58-2 



Labelling English Honey. 



[Sept., 



Slag may be applied to pasture at any time of year. The 

 practical advantages of summer dressing are evident in the matter 

 of carting, labour, and calm days for drilling. The effect is 

 lasting, but fertility should be maintained at a high level by 

 further doses at periods of three or four years. Nothing so 

 striking as the first improvement is likely to be observed after 

 subsequent dressings, but the standard of fertility being higher, 

 contrast cannot be so obvious. Slag prolongs the grazing season. 

 The presence of clovers is necessary, as they are an essential 

 link in the chain of improvement. Where they are absent or 

 almost so, wild white clover seed should be sown, and Professor 

 Somerville urges farmers to grow their own. It is interesting to 

 see confirmed the natural conclusion that if slag results in live 

 Weight increase it will also affect greater yields of milk. 



The application of nitrogen, it is insisted, is bad for pasture. 

 The reason for this is that it encourages the growth of coarse 

 grasses and weeds which in turn crowd out the finer herbage. 

 The latter is more palatable and of higher feeding value. 

 Nitrogen thus applied depresses clovers. The whole series of 

 results is the opposite to that brought about by phosphates. In 

 respect of these facts, meadowland is broadly the same as 

 pasture. That quantity is not the same as quality in meadow- 

 bay is clearly brought out by the figures given. The influence 

 of potash is worth noting. In the experiments quoted it actually 

 reduced the yield when used alone, whereas applied along with 

 phosphates it considerably improved the quality of the hay, 

 ****** 



It has come to the Ministry's notice that a certain amount of 

 imported honey at present on the English market is of a quality 

 inferior to that produced in this country. 



En lish Hone ^^^^ heen used for bee-feeding 



ng IS oney. ^^^^.-^^g ^-^e winter months, with very 



linsatisfactory results. Apart from this aspect of the matter, 

 'Consumers of honey should support home industry by asking for 

 English honey, and thus not only stimulate the production of 

 this valuable food commodity, but also induce producers to use 

 a distinctive label showing that the honey is home-produced. 

 Such labels are now being issued by most County Bee-Keepers' 

 Associations to members who ask for them, but many do not 

 yet fully recognise their value. This is, perhaps, not to be 

 wondered at, since bee-keepers are primarily producers and 

 not salesmen. The labels used by some County Associations 

 state that complaints as to the quality of the honey should be 



