BEE MANUAL. 11 



of brimstoned bees, as a brand of disgrace to those who practise 

 this horrid system : — 



HERE RESTS, 



OUT OFF FROM USEFUL LABOUR, 



A Colony of 



INDUSTRIOUS BEES, 



Basely Murdered 



BY ITS 



Ungrateful and Ignorant Owner. 



But this most barbarous and cruel practice is fast passing 

 away, through the efforts of more enlightened and humane 

 bee-keepers. 



Amongst those who have done good service in this direction 

 is Dr. Irving, of Canterbury, who, soon after his arrival there 

 in 1879, took steps to put bee-culture in the South Island on 

 a proper footing. To do this, he placed a modern hive, con- 

 taining a colony of bees, in the Public Gardens at Christchurch, 

 and occasionally delivered lectures, with experiments, to those 

 interested in bee-keeping. He has also written many interest- 

 ing and valuable articles on bee-culture in the Canterbury 

 Times. He was elected first president of the Christchurch Bee- 

 keepers' Association, which he was mainly instrumental in 

 founding. 



About the same time, with the object of giving information 

 to our bee-keeping settlers, I wrote a series of articles upon 

 bee-culture, which appeared in our local papers, and which 

 created such a large amount of interest and produced so many 

 requisitions to me to publish them in book form, that I was 

 induced, in the year 1881, to publish the first edition of this 

 Manual. The extent of the newly-awakened interest in the 

 improved system of culture was shown by the fact that a new 

 edition of the work was required within thirteen months ; and 

 that being now exhausted, I am led to lay before the public 

 the third edition in its present revised and greatly enlarged 

 form. In July, 1883, the Nexo Zealand and Australian Bee 

 Journal was started by Mr. J. C. Firth, under my editorship, 

 I having in the meantime entered into arrangements with that 

 gentleman for the establishment aud working of extensive 



