88 
THE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEPERS’ JOURNAL. 
some are flowering still, and the corea and epacris 
are blooming too, so that we are never without 
flowers here all the year round. 
Dunkeld, Match gth. II. NAVEAU. 
from Colonial 
Corjnella Apiary, Brighton. 
We have run through the season without 
obtaining an ounce of surplus, and have had to 
feed continually. After fruit blooms were gone 
there was literally nothing for the bees to gather 
with exception of a little honey in February from 
peppermint. We consequently removed about 40 
stocks to our other apiaries, and have sold about 
80 colonies and nucleus stocks, leaving about 15 
weak lots now on hand. We have just begun feeding 
smartly to get these put into condition for winter, 
and hope by the end of April to get enough bees 
into the hives to pull through. 
We have sold about 70 of Kangaroo Island 
Queens (Fiebigs) this year, and they have given 
complete satisfaction wherever sold. L. T. C. 
WlTHERSWOOD APIARY— MANSFIELD. 
We closed last season with sixty large colonies 
with hives all full of honey. 
An early inspection in the spring showed several 
dead out and foul brood everywhere — a very 
cheerful prospect indeed, more especially as we 
had been counting our chickens previous^, and 
had set up any quantity of empty hives for the 
increase that was to come. Anyhow, there was 
no help for it. The remaining bees were trans- 
ferred to new hives on starters, and a big bon-fire 
consumed the remainder ; and when all was over 
the most that could be counted was 20 weak 
colonies, which were not fairly in order by the 
time red-gum began to bloom. A reinforcement 
of another 20 small colonies from our Brighton 
apiary helped to make things look a little better, 
and up to the present about 1000 1 lb. boxes have 
been well filled with an excellent sample of honey 
and plenty of supplies still on hand for the bees. 
In this apiary wc are using chiefly shallow' 
sectional hives, with a 5m. frame, 2 sets for brood 
and 2 to 4 sets of section racks 
From our experience of this hive, we think 
there is little to lie desired in working for sections, 
and although we are not extracting, are convinced 
that this small frame would be a most excellent 
one for that purpose, easily and cleanly uncapped. 
Foul brood made its appearance once or twice 
since, but was promptly knocked on the head. 
Our chief sources of honey this season have been 
white clover, eucalyptus of various sorts, and 
thistle, the latter a late bloomer and very good 
for bees to fill up with. 
Chambers & Withers. 
MOUNT VIEW APIARY. TALLAROOK. 
A good flow of honey from red and yellow' box 
sent things along merrily until Christmas. Sec- 
tions could hardly lie got ready fast enough for the 
demand, but a change came over the scene after 
New Year work began to slacken. No more 
honey stored, and by the middle of February 
robbing began whenever opportunity presented. 
From that till now guard mounting at every hive 
has been the order of the day. We have, there- 
fore, the pleasure of looking upon 70 good stocks 
of bees w r ell supplied with stores, and carefully 
guarding between 2000 .and 3000 partly and 
nearly finished sections without much chance of 
turning any of them into cash this year. Possibly 
they will be good property to begin next year 
with. The weather has been so exceedingly dry 
that all sources of honey failed. 
Chambers & Pedi.ek. 
14th March, 1889. 
(Bitiacts. 
PLANTING POE BEES. 
The question has often been asked. 1 Does it 
pay?’ Well, it will and it will not, as the say- 
ing is. Before the apiarist spends any money 
in this direction, he should very seriously con- 
sider his own peculiar situation. The possibility 
is that if his district really will not support bis 
apiary, it will pay him better to move his apiary 
to where it will have a chance of giving satis- 
factory results. 
But, on the other hand, a district can often be 
greatly imp loved over a term of years by the 
expenditure of a little time at a slight yearly 
cost, especially if ihere happen to be mucIT 
waste land in the vicinity. Meadows can be 
improved by scattering a little white clover seed 
as opportunity offers. Neighbouring farmers 
may be induced to grow alsike in the place of, 
or mixed with, red clover, especially if the bee 
keeper is prepared to pay the cost of a portion of 
the same. Old corners or rough la d generally 
can be utilised by sowing mellilot clover, par- 
ticularly if it happ n to be along lanes, by the 
roadside, or where deep cart-ruts are made over 
ground rot actually in use. Clover is very par- 
tial to road-grit, and we have known a very 
heavy growth of white clover come where the 
grass land had been dressed with this maierial, 
and at no cost whatever for seed. 
According to present experience, we should say 
it does not pay to cvttictttr land for bees year by 
year, but where it can be had 1 1 a very cheap 
rate, and a ciop is put in (carefully, in the first 
instance), that will afterwards take caie of itself, 
such as mellilot ; then, without doubt it will pay 
well. 
Small garden crops of course are simply value- 
rs to the large apiarian for honey, but it is a 
pleasure to make a collection of such plants as 
bees appear to like, giving a small space to each 
variety, and we have no other wish than to 
encourage this commendable hobby. 
It must not for a moment be supposed, however, 
that these patches will offer any real test for 
arriving at the most desirable plants to be culti- 
vated for the production of honey on a large 
