a golden border perhaps a coui'Je 

 of chains wide is a sight never to be for- 

 gotten. During spring time special trains 

 run from Melbourne, the metropolis, to 

 enable wattle-lovers to appreciate the gold- 

 en gloiy. 



Briagolong, Victoria, Aus. 



Editor'a Note. — This is the concluding article of 

 a series of three by Mr. Rayment on certain impor- 

 tant pollen and nectar yielding plants of Australia. 



IN THE WEST VIRGINIA HILLS 



BY JAMES I. LUTES 



When I was a small boy my father kc];t 

 bees on (lie farm in the old-style box hives. 

 Some were in hollow logs sawed about two 

 feet long and cliisojed out and smoothed up 

 in the best lu^ssible way. A few colonies 

 were hived in nail keys. A square box or 

 small store-box answered for a super, with 

 a small hole bored in one end for the bees 

 to escajie. 



When he thought ihe box was full of 

 honey he would just take the cob or old rag 

 from (he hole in (he end of the box. He 

 would pound on (he sides and top, and if 

 i( sounded as if ii were full of honey he 

 would remove it. This was along in (he 

 'nO's and '70's when meager attention was 

 given to beekeeping. 



Whenever a swarm issued he would ga(h- 

 er up old buckets, dislipans, and sleighliells, 

 and rush out at breakneck speed to get 

 them to settle on some nearby limb. At (he 

 present we hoot at the idea of making such 

 a fuss and worry. We just let (hem alone 

 — by far the better way. 



T have been a merchant for the past 

 thirty years, and a beekeeper for five or six. 

 T have had (he bees merely for pleasure and 

 recrealion. I love Nature, and like to work 

 and be wi(h (he bees. They seem (o bring 

 me rest, and cause me to forget (he cares 

 and worries of business. 



About six years ago T purchased some 

 bees from a neighbor who was getting very 

 old. and was unable to look after them 



