1901 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



155 



"Gray Box" is a tree which yields 

 honey in some parts of Australia; and it 

 has recently been found that this honey 

 is responsible for many winter losses 

 heretofore unaccounted for. 



The Bee Bulletin learns from an ex- 

 change, QuirindiOtizette, that honey will 

 turn to wax if left untouched for a long 

 time. This is timelj' information, and 

 the Australians, who have such a hard 

 time in disposintr of their big honey 

 crops, might find in it the solution of the 

 market problem. Wax is always ready 

 sale. 



The use of galvanized tanks and ex- 

 tractors is condemned by several contri- 

 buters to Australasian Bee-Kcepcr. This 

 metal is thought to be injurious to the 

 honey which comes in contact with it. 



It is said that the wax moth is so bad 

 in Queensland as to have nearly exter- 

 minated the bees. 



The first bees in the Island Continent 

 were introduced in 1822 by Capt. VVallis, 

 of the ship Isabella. They were of the 

 black or German variety. The first Ital- 

 ians introduced with success, according 

 to the "Australian Bee Manuel," were 

 those taken to Queensland by Mr. Full- 

 wood, from Liverpool, in 1880. 

 J 



Editor W. S. Pender, of the Austral- 

 asian Bee-Keeper, says that there are 

 days in his countrv when the air is so 

 dry as to render it impossible to transfer 

 larvs by the royal jelly plan. Says it 

 will dry hard in two minutes on such 

 days; so that the process is attempted 

 only when atmospheric conditions are 

 favorable. The .same practical writer, 

 in regard to introducing queens, lays 

 great stress upon the importance of 

 having the. queen in a very amiable con- 

 dition before introducing her. He some- 

 times finds it necessary to starve her 

 until slie will beg for food, and " thus 

 prepare her to accept of the bees." 



m 



Referring to a discussion between A. C. 

 Miller and Editor Root some time ago, 

 Mr. Pender says that he has had bees too 

 busy gathering honey to start cells when 

 made queenless. 



A writer in A^istral Culturist says he 

 can produce foul brood to order at a few 

 days' notice by any of the following 

 methods: (1) Strengthening weak colo- 



nies by adding brood. (2) Artitlcially 

 dividing, slovenly done. (3) Giving a 

 new swarm a full frame of sealed brood. 

 (4) Spreading brood and inserting combs 

 or starters in the centre. "These," says 

 he, "are the main causes, and should 

 not be practiced." 



& 

 The following from the Austral Cul- 

 turist voices a truth to which the people 

 of this country, as well as those of 

 other lands, will surely awake at no 

 very distant date: 



OuK Timber Resoukces.— That Forest con- 

 servation ought to be one of the first questions 

 dealt with by the Commonwealth, there can hardly 

 be a doubt." Young trees should be protected, 

 worked-out saw-milling areas should be re-planted, 

 and there ousjht to be an act passed right away to 

 prohibit the felling and burning of milling timber 

 for settlement purposes. Millions of feet of valuable 

 timber have been allowed to be burnt in the past. 

 This is worse than waste — it is a national crime. 

 The timber land of this colony is of much more 

 value to the people than any such small farm set- 

 tlements can be. la fact, it would have paid the 

 colony far better if every small and large settler 

 had been paid a pension by the colony to sit down 

 and do nothing rather than allow such settlers to 

 burn off and destroy the inheritance of the people. 

 What shall we do when our timber is exhausted? 

 Sawmills will eat up our forests, building material 

 will go up lUO per cent. 



Timber is going to be of much more importance 

 to the welfare of the people of this colony than 

 many are aware of. The forests of Victoria equally 

 with those of Australia, are beginning to show the 

 effects of man and fire. In the bush country the 

 cry is heard the loudest, because it is only those 

 who earn their living felling timber who know 

 how really difficult it is to get good sawing timber. 



American forests are being exhausted at a very 

 rapid rate; whole States have been deforested 

 during the life of many now living. The question 

 of timber, cheap and plentiful, will settle the 

 future of people as of States, and the first thing 

 that people should consider is how best to conserve 

 our remaining forests. 



And above all, what do bee-keepers say to this? 

 What are they going to do? Consideration of good 

 timber is their all in all, for nothing can take its 

 place. Honey is one of those by-products of a 

 large forest area which re-acts and helps in fertil- 

 ization of its blossoms and ensuring a succession 

 of valuable timber. Remember, the only way you 

 can keep up the supply of timber is to plant a tree 

 for every tree you cut down. Remember the fate 

 of Northern Africa, of the one-time lovely vales of 

 Palestine. 



FRANCE. 



From time to time medical treatments 

 requiring the use of honey are given in 

 the different bee papers. The Apicuiteur 

 gives one (translated from the German) 

 which undoubtedly caps the climax in 

 that line. A gentleman, afflicted by a 

 chronic diarrhoea, was cured (?) by hav- 

 ing bees sting him on the abdomen. 

 Next: 



SWITZERLAND. 

 Several communications have appear- 

 ed in the Revue Internationale concern- 



