THE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEPERS’ JOURNAL. 
165 
that it always reduces swarming to a 
minimum, and often prevents it altogether, 
with a corresponding increase in honey 
storage ; that bees will go more quickly into 
the supers, and work more persistently and 
contentedly. 
(To be continued .) 
IProceeMncjs of Beekeepers’ 
associations. 
The monthly meeting of the S.A. Beekeepers’ 
Association was held at the Chamber of Manu- 
factures on Friday evening, Oth April. There 
was a good attendance, and Dr. Cockburn, M.P. 
(President), was in the chair. Mr. H. Warren, 
a representative of the Williamstown Associa- 
tion, was present. The principal topic dis- 
cussed was that of foul brood in bees. Mr. 
Warren expressed his disbelief as to the 
existence of the disease. In stating his dis- 
approval of the Bill passed in order to assist 
beekeepers in extinguishing foul brood, he 
objected to the way in which the Act was 
likely to be administered. He thought that 
the Commissioner of Crown Lands was not 
fitted to administer the Act, as he was quite 
incapable of understanding the question. He 
had a great horror of “ Inspectors,” and he 
would like to point out to beekeepers the 
danger of these Inspectors disturbing bees in 
the middle of winter, in order to see that the 
hives were healthy. He was certain that the 
majority of beekeepers would object to having 
an Inspector prowling about, and rather than 
submit to the nuisance they would part with 
their bees. If the matter were placed in the 
hands of local authorities the result would be 
satisfactory to all parties. The Chairman 
pointed out that an Inspector would have to 
exercise an intelligent judgment in doing his 
work. It was not likely that such a disease 
had no existence when many scientific and 
practical men all over the world had identified 
it as a bacillus, and pronounced it to be a 
deadly one. The Secretary (Mr. Joyner) re- 
ferred to journals which stated that the bee- 
keeping industry in England was imperilled, 
and the disease was spreading in America, 
Nearly every beekeeping journal of England 
and America was crying out against the 
ravage. He was prepared to prove that the 
foul brood existed in the colony, and was 
infectious. Mr. Warren said that he placed 
little trust in the statements of those journals. 
It was quite likely that the complaints 
emanated from beekeepers, who, being dis- 
appointed at their own failures, were Vexed at 
the successes of their neighbours. He re- 
gretted that the Act was passed before the 
people in the country had had an opportunity 
of learning what its objects were, and they 
were determined to do all in their power to 
prevent it from being put into force. In con- 
cluding the discussion the Chairman expressed 
the hope that the mutual efforts of the 
Adelaide and Williamstown Associations 
would tend to the best interests of beekeeping. 
— S. A. Register. 
The usual monthly meeting of the Queensland 
Beekeepers’ Association was held on Monday, 
Mr. J. B. L. Isambert, M.L.A., in the chair. *A 
letter was received from the South Australian 
Beekeepers’ Association, with a copy of the 
Foul Brood Act and also the pamphlet issued 
by the Association on the cure of foul brood. 
The secretary was instructed to write to the 
Under Secretary for Agriculture bringing 
the matter und»r his notice. Mr. Trowe, one 
of the members, stated to the meeting that he 
had lately observed bees collecting a substance 
similar to honey from the under side of leaves 
of the English elm. Mr. R. J. Cribb read his 
promised paper on co-operation in the sale of 
honey. By means of combination in this 
direction a fixed price might be set for honey, 
and the producer could send his honey to 
market at that price, leaving others to sell it 
while he stayed at home and looked after his 
bees. The advantages likely to arise from the 
plan suggested were dwelt upon at some 
length, and at the close of the paper a discus- 
sion took place. — Queenslander , March 27, 1888. 
IRexvs ant' IReports from Colonial 
apiaries. 
Bacchus Maksh District. 
Mr. L. J. Chambers gives us a good account 
of Bacchus Marsh as a bee district. He says 
(writing in February) : “ It is a grand spot for 
bees ; Lucerne growing everywhere, and 
flowering always ; but what surprised me most 
was to see box trees ( Eucal y pi us Melliodora) now 
coming into blossom. Two species, one show- 
ing a reddish color on the bark and twigs, the 
other white, and like the yellow box of the 
North-East. Now, I am informed that the 
red and yellow box of Gippsland and the 
North-East flowers in December and January, 
so I am curious how nearly allied these two 
species are, and by what they differ in other 
respects. I lifted up a box of bees weighing 
about 50 or 60-lbs., and found this was a 
swarm that had been working five weeks only.” 
Writing on the same subject on April 13th, he 
says It would gladden the sight of any 
beekeeper to see the flow of honey now on in 
the Bacchus Marsh district : the box trees 
white with blossom for miles. I sent up a 
few hives at Easter, with instructions for 
transferring, which being done, the new hives 
were filled in the body in four or five days, 
and supers put on, and now everything is a 
solid mass of white comb." 
