326 



THE GARDEN AND FIELD. 



December, 1913 



Apiculture as an Occupation 

 for Women. 



The 'reasons for keeping bees are 

 many and various, and the busi- 

 ness ai)peals lo man, woman, 

 youth and child. Bees have been 

 a part of the conscious life of man 

 from the beginning. Not onlv have 

 they sweetened his daily bread 

 with beneficent ^ honey, but they 

 have also set him an example far 

 more uplifting than any other in- 

 sect or animal creation. 



Beekeeping is the one line of 

 work that the busy woman o'r the 

 woman of leisure can take up as 

 a remunerative occupation. All be- 

 ginners should be provided with a 

 silk bee-veil and rubber gloves, be- 

 cause bees do not often attack rub- 

 ber. They should also visit the 

 bees often and keep up the 

 acquaintance, but should not ap- 

 proach the front of the hive. Al- 

 ways approach a hive from the 

 back or side. It will protect 

 ed by veil and gloves any one can 

 handle bees without being stung. 

 However, most people become im- 

 mune to the poison after being 

 stung a few times. When bee man- 

 agement has been prop&rlv learned 

 bees are as easil\^ handled as birds. 

 Women can care for bees because 

 there is little attention necessary 

 unless one wishes to feed for early 

 brood-rearing, or there is foul 

 brood in the vicinity. 



When the swarming season is at 

 hand, and one is provided with a 

 new sectional hive with frames pro- 

 perly fitted with brood-foundation 

 starters, and a queen and drone 



EiDgineer, Gremeral Machinist, ice. 

 C<Hmer of 



FBANKUN AND MORPHETT ST., 

 ADELAIDE 



Maaufacturer of Centrifugal nnd 

 geared forced Pumps — Bepaire to all 

 elatses Steam, Oil and (jMoline 

 Engines \ SpMiality. 



A TRIAL SOLICIfIB 



trap, the bees may be allowed to 

 cluster in the trap or they may 

 be left free to cluster elsewhere. 

 If they cluster on a bush, cut the 

 branch and lay it before the hive, 

 preferably on a large sheet of 

 cheap muslin. Then tap lightly 

 with a stick, and you will soon ex- 

 perience a thrill of enthusiasm. The 

 bees will march into the hive in 

 regular order. 



Women who keep Ijefes are of 

 great benefit to their homes aod 

 communities. The honey supplied 

 is the most healthful and purest 

 sweet the world knows, and is 

 useful in a variety of ways. It 

 may be used in its natural statfe on 

 the table, in fruit canning, cooking, 

 baking and candy-making — in fact, 

 in anything that sugar and water 

 are used in. It has greater sweet- 

 ening power than most of the 

 manufacturec! syrups, and, besides, 

 possesses great medicinal value. 



As a remunerative occupation for 

 women it has been my experience 

 that it is extremely profitable, 

 clean, and bealthful. When bees 

 have been properlv cared for 

 during the winter and spring, and 

 a propter method employed diiring 

 the summer, a single swarm can 

 produce from 50 to 200 one-pound 

 .sections of surplus honey which 

 can always be sold at good prices. 

 It is a business that can be car- 

 ried on with one or two hives or 

 one or two hundred. It can be 

 carried on at home, thus affording 

 a great opportunity for self-im- 

 provement. There should be at 

 least one or two hives of bees in 

 evefv garden, especially, in the 

 rural sections of our country, as 

 the bee is the best pollenizer, and 

 ])erfect poUenization means perfect 

 fruit and grain. — Gleanings in Bee 

 Culture. 



♦ 



Hawkdsbury Agricultural 

 College. 



The following are the returns of 

 47 cows, which have completed a 

 ])eriod of lactation since the last 

 returns were published. 



As three of these cows have been 

 inilk for more than twelve nvonths 

 Ihey have not been included in the 

 order of merit, but, as their re- 

 turns are above the average, they 

 have been added to the list.. 



The first three cows produced 

 butter worth £18 9/10-, ^^4 n/, 

 and 1^4-) respectively, or an 



average of £15 11/-; and the last 

 tlvree,, £7 ^6 14/2, and £5 



16/8, respectively, an average of 

 £6 1 1/4. 



It vs'ill be noted that, although 

 the first three are a trifle behind 

 the cows W'hich held pride, of place 

 last year, the last three have an 

 average of £6 1 1/4 as against £4 

 12 9 the previous year. 



The average for the whole heird 

 is £13 3/6 as against £10 9/4 for 

 last returns, which may be consiid- 

 ered very satisfactory. 



The Kerr}'- Jersey crosses are still' 

 well above the average, although 

 they do not show to such advan- 

 tage as previously, but 'this is 

 probably due to the fact/ that most 

 of the cows of this cross are get- 

 ting aged. Since they have given 

 such excellent returns in this dis- 

 trict, it has been decided to pur- 

 chase some high-class Jersey grade 

 heifers to lyiate with our Ken^y 

 btills, and, judging by the previous 

 performances of this cross, the 

 result should be very satisfactory. 



In comparing the College cows 

 with other herds, it is wiell to bear 

 in mind that our pastures are of 

 such a character as to make it ne- 

 cessary to hand^eed the cattle 

 practically all through the year, 

 and, although well fed, they can- 

 not be expected to give as good 

 returns as if they were fed on the 

 rich succulent pastures of most of 

 our dairying districts. 



All the milking cows are rugged 

 during the coldest winter^ months, 

 but this trouble and expense has 

 been found to be more than com- 

 pensated for by thie laryer supply 

 of milk, and the fact that the cows 

 keep in much better condition. 



Table showing Milk and Butter 

 yield of three best and three 

 worst cows : — 



I Shorthorn— J erse\ — ^Milk, 9,182 

 lbs. ; average test per cent., 4.1 ; 

 butter, 443 lbs. 



2. Jer.sey-Kerry-J&rsey, 6,210 lbs, 

 4.6 per cent., 342 lbs. butter. 



3. Ayrshire grade, 7)3o4 lbs. 

 milk, 3^9 per cent., 334 lbs. butter. 



42. " Ayrshire, 4,188 lbs. milk, 

 3.5 per cent., 172 11>s. butter. 



43. Cjuernsey- Ayr shire, 3,4'28 lbs. 

 milk, 4.0 per cent., 161 lbs. butter. 



44. Ayrshire, 2,980 l|)s. milk, 4.0 

 per cent^ 130 lbs. butter. 



RAT)DT/E AND HARNESS MAKER. 

 Grindery Stocked. 



Corner— 15!), Hindley and Morphett 

 Streets. 



Special terms to Country Cliemts. 

 Satisfaction Guaranteed. 



