25 



it was killing off the bees wholesale, 

 and many of those who had intended to 

 take up beekeeping as a business gave it 

 up in despair. 



The late Frank E. Cheshire, F.L.S., 

 F.R.M.S., and others in England and on 

 the European Continent, were endea- 

 vouring to find some means of cure in 

 one or other of the known germicides. 

 At one time salicylic acid solution, of 

 a certain strength, for spraying over 

 affected combs, painting over hives, and 

 mixing with syrup for feeding the bees, 

 was given out as a cure if properly 

 applied. This, however, practically 

 proved a failure. Then came the Sproule 

 and Cheshire cure, which consisted of 

 a solution of Calvert's No. 1 phenol 

 (pure carbolic acid in crystals), used 

 much in the same way as the salicylic 

 acid. After Cheshire had experimented 

 with this drug, and declared he had 

 cured bad cases of disease with it, it 

 was generally believed that a genuine 

 cure had been found. The remedy was 

 tried throughout the beekeeping world, 

 and though some cases of cure were re- 

 ported, it generally failed, and was given 

 up everywhere except in England and 

 perhaps some other parts of Europe. 



Other drugs, both in solution and 

 vapour, have been tried without success, 

 yet many British beekeepers stick to 

 drug treatment to this day, notwith- 

 standing that such treatment has long 

 since been abandoned in other countries. 

 The most the drugs ever did was to 

 check disease in some cases. 



THE BOX-HIVE MAN. 



In addition to the trouble we pre- 

 viously had with box-hive and other 

 dareless beekeepers, in spoiling the honey 

 market, they were now the cause of a 

 more serious difficulty to battle against. 

 As they had no interest in their bees in 

 so far as depending upon them for the 

 whole or a part of their livelihood, it 

 mattered not a jot whether their bees 

 died from disease or not. The boxes 

 containing the diseased combs were left 

 just as they were before the inmates 

 had died, for other bees to enter and so 

 spread disease. When warned of the 

 mischief caused in this way, I do not 

 suppose one box-hive man in fifty took 

 the trouble to destroy the diseased 

 boxes and contents. In fact, many 

 stray swarms that were caught were 

 dumped into these same boxes to spread 

 disease and die off as their predecessors 



had done. We did everything possible 

 to alter this state of things without 

 avail, and it was then only a matter of 

 giving up beekeeping altogether or 

 struggling along as best we could, always 

 hoping for better things to turn up. I 

 made a solemn vow at that time that if 

 ever the opportunity came I would do 

 my utmost to do away with box-hives 

 and their owners from beekeeping in 

 New Zealand altogether. That time did 

 come, but it took twenty years to bring 

 it about — "better later than never." 



THE EIRST APIARIES BILL. 



As already stated, the draft' of the bill 

 drawn up by the sub-committee of the 

 New Zealand Beekeepers' Association ap- 

 pointed for the purpose in March, 1888, 

 was submitted to and adopted by the 

 executive committee on the 28th of the 

 following month. It was also decided, 

 in order to streng-then the hands of the 

 president (Mr Frank Lawry, JI/H.R.), 

 who consented to take charge of the bill, 

 to obtain as many signatures as possible 

 of beekeepers throughout the colony, 

 praying the Legislature to pass the bill. 

 Petition.s were sent to memhers of the 

 'Corresponding committee residing in 

 different parts of the country from 

 Otago to Auckland, which were subse- 

 quently returned signed by 470 leading 

 beekeepers, and were foi'warded to Mr 

 Lawry at Wellington, in June, 1888. 



The following is a complete copy of the 

 bill as presented to the Parliament of 

 New Zealand during the session of. 

 1888. I am pleased to be able to give 

 it, as, when compared with our present 

 Act, it seems somewhat of a curiosity. 

 It must be understood, however, that we. 

 had to provide for the administration 

 of the Act without any expense to the 

 Government, as the Treasury was nearly 

 bankrupt at the time. It must be fur- 

 ther understood that the drug treatment 

 of foul brood was then fully believed 

 in, hence the schedule attached. 



FOUL-BKOOD AND DISEASE IN BEES 

 PREVENTION ACT. 



1. The Short Title of this Act is "The 

 Foul Brood aaa Disease in Bees Prevention 

 Act, 1888." 



2. In ttie construction of this Act, if not 

 inconsistent with the context: — 



"Bee-keeper" means any person who 

 Iseeps or allows to be kept on We pro- 

 perty one or more colonies of honey- 

 bees. 



