18 



other beekeepers, so the season closes with 24 colonies in boxes in the 

 district. 



Until September 27 I was in the Chilliwack district. The weather was 

 very unsettled all the time, in fact I lost 12 days through rainy, cold 

 weather. The honey-flow was late, but where the hives had been skilfully 

 handled a crop averaging 66 pounds per hive had been secured. The honey 

 was of excellent quality. If we except the largest apiary, which from 50 

 hives got 3300 pounds of toney, we have left 64 others with a total of 266 

 hives. These produced a crop of 3575 pounds, an average of a little over 

 14 pounds to the hive. Forty-one of them containing 115 hives got no 

 honey at all. These figures tell better than words how great is the need for 

 a radical change in both appliances and methods in the Chilliwack district. 

 I am convinced I under estimate when I say that at least $2000 worth of 

 honey was lost in this region in 1911 through poor beekeeping, the value 

 being based on the actual wholesale price paid the biggest producer for 

 his crop in bulk. At retail it would amount to 50% more. The proprietor 

 of one of the largest grocery stores in town said he sold on an average 

 fifty pounds a week of California honey, but that he had been unable to 

 buy more than 300 pounds of local honey in four years, and this was in the 

 form of chunk honey cut out of the frames. For it he had paid 12 cents 

 a pound, then had to strain it in the oldfashioned way to prepare it for the 

 market. The marvel is that he could sell any such product in these days, 

 but he said it went quickly because it was locally produced. 



However I feel another season will see a forward movement in the 

 Chilliwack district. Very many of the ranchers are bending all their 

 efforts to the serious task of removing stumps off their land and they feel 

 that every minute is precious. Their case has been specially considered in 

 the second part of this bulletin, so that they may be able to handle their 

 bees with the least possible expenditure of time. But the crying need in 

 Chilliwack district, so far as bees are concerned, is the introduction of 

 modern hives and the use of foundations in the frames so as to get straight 

 workable combs. As a matter of fact the inside condition of the average 

 hive in the district is to all intents and purposes as unmanageable as that 

 of any packing box makeshift. 



Hatzic and Dewdney kept me busy until October 4. Almost every bee- 

 keeper here got honey, much of it in sections. The highest yield was 400 

 sections from eight hives, average 50 sections. The rancher was just begin- 

 ning, but he was alive to one essential, he had ready plenty of supers filled 

 with sections, and as fast as the bees filled one he put on another. Had 

 the others been as well prepared they would have fared just as well. This 

 particular rancher stands out in bold relief in my memory, because in the 

 course of my summer's work I so rarely found anybody ready with anything.. 



The day after I left Dewdney I helped judge the honey exhibits at New 

 Westminster Fair. They were of excellent quality, flavor and aroma, but 

 I was disappointed with the small number of entries and the commonplace 

 arrangement of the exhibits. They certainly were not worthy of so import- 

 ant an exhibition, nor of a district where I had seen, handled and tasted 

 so much excellent honey. I had the opportunity of talking the matter over 

 with a few beekeepers and they frankly said they felt that in the past the 

 julging had been done by men unskilled in apiculture and consequently an 

 award meant nothing. 



The following day I spent on Lulu Island just to learn a little about con- 



