8 Bee-kef p'l 11 fi in Victoria. 



practised in Australia, does not permit of the proper development of the 

 nectar- producing plants and the maximum production of nectar. As 

 probably over 90 per cent, of the honey produced in Victonia is obtained 

 from eucalypts, this fact should be borne in mind when selecting a district 

 in which to commence bee-keeping. 



\Vith the opening up of country to settlement, the natural honey 

 resources are to a large extent destroyed. It is a natural and inevitable 

 result and no claim can be made on behalf of bee culturte to have the whole 

 of the country kept in its natural state. 



Every countrv, however, must have forests and timber reserves to 

 maintain the supplv of timber, to protect the sources of water supply, and 

 to exercise a beneficial influence on the climate. As the forests of Victoria 

 are now permanentlv reserved and are being improved by thinning, pro- 

 tection against fires, and new jilantations, they afford ample scope for 

 apicultural enterprise and a great expansion of the liee-keeping industry. 

 Moreo\-er, the advent of irrigation settlement on a large scale, together 

 with the practice of cutting fodder crops instead of feeding them off, w^ill 

 make bqe-keeping profitable in manv places where, under the old system 

 of continuous eating off, it could not be engaged in. 



Profits of Bee-keeping. 



One of the first questions asked by people becon'ing interested in bee 

 culture is — How much honey will each hive produce in a season? This 

 question is a very difficult one to answer, as the return per hive depends 

 upon three main factors. The first is the flora and climate of the locality 

 where the bees are kept. The second, the ability and experience of the 

 bee-keeper, and, third, the race or strain of bees kept. A return of 20s. 

 per hive per annum for a number of years may be considered a fair general 

 a^'erage. For different apiaries, the return may vary all the way from 

 nothing up to 80s. per hive, according to the character of the season, the 

 flora of the locality, and the skill of the bee-keeper. Taking 20s. as a fair 

 general average per hive, it must not be assumed that the annual income 

 can be increased indefinitely by increasing the number of hives. The 

 number of hives kept is limited to what the owner can personally supervise, 

 and what the locality will carry without overstocking it, and then bv 

 reducing the yield. A skilled and experienced apiarist can manage 200 

 colonies without assistance if lo<-ated in one or tw'o apiaries not too far 

 apart. 



Examples of what has actually been done by apiarists given hereunder 

 will inijicate the possibilities of the industry. 



Mr. , a city dweller, commenced bee-farming in 1906. He 



had no previous experience. At the end of that year he had 50 hives ; at 

 the end of 1911 he had 270, and received ^406 13s. 5d. for his products. 



Mr. commenced operations in — 



Mr. commenced in 1900 with two hives ; has now 200 hives, 



obtaining ^375 for honey only, and values his apiary at ^4,000. 



Mr. commenced in 1 899 ; for fourteen years he has averaged 



^337 per annum. 



