1922.] 



Bee-Keeping in Norfolk. 



915 



In these balance sheets ten per cent, is allowed for deprecia- 

 tion on the capital expenditure ; this is found to be ample, as the 

 equipment of an apiary is serviceable at the end of ten years, 

 and even at the end of twenty years. The cost of wax founda- 

 tion and frames should be reckoned as capital expenditure as 

 they remain in the apiary five years, but the cost of these is 

 charged as current expenditure. Everything that is bought for 

 the production of honey, wax, bees and maintenance is in- 

 cluded. Time is not charged for, owing to the difficulty in 

 assessing it, and beginners usually waste time in unnecessary 

 work. The balance sheets from the centres include the results 

 from some of the most skilful bee-keepers who readily availed 

 themselves of the instruction. 



The county scheme also provides for grants to local societies 

 for approved work; the teaching of bee-life and the making 

 of bee hives in elementary schools; and the establishment of a 

 county apiary. Several elementary schools have practical bee- 

 keeping classes. 



Acarine disease practically depleted the county of bees from 

 1910 to 1914, and bee-keeping was abandoned in places where 

 it had flourished. This was a most disheartening period. The 

 introduction of Italian queen bees, obtained chiefly through the 

 Ministry of Agriculture's scheme, has had excellent results; the 

 county has again many thriving apiaries and progress is still 

 being made. Withm a mile of East Dereham there are 100 

 stocks of bees built up since 1914. With actual results in view 

 it is estimated that Norfolk is capable of producing an annual 

 average output of 1,000 tons of honey. Bees are a potential 

 source of food, as the nectar secreted by flowers is entirely lost 

 if not gathered by them. 



Fig. 1 shows one of the apiaries built up under the guidance 

 of the county expert; each hive contains a thriving colony of 

 bees, and the produce last season was half a ton of honey, 

 a few pounds of wax and six stocks of bees. 



Practical Work. — In the practical instruction the British 

 Bee-keeper's Guide Book is used as the source of information, 

 but we also read the bee literature published in America, in 

 the Colonies and the home journals, " skimming the cream " 

 of any new ideas and trying them out. Past experience makes 

 us cautious in adopting new inventions until we have appraised 

 their value. It is advisable to keep to the smallest number 

 of simple appliances consistent with efficiency, and to become 

 thoroughly skilful in their application rather than have a multi- 



D 2 



