THE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEPERS’ JOURNAL. 
was suggested that others should be published 
intended especially to instruct beekeepers in the 
management of bar-frame hives. The library 
has been increased by gifts from members as 
well as by the current magazines subscribed for. 
and which have been bound. The balanee-sheet 
showed balance last year £3 2s. 8d.; receipts 
from all sources, £11 Ills. 3d.; total, £15 Is. lid. 
Expenditure, £15 Is. 5d.; balance in haDd, 6d. 
Th a Hon. Secretary reported receipt of a 
number of returns of operations by beekeepers 
for the past year. Several stated they had 
experienced heavy losses from foul brood, but 
generally had cured it by Muth's method, and 
the bee moth was reported as being very de- 
structive. In the hills districts particularly 
the season for honey had been very poor, many 
large apiaries returning no honey whatever. 
One report from Brighton gave 5 hives at com- 
mencement. 8 at finish, with 500 lbs. extracted 
honey, chiefly from carobs and eucalypts. 
Another increased from 8 to 14 colonies, and got 
about 140 lb. comb honey and 560 lb. extracted. 
Another increased from 2 to 4 colonies, took 
about 56 lb. each of comb and extracted honey, 
from eucalypts and garden shrubs. One com- 
menced with 12, increased to 15, sold one, and 
took 100 lb. comb honey and 700 lb. extracted. 
One took 2000 lb. extracted honey from 6 hives, 
commencing with 7 and selling 4 during the 
season. Another reported 11 colonies at begin- 
ning of season, 15 and 14 nuclei at end after 
selling 5 full colonies, took 307 lb. comb honey 
chiefly from 4 colonies, and 1213 lb. chiefly from 
6 colonies. Another commenced with 3 hives, 
finished with 8, and took 400 lb. comb honey. : 
All of these yields are reported from beekeepers 
upon the plains around Adelaide, or in Adelaide 
anil its suburbs. 
After votes of thanks to officers of the past 
season, the elections for next year were made — 
the President and Hon. Secretary declining to | 
stand again. Mr. C. F. Clough was elected 
President; Me-srs. F. Handell and A. Molinenx. 
Vice-Presidents; Messrs. T. Hubbard, C. 
Dickins, sen., H. H. Doll man, and W. U. 
llackett, committee; Mr. C. G. Gurr, Secretary; 
and Mr. 8. llandell, Treasurer. 
In moving the adoption of the report, it was 
stated, amongst other matters, that the incoming 
season appears to be very promising, as the 
eucalypts all over the colony are full of flower- 
buds. It was doubtless due to the poor season 
last year that the interest in the doings of the 
Association had somewhat slackened. Although 
foul brood had lieen prevalent, it was not a- bad 
as it would have been under the old system, as 
it had been cured in most cases, and there were 
enquiries from all quarters as to the mode of 
cure, which in itself was a hopeful sign. 
Mr. A. E. Bonney then read a paper on " Hives 
and Bees,” which was as follows ; — 
“ I think that nearly all of us who have learnt 
beekeeping by reading and studying books on the 
Bubject have noticed that at times when we try 
to put into practice some operation described it 
does not prove so successful as could be desired. 
At any rate this has often been the case with me. 
and I have found it necessary to modify the 
rules laid down in order to adopt them to my 
requirements. And there is nothing surprising 
in this when we consider that most of the best 
works have been written in England or America, 
where the climates are so different to ours. In 
the following short paper I propose to point out 
two or three of the appliances or operations that 
are recommended for those countries, but which 
are not suitable for this. The hive being the 
most important appliance required in beekeeping. 
I will speak of that first. Experience has proved 
that the hive invented by Mr. Langstroth, and 
which bears his name, is the best suited for us. 
Unfortunately the tendency of modern times, 
both in England and America, appears to be to 
complicate this hive by the addition of many 
labour-saving devices that may be of use in those 
countries, but which I have found worse than 
useless. What we require is a simple hive con- 
sisting of as few parts as possible, and so con- 
structed that it can be readily taken to pieces for 
examination or cleaning. The chief reason for 
this is evident ; it is due to the fact that every 
beekeeper in South Australia must be prepared 
to deal with foul brood, and in treating this 
disease where bees are kept in such hives as I 
shall describe presently, the labour is not much 
more than that involved in the ordinary spring 
cleaning as recommended in many books of 
apiculture. But to attempt to eradicate foul 
! brood from an apiary consisting of Berlepsch, 
' Heddon, or other complicated and expensive 
hives would require more energy and persever- 
ance than is, I am afraid, possessed by the 
majority of us. The hive I recommend is simply 
a box made of seven-eighth inch pine without 
top or bottom, and having a rabbet in each end 
piece to support the frames. The top and 
bottom boards are loose and made exactly alike, 
excepting that the bottom board is three inches 
longer than the hive, so as to give an alighting 
board for the bees. An entrance is cut three- 
eighths of an inch high and the full width of the 
front of the hive, which will give ample ventila- 
tion in hot weather. In winter this entrance is 
reduced by the use of the ordinary triangular 
blocks. The frames should be perfectly plain, 
with a stout top bar at least half an inch deep, 
and should rest upon a strip of tin or hoop iron 
to prevent their being fastened with propolis. A 
piece of enamel cloth to cover the frames com- 
pletes the hive. This simple and inexpensive 
hive obtained in the flat from the manufacturers 
can bo put together by any one who is able to 
use a hammer, and will give just as good results 
as the most complicated hive I have as yet tried. 
At harvest time a second story exactly similar is 
placed on top of the first, or if comb honey is 
required a case of section boxes is put on instead, 
but in either instance the top board of the hive 
covers the whole. This is the hive I began bee- 
keeping with seven years ago. and am still using 
at the present day. I have imported from 
America and England several of the best hives 
I advertised, and have given them a thorough 
