126 
THE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEPERS’ JOURNAL. 
comb or honey. This unpleasant result 
occurs only to bunglers, who either use too 
strong a solution, or do not wring out the car- 
bolised sheet sufficiently dry, and so besprinkle 
the comb honey with the solution, and charge 
the evil result of their own stupidity on those 
who recommend the process. The strength of 
the solution quickly passes away, as the acid 
evaporates when exposed to the air. 
The Annual Honey Product of North 
America is about one hundred millions of 
pounds, and its value is nearly §15,000,000. 
The annual wax product is about half of a 
million pounds, and its value is more than 
§100,000. There are about 300,000 persons 
keeping bees in North America. We make 
this estimate in response to many requests for 
the most accurate statistics obtainable. 
Borage— This is a great favorite with bees 
and yields both pollen and honey in abun- 
dance, grows well in most soils, is hardy, and 
blossoms nearly all the year round if sown in 
succession. It requires but little care in cul- 
tivation but does best with plenty of room and 
rich ground and grows well where thistles 
thrive. 
A Small Swarm of Bees — On the 2nd of 
January a very small swarm of Bees was 
found on a pear tree, it was so small that the 
bees were counted, there were 138, three of 
which were Queens. These were Italian bees. 
A Mouse in a Bee-Hive. — While packing 
hives up for the -winter at Shipley Glen, 
Saltaire, I came across the skeleton of a mouse 
in a straw hive. The creature had managed 
to creep in, but it had no sooner entered than 
Mousy was stung to death, and the bees, 
unable to carry off the carcass, carefully re- 
moved and conveyed outside the hair, the skin, 
and flesh, leaving the skeleton neatly picked. 
The parts of the mouse they could not reach 
were neatly sealed with wax from the air, and 
there was not the least particle of smell in 
the remains of the little quadruped. 
. — Wm. Dixon, Belmont House, Beckett 
Street, Leeds, October 4th. 
A Truck Load of Bees — About a month 
since an apiculturist sent off from Melbourne 
about 50 hives of bee3 by rail to our 
N.W. district. Every hive was well and 
safely packed, but from careles handling 
while transferring at the branch station, a lot 
got damaged. Arrived at their destination, 
the porters opened the doors prior to unload- 
ing, but made a rapid stampede pawing their 
heads and faces like bears in a bee garden. 
The bees had got out of the hives in swarms. 
Some courageous navvies were got to close the 
truck doors and shunt the truck down the line 
about half-a-mile. The consignee was com- 
municated with and requested to remove his 
goods without delay ! He did so and had a 
most exciting time of it. 
Echium Candicans, or Vipers Bugloss.— 
This plant is a wonderful bee plant in these 
colonies, furnishing an early and moderately 
lasting supply of nectar. The plant flourishes 
well, even in poor soil and in dry places, and 
does well when grown in a shrubbery among 
other trees. It does best, however, in a 
moderately stiff soil, and if the soil be rich, 
it yields the more flowers and honey. Seeds 
sown in October or November, should he 
planted out in March or April, giving plenty 
of room (4 or 5 feet square to each plant). 
Some will, perhaps, flower the following sum- 
mer ; but the majority will not do so till the 
second year. The honey from echium is not 
to he surpassed, and a good plot of this plant 
would pay the beekeeper well, for, once 
established, the plant will last several years. 
The echium. is allied to Borage, Cerinihe, 
and others of the bugloss tribe. 
advertisements. 
CHEAP LANGSTROTH FRAME HIVES. 
A CHANCE. 
E wisli to Realise on our Stock of 
60 First-class, New Pattern 
LANGSTROTH BEEHIVES 
At Under Cost Prices. 
-A.. ELA-IsTSEINr cS& GO., 
29 FLINDERS STREET 
gcchcccpcrs’ §.tipp(n Co., 
18 F1ANKUN ST., 
L. T. CHAMBERS, Manager. 
“ Langstroth,” “ Heddon,” “ Alley,” or any 
other style of Hive in stock or made to order. 
Foundation Honey Extractors, Solar Ex- 
tractors, Section Boxes, and all the requisites 
of the Apiary. 
Bees, Queens, Brood, Eggs, supplied in any 
quantities. 
