AUGUST 15, 1916 



The rainfall duiiug the last 6 months of 

 1915 was 6.015 inches. For 

 1911 15.633 1914 7 225 



1912 12.697 1915 6.015 



1913 15.505 



Tn contrast to the above, and to show that 

 we have rain in some parts of New Zealand, 

 the following figures for the town of Ho- 

 kitika (on the west coast) may be of inter- 

 est. 



In 1915 rain fell on 220 days, totaling 

 134.05 inches. This is not unusual, as tho 

 following figures will show. 



The fall in 1908 was 110.48 inches. 



1909 121.00 1913 101.18 



1910 132.69 1914 112.32 



1911 104.S9 1915 134.05 



1912 115.62 



The heaviest rainfall on record for Hoki- 

 tika was in 1878, when 154.44 inches was 

 recorded; the lightest was in 1869, when 

 there was only 88.21. 



I am not aware that any bees are kept 

 there; but if so, 1 should imagine they 

 should never leave their umbrellas at home. 



C'hristehurch, N. Z., May 9, 1916. 



REMOAING A COLONY FROM AN AUSTRALIAN GUM-TREE 



BY E. B. MACPHERSON^, 



Out in tlie '* bush " one lovely day I 

 found bees going in and out of a gum-tree. 

 The owner dared me to get the bees and 

 combs into a hive. I did not like the idea of 

 cutting down such a fine old tree, so I bor- 

 rowed a ladder that was just about long 

 enough to enable m.e to reach the bees. 



With a small ax I cut a hole where the 

 bees were going in and out large enough for 

 me to dig out the combs of brood. By the 

 time I had the hole cut the bees were fright- 

 ened enough to desert the brood and honey, 

 hanging in a swarm above the combs be- 

 tween some rotten wood inside the tree. 



I drew out the brood-combs one by one 

 and let them fall into the tall grass and 

 ferns below which broke the fall nicely. 

 When all the combs were out I went down 

 the ladder, fixed them into shallow frames, 

 tying them in with strings to keep them in 

 position. T thought I could get the bees out 

 by carrying them down in handfuls, but 

 could not get the queen in that way, and it 

 was rather .?low work anyhow, as most of 

 them would keep flying back before I could 

 get up again for another handful. 



I had no smoker with me so I took a piece 

 of old rotten wood from the hollow of the 

 tree, made a fire on the ground in order to 

 light the rotten wood, then carried it up 

 where the bees were. They soon found they 

 could not live with so much smoke, so they 

 came out in a swarm and settled in the ferns 

 below. I moved the hive over to them and 

 every bee went in. The colony is doing 

 well now. 



Port Fairy, Vic, Aus. 



[Nothing like succeeding under adverse 

 circumstances! How many beekeepers would 

 tackle a proposition like this, working on 

 the " tip top " of a ladder and without a 

 smoker? Our friend is not one to give up al 

 the first obstacle that presents itself. — Ed.] 



I nil 'I |MiHlII_ lllr t 



low, thinking the bees 

 the plan did not work. 



;iii-l.ir.-.l ronib.-, in tin- hol- 

 would settle on them, but 



