9 



be m'ade m'e a very good loffer bo go my- 

 self and take my bees, and a-s many miore 

 as I ooTild get. 



I wanted, of course, some little time 

 to think over it, and to visit Matamata 

 before I oould decide one way or the 

 other, as it wmUd mean giving up my 

 bueinesB — tbouglh I was anxioue to go, 

 and hoped everyithing would be favour- 

 able. Eventually everything was ar- 

 ranged for my going, my business was 

 passed ever to Messrs. Bagnall Bros, and 

 Oo., and I left the Xhames with all my 

 bees — 45 pure Italian colonies, and about 

 10 crosebreds — and appliances In Mr. 

 Firth's steamer for Matamata, in August, 

 1882. 



THE MATAilATA APIARY. 



The homestead of the estate was sit- 

 uated about seven miles from the land- 

 ingj on the Waihou River, where my 

 bees were transhipped from the steamer 

 to wagon.^. The spot chosen for the 

 home apiary was about 400 yards from 

 the homestead, in a naturally sheltered 

 spot. A house and large workshop, with 

 honey house attached, had been erected 

 close to, so that in a few days the apiary 

 was fully established. The apiary being 

 comparatively small, I was anxious to 

 purchase some colonies, and eventually 

 arranged with Mr. Parsons of Te Awa- 

 mutu, and Major Jackson of Kihikihi, to 

 sell me all the colonies they could spare. 

 Mr. Parsons' bees were in small frame 

 hives of his own construction (not 

 Langstroth hives), and Major Jackson's 

 thirteen colonies were in Berlepseh 

 hives; in all I secured fifty colonies. 

 These were packed on a four-horse 

 wagon. We reached Cambridge the first 

 night, and Matanjata the following 

 afternoon, without the least mishap, 

 although parte of the road were so bad 

 that the wheels sank in ruts up to the 

 axles, and we had to use a spade to 

 clear them. 



In due course the bees were all trans- 

 ferred to Langstroth hives, so that at 

 the commencement of the season I had 

 about 100 colonies of a mixed assortment 

 of Italians, hybrids, and black bees. All 

 the pure Italians were kept at the home 

 apiary, and with the others I established 



THE FIRST OUT-APIARY. 

 As my first object was to increase the 

 Ibees and to Italianise all I had boiight, 

 I gave little attention to the taking of 



honey the first season, so that only A 

 ton or so was secured for use on the 

 station, and as presents to friends. The 

 following season of 1883-4 ten tons were 

 taken from 200 colonies in the out-apialry 

 (that is, 150 spring count, increasing t» 

 200 colonies), and this was about the 

 average yield while I remained at Mata- 

 mata. 



Unfortunately, however, for bee-farm- 

 ing, the land at Matamata soon got 

 "clover sick." White clover would grow 

 magnificently for about three years and 

 then die out completely. This was a 

 great disappointment to everybody, 

 estpecially to me, as I had expected to 

 establish at least six or eight out- 

 apiariea. 



IMPORTING HOLY LAND QUEENS. 



Little was known of a practical 

 nature concerning several varieties of 

 Eastern bees other than Italians, hence 

 the glowing reports circulated about 

 them at the time. So much, however, 

 was thought of some varieties, that Mr. 

 D. A. Jones, of Canada, accompanied by 

 Mr. Frank Benton, of the United States, 

 went to Cyprus and India in 1879 to in- 

 vestigate them. Mr. Benton eventually 

 established an apiary of 100 colonies in 

 Cyprus for the purpose of rearing Cyp- 

 rian queens for export to Europe and 

 America. Subsequently he established 

 apiaries in Palestine, Carniola, and other 

 Eastern places, for raising queens of the 

 several varieties. 



Naturally I was very anxious to test 

 these Eastern bees of which so much 

 had been said in their favour, and know- 

 ing Mr. Wilkin, of California, with whom 

 I had previously dealt, had some in their 

 purity, I sent to him for five nuclei of 

 pure Holy Landers and five of Cyprians. 

 My order went forward in June, 1882, 

 and on August 24, 1882, the ten nuclei, 

 crated together, were shipped by Messrs 

 Stearns and Smith, of San Francisco, 

 reaching me safely the following month 

 He was, however, unable to send me 

 Cyprians at that time, so those that 

 came to hand were five pure Holy Land- 

 ers, and five crossed Holy Landers — 

 Italians. 



OFFICIAL PERMISSION TO SEND 

 QUEEN BEES THROUG-H THE POST. 

 As I anticipated doing an extensive 

 queen trade, it was necessary — ^as there 

 ■were some restrictions with regard to 



