BEE MANUAL. 283 



Australian Bee Journal, about one species known here in tfew 

 Zealand as common wattle, says : 



"The botanical name of the acacia, referred to by T. J. M., in 

 ' Notes about Bee Forage ' (Part I.), is Acacia lophantha. I can fully 

 endorse all he says about the usefulness of this tree as a honey pro- 

 ducer ; but in South Australia it is objectionable, because of its rank 

 growth and very unpleasant smell. At the end of the second part of 

 his ' Notes on Bee Forage, ' T. J. M. remarks that none of the red or 

 blue gums in his neighbourhood are more than seven or eight years 

 old, and scarcely any have as yet commenced to bear blossoms. This 

 is an objection to most of the eucalypti ; it is so long before they 

 flower, and when they do, little honey appears to be secreted until 

 the trees attain a large size. Eucalyptus carophylla (the red gum of 

 Western Australia) is an exception, and is a tree that I would like to 

 bring under the notice of all bee-keepere throughout Australia and 

 New Zealand. According to Milller, this tree, in its native land, 

 grows to a height of 150 feet, with stems occasionally ten feet in dia- 

 meter. It is the most ornamental gum I have seen ; the foliage is 

 denser and more horizontal than that of any other species we know of, 

 and the tree is readily distinguished by its large seed-pods. Around 

 Adelaide it does very well, comes into flower a few years after planting, 

 and offers a fine pasturage for beeB. In some instances the foliage is 

 almost hidden by the large masses of beautiful white blossom. The 

 tree remains in bloom several months, and during that time it is always 

 crowded with bees. I have never known a season when this gum did 

 not flower." 



VICTORIA. 



As regards this colony, Mr. David Gloss informs me that the 

 chief sources of honey supply in the cool districts are white 

 clover and thistles, and in the hot districts eucalypti, or gum 

 trees ; and that in several hot districts, which are also treeless, 

 bees have generally died out when introduced. Another cor- 

 respondent praises the acacias, black wattle and coast wattle, 

 as invaluable for bee forage. 



QUEENSLAND. 



Mr. Chas. Fullwood says, with regard to Queensland : 



" Our principal source of honey is the various species of eucalypti, 

 which afford supplies the greater portion of the year, as they bloom 

 during all the months from August to April and May, and, in fact, 

 some bloom during the winter menths, when the bees gather, through 

 the warmer hours of the day, a small amount of honey. What is most 

 popularly known as ' tea tree ' here is just now (June) going out of 

 blossom ; this supplies a large amount of honey of rather high colour 

 and rank sweet flavour, which it to a large extent loses while ripening, 

 but which is easily detected when first gathered. 



