S60 



[June 1908. 



LIVE STOCK. 



BEE-KEEPING AS A RURAL INDUSTRY. 



Until about sixty years ago bee-keeping in 

 this country could hardly be considered an 

 industry ; still less could the terms "art" 

 and "science" be applied to it. Now it can 

 be included in each of the three categories. 

 It is true that for centuries the value of 

 honey and wax has been well known, and 

 much attention has been, with some success, 

 given to the natural history of bees ; but the 

 methods of management continued to be of 

 a very primitive kind, and yielded compara- 

 tively poor results. The places in which 

 swarms were found, or were induced to live, 

 were simply cavities in rocks, natural or 

 artificial hollows in tree-trunks, earthen- 

 ware vessels of different shapes, and, in 

 later times, straw hives or"skeps." All 

 these receptacles not only presented con- 

 siderable difficulty in getting combs of honey 

 out of them, but, what is in the eyes of 

 modern bee-keepers a matter of still 

 greater moment, they necessitated the 

 slaughter of the bees before their stores 

 could be taken. With the advent of hives 

 containing movable frames bee-keeping was 

 entirely revolutionized. Through this appli- 

 ance not only was an end put to killing the 

 bees, but now the condition of any stock as 

 to healthiness and sufficiency of food can be 

 easily ascertained, and necessary treatment 

 can be given ; weak or queenless stocks can 

 be united ; artificial swarms can be made ; 

 young queens substituted for old ones ; and, 

 moreover, it can be said, without exagger- 

 ation, that under skilful management three 

 or four times more honey can be secured 

 than was obtainable under former conditions 

 of working. 



Several other circumstances have contri- 

 buted to raise bee-keeping to the rank of a 

 science and art. First, there has been a 

 considerable output of excellent literature on 

 the subject. Guide-books, brought up to 

 date, have been issued at prices which even 

 cottagers can well afford. Researches relat- 

 ing to diseases of bees have been successfully 

 carried on, and suitable remedies can now 

 be applied. But perhaps the most efficient 

 means of advance have resulted from the 

 institution of the British Bee-keepers ' Asso- 

 ciation 34 years ago. Its objects were stated 

 to be " the advocating of more humane and 

 intelligent treatment of the honey-bee ; the 

 bettering of the condition of the cottagers 

 of the United Kingdom by the encourage- 

 ment, improvement, and advancement of 

 bee-culture ; and, further, the increase of the 

 home supply of wholesome food." The pur- 

 poses thus set forth have been kept strictly 

 in view, ap.d have been successfully brought 



out. Then, also, help and advice have been 

 given in the formation of county associations 

 of bee-keepers ; and of these no less than 

 28 are, at the present time, in affiliation with 

 the parent association. Each of these has 

 for its President some lady or gentleman of 

 position and influence. Princess Christian 

 has graciously taken the headship of the 

 Berkshire Association, and Princess Henry 

 < >f Battenberg that of the Isle of Wight. 



Further stimulus to bee-keeping is annu- 

 ally given by exhibitions of honey, hives, 

 and various appliances, for which valuable 

 prizes are awarded, also by lectures and 

 manipulations illustrative of bee-keeping, 

 and largely by tours of experts to as many 

 apiaries as are known to secretaries of the 

 county associations. These experts are 

 holders of certificates granted after examin- 

 ations by the British Bee-keepers' Associ- 

 ation. The certificates represent three grades 

 of proficiency, the two higher ones being 

 obtainable only by candidates showing con- 

 siderable knowledge and abitity, both theo- 

 retical and practical. Again, very import- 

 ant services are rendered to bee-keepers all 

 over the country by the British Bee 

 Journal. This excellent weekly periodical 

 is edited by two gentlemen of large experi- 

 ence and very wide acquaintance with the 

 literature and working of apiculture. Re- 

 ports of the meetings of the British and 

 county associations are given. Questions 

 are asked of the editors by bee-keepers who 

 find themselves in all sorts of difficulties, 

 and, as both inquiries and replies are 

 printed, a large amount of useful inform- 

 ation is thus supplied for the general good. 



As to the actual number of people with 

 apiaries, no thoroughly trustworthy statis- 

 tics for the whole of England are in exist- 

 ence. Careful inquiries have, however, 

 been instituted in several counties, and the 

 best authorities have computed that in the 

 British Isles there are 90,000 bee-keepers, 

 and in England alone there are about 63,000 

 in our rural districts. The honey imports 

 from abroad, amounting in value to more 

 than £80,000 per annum, show that the 

 home production is not equal to the demand. 

 Moreover, the low price of the foreign pro- 

 duct proves the superior quality of what is 

 obtained from our own bees. 



The passing of the Small Holdings Act 

 opens up a new vista for several minor in- 

 dustries. In fact, for the successful work- 

 ing of the Act more than one item in la 

 petite culture will be requisite. The keep- 

 ing of pigs and possibly of goats ; the rear- 

 ing of poultry, and the planting of many 

 kinds of fruit trees will doubtless receive 



