90 
THE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEPERS’ JOURNAL. 
course Mrs. A. has the help of a kind husband 
and a girl, but she tells us that her own health 
has so much improved in the course of so much 
open air work that she is scarcely an invalid at all 
now. Such examples of devotedness are unhappily 
so rare that we think it well to publish them. 
As to the number of bees in the Beeton apiary, 
given as nineteen millions, I have been asked how 
that can be made out. It has been proved that 
about 4500 bees weigh 1 lb. A good stock in 
summer is known to contain from 10 to 15 lbs. of 
bees — that is. a modern frame-hive properly 
worked, An average of, say. 12 lbs. would give 
over 50,000 wokers to the hive, so that Mr. 
Jones’ nineteen millions would be equal to about 
400 stocks. Employing the same calculations, 
Captain Hetherington should have at one time a 
force of 150 millions of busy bees working for him. 
The largest apiary in Scotland is, I believe, that 
of Mr. W. M'Nally, Glenluce, who owns about 
130 colonies. The pasturage in this country is 
too sparse, and the seasons too precarious, to 
warrant any one in going in for bee-keeping on 
the extenstve scale they do in America. But we 
have in * Scotch Heather Honey’ the richest honey 
of the world ; and as such will always be in 
demand, it may be worth while for those in 
favourable localities giving more attention to this 
growing pursuit. — William Raitt. Beecroft , 
January 2nd ( Blairgowrie Advertiser.) 
[There is a melancholy interest attached to the 
above letter, which appeared in the Blairgowrie 
Advertiser of January 12. It is the latest con- 
tribution to the press from the pen of the lately 
deceased Mr. William Raitt. He had desired to 
see a proof for the purpose of verifying his figures. 
But before he had the opportunity of returning it 
he had passed away. — Ed.] 
BEE-KEEPING IN IRELAND. 
Makers of bee hives with moveable frames by 
which portions of the comb can be removed, will 
find a good advertisement in the recently issued 
Agricultural Statistics for Ireland. The Registrar- 
General states that in the whole island there were 
28,569 swarms at work, of which 9135, or nearly 
one-third, were kept in ‘ hives having moveable 
frames," and 19,434 in other hives. The quantity 
of honey produced was 459,386 lbs., or an average 
of 16 lbs. per hive, an amount which probably 
exceeds what the uninitiated would consider 
possible. But of this total yield nearly half was 
gained from the new-fashioned hives, so that 
while the average store of a swarm kept in one 
of them was 25 lbs., that of a swarm living in the 
less commodious dwelling was only 1316s. It is 
curious to note that in Connaught, where there 
are less than one-fourth the number of swarms to 
be found in each of the other three provinces, the 
yield of honey per hive is considerably greater. 
Evidently the struggle for bee existence is less 
keen, for while an Ulster swarm will collect 22 lbs. 
a Connaught swarm will amass no less than 29 lbs. 
But the most productive hives in Ireland are to be 
found in Kildare, where 218 of the 1 moveable 
frame ’ type produced an average yield of 37 lbs, 
of honey for each swarm . — Daily News. 
CALIFORNIA. 
Bees have ceased working for the season, as all 
: kinds of bloom have ended. The foliage of the 
; surrounding forests has begun to exhibit the 
hues and tints of autumn. The birds have gone 
, further south for the winter. The air is no 
, longer gladdened by the sound of myriads of 
; wings. 
The honey-bees are now housed up for winter, 
and every three or four days they go out for a 
flight, and circle around for a while, but soon 
return to the hive. The breeding season has 
now passed, although some colonies with extra 
prolific queens have a few square inches of 
brood. All careful apiarists have prepared 
everything for winter, covering erch hive with a 
roof to shed winter rains and snow, and giving 
colonies that are in n ed of stores sufficient to 
winter on, Beekeepers can now take a few 
days’ rest preparatory to getting ready for 
another season's work. 
It has been proved conclusively that the 
Italian bee is superior to the black or brown bee 
for honey-gathering in most locations. Having 
three different apiaries located twelve miles 
apart, respectively. I have a good chance 
for observation and study on this subject. I 
find that a^ an elevation of 4000 feet and upwards 
the black bee equals the Italian, or any of the 
yellow races ; while at an elevation of 1000 to 
4000 feet the yellow races do the best. 
I find that a cross between the Italians and 
Carniolans give the best results when working 
for comb honey at any of the apiaries. A few 
miles make a great change in bee-locations. For 
instance, if it is a very wet and rainy season, the 
foot-hill apiary will do the best, and if it be a 
dry season the mountain apiaries do the best. 
Puch has b en my experience the last few years. 
At the mountain apiaries 1 here is continual 
bloom from the middle of February to November, 
keepin : the bees busy the entire season. In the 
foot-hill region the honey season ends in July. 
I was always bothered a great deal by robber 
bees in the latter location. After the honey 
season ends, and the hot weather comes on, bees 
dwindle down rapidly, I lost several colonies of 
Italian hybrids and black bees the past season. 
They would not protect themselves against 
robber bees. The Carniolan bees did not par- 
ticipate in the robbing, and not a single colony 
of them was robbed. They are second to none 
in defending their hives against robber bees. In 
the mountains I have no trouble whatever with 
robbing. — S. L. Watkins, Flacerville , Calif. 
(American Bee Journal). 
HOW TO MAKE AN OBSERVATORY 
HIVE. 
One of the most interesting and instructive 
exhibits that can be shown either in the private 
dwelling or the show-yard is an observatory hive 
well stocked with bees upon clean and regularly 
built combs : these latter should have a fair 
amount of brood in them. Numbers of people 
who will pass by an exhibit of honey or appliances 
