THE 
JOURNAL. 
Vol. II.— No. 9.1 FEBRUARY 10, 1888. ; Purci: 6d. 
NEW BEE BOOK. 
A bhally scientific treatise on “bees an<l bee- 
keeping” has been in course of publication for 
the last two years. It is from the pen of the 
well-known writer and apiculturist, Mr. Prank 
R. Chkshibe, F.L.S., F.R.M.S., and has been 
issued in numbers, the first 12 of which 
form a volume or Part 1., scientific. The 
2nd part, being the practical section, has just 
now reached us, and, although from what we 
know of Mr. Cheshire, and what we have seen 
of Ids writings, we expected great things of 
this hook, we have had our expectations 
more than realised. Part 1 is a mdSt useful, 
exhaustive, and scientific treatise on the 
anatomy and physiology of the hive bee, and 
Part 2 deals with its profitable management. 
In the second part, which contains 11 chap- 
ters, tho following subjects are most interest- 
ingly and carefully treated, viz. : — Bees under 
proper control ; Hives ; Hives for beekeepers ; 
Natural increase ; Artificial aids to cell 
building ; Controlled increase ; Queen rearing ; 
Management of apiary ; Production of honey ; 
Wintering, &e. This is not in the ordinary 
sense a bee manual, it does not tell the 
beginner the way to do everything; but it 
deals with the principles and science of bee 
management in all its branches, as put in 
practice by well-known apieulturists ; discusses 
various methods, and puts before the reader, 
in a clear and pleasant manner, the ways by 
which successful management in every branch 
of the art may be achieved. Wo have never 
read a bee book with more pleasure and profit 
than Mr. F. Cheshire’s Bees and Beekeeping , 
and we intend referring to. and extracting 
from it with regard to various matters that 
may come under discussion in these pages. 
HINTS FOR MARCH. 
It is not at nil unusual, if the weather be 
favorable, to have a good honey-flow during 
March, and even in the early part of April, in 
many districts where eucalypti abound. In- 
deed , in most seasons and in all best localities 
really scarce in bee forage, there is generally 
a honey-flow of more or less abundance after 
the middle of February till beginning of 
March, unless the Autumn be wet and cold. 
In some of our mountain localities, indeed, 
this period often produces the chief and best 
honey-flow of the year. 
Some little management is necessary where 
beekeepers are working for comb-honey in sec- 
tions to avoid too many partially-filled boxes. 
Such boxes as get sealed in the centre of the 
racks or crates should be removed at once, and 
those next them closed in without adding new 
boxes on the outside unless the honey-flow is 
a really good one. As soon as the Autumn 
gathering falls off remove all the partly finished 
1 sections and extract the honey, put them back 
i in the hive for the bees to clean out, and then 
i take them out and put them away in a dry 
place where neither mice, moths or ants can 
get at them, for they will be invaluable for 
’ starting bees in the supers in Spring. Bees 
will often go ipto a super directly they are 
put on, if they have clean combs ready to 
start, or better, clean combs with a little good 
honey in one or two of them, while with boxes 
with foundation only they will often refuse to 
commence for weeks, or, perhaps at all. 
A careful look-out should be kept this month 
for any appearance of foul brood, for it is tho 
latest time we can move the bees into a new 
hive with any hope of their building enough 
comb to winter on. Any operation of this 
kind should be done early in the month while 
there is still a chance of honey coming on. In 
any ease, liberal feeding must be kept up to 
enable the bees to well establish their combs 
before cold weather comes on. 
Extracting should now be done pretty closely 
as honey quickly thickens and gets viscid and 
' difficult to throw out at this season. 
