120 THE AUSTRALIAN' BEEKEEPERS’ JOURNAL. 
different to this, and it is not favorable for 
honey production, while the season is short and 
sometimes an absolute failure. To keep the 
bees alive there means feeding them, and to 
feed them on honey means a great outlay, as 
the honey is high in price. The winter is 
long and the consumption of food great, so 
when feeding is necessary and sugar is chosen 
as food this cannot effect adulteration of 
honey to such an extent as it would here. [ 
While there, feeding is a necessity incurred by 
bad weather and long winters, it is quite j 
different here. Although in this beautiful 
country w r ith its sunny summers, and its 
absolute mild winters, times may come which 
make it necessary to feed our bees for a short 
period, we need not rest on syrup as our only 
remedy. Generally some districts are more 
fortunate than others, and then the honey is 
so cheap that it is within the reach of everyone 
to buy it and give to his dear little insects who 
will repay his devoted attention with great 
interest. But can anyone cite an instance 
where his fellow-beeman bought honey of him 
to feed bees? And if not, why not? We 
have now Associations in every colony, surely 
their members will help one another, and one 
Association another, if help is wanted. We 
can always obtain honey enough to feed bees 
with, and we open a new field for our product, 
while our credit remains secure and safe. 
A few words more and I have done with 
this lot. Is it not very often the beekeepers’ 
own fault that his bees require feeding? 
Has not he deprived them of their stores so 
that feeding becomes a consequence of his 
greediness ? My friends, mind what you do 
and consider the results. 
W. Abram, Manager. 
Italian Bee Company, Parramatta, N S.W. 
IRews anb IReports from Colonial 
apiaries. 
NARRACOORTE, S.A. 
Commenced beekeeping last April twelve- 
months with two colonies, but by obtaining 
bees from the bush, and swarms, increased to 
18 colonies by 1st December, 1887. Since 
about middle of October, 1887, have obtained 
1010 lbs. of extracted honey ; have not worked 
for comb honey, as demand is limited. Keep 
Italians and Hybrids, obtaining two Queens 
from Adelaide and breeding my own Hybrids. 
Use the Langstroth Hive, and tier up to three 
stories. The forage runs as follows : — August, 
almond blossoms, then Cape marigold ; 
September, Cape marigold, garden flowers and 
Cape broom ; October, Cape broom. Cape 
marigold, and towards end of month a species 
of white gum (this tree flowers every other 
year blossoming when the red gums do not) ; 
November, white gum and garden flowers ; 
December, red gums (E. Rostrata), but this 
year, very sparsely ; January and February, 
red gum, then “prickly bush.” This shrubby 
tree bears a pale yellow cluster of flowers, the 
flowers being very small, but contain an 
immense quantity of honey . It lasts till about 
tbe middle of February. The honey has a 
nasty, hitter taste, savoring of Venice turpen- 
tine, and has a strong odour. It is unsaleable. 
From the middle of February till end of March 
there is a dearth of honey. Towards the end 
of March the honeysuckle ( Banksia Ornuta) 
comes out, producing a nice, mild honey, very 
clear, and with it ti-tree. This ti-tree is unlike 
the V ietorian ti-tree, and bears a bottle-brush 
flower of a pale yellow, a good honey flower. 
April and May give us honeysuckle, stringy- 
bark and white gum ( E . Leucoxylon), The 
stringy-barks up here are a different species to 
those in the Western District of Victoria. 
The white gum bears a large seed, but singly 
on the twig, one white and another pink (two 
different species of course). June and July, 
blue gum, but not the E. Globulus. This tree 
is called the “ blue gum ” because thetreeshave 
leaves of a bluish color when very young. I 
dont know what sort of a honey producer it is, 
as it is out of my range, hut it blossoms pro- 
fusely. Sorry to have to report that we have 
foul brood up here. It was introduced from 
Mitcham, near Adelaide, with a hive of 
Italians, and has got a good hold on the bees 
about here. Don’t think our Foul Brood Act 
will be workable, for. How is an inspector to 
find out out a mild case of foul brood in a Skep 
Hive ? Very few have gone in for the Lang- 
stroth Hives this way, all count them as too 
much bother. I may add that Narracoorte is 
situate within 13 miles of the Victorian 
Border, about 20 miles due-west of Apsley,and 
75 miles north-west of Casterton, In 
Adelaide honey brings from 2 Id. to 3jd., the 
latter price for best samples. 
F. Price. 
OUR OWN APIARY. 
The season is one of the most remarkable on 
record for increase, and swarming has been 
going on perpetually since the end of Septem- 
ber. Commencing the season with eight stocks 
we have now 42. Altogether 44 swarms have 
issued.of which four absconded and several small 
ones were united. As regards the honey yield, 
this was very promising in October and 
November, and large surplus was obtained 
from several of tbe stocks, but the continued 
and persistent increase in bees has used up 
the results of one of the best honey-flows we 
have had for years. 
To show how difficult it is to keep stock 
pure the following may be stated: — There was 
not a black bee in tbe apiary, and most were 
full-bred Italians, and there are no Black bees 
within I of a mile of the locality, and now, 
with tbe exception of the colonies headed by 
the original Italian Queens, there are none that 
can claim to he more than Black bees with a 
trace of Italian blood in them. 
