| 1 Jan., 1900.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 43 
i 
‘He carefully watched the flowering of the trees inthe bush, and found that they 
did not flower in every district at the same period of the year. In some cases, 
within a radius of 25 miles, there would often be a difference of two months in 
the flowering season of the same kind of tree, and, also, that many trees which 
‘would bloom in the Oxley district during one season would not flower at all in 
‘others, and vice versdé. The diary which we refer to will doubtless be of interest 
_and yalue to other apiarists. 
Commencing with the year 1889, when Mr. Lyon commenced. his observa- 
ions, we find the times of flowering or of disappearance of efflorescence are 
taken on the 28th of each month, as follows :— 
1889, 
28th August.—Blue gums are in full bloom, grey ironbark just commencing 
_to flower. 
| 28th September.—Grey ironbark all out in full bloom. 
28th October.—The grey ironbark still in full bloom. 
| 28th November.—Grey ironbark finished flowering; mahogany (apple- 
tree) and grey gum beginning to flower. 
| 28th December.—A few mahogany in flower. Bees doing very little in 
_ honey-gathering. 
| 1890. 
28th January.—No flowers out this month. Bees at a standstill. 
28th February.—Bloodwood in flower. Bees swarming very much, 
28th March.—No flowers out this month. Very wet weather. Bees hard 
at work robbing. 
> 28th April.—No flowers. 
| 28th May.—No flowers. 
| : 28th June.—Spotted gum in flower. Bees bringing a little honey. 
| 28th July.—Tan bark wattle flowering. Bees very low and swarming out 
_ for want of food. 
| 28th August.—No flowers this month. Bees very low. 
28th September.—No flowers. Bees very low. ‘Thirty hives died out.* 
| 
: 
| 
| 
28th October.—Mahogany and grey gum flowering. Bees commencing 
to work and becoming stronger. 
28th November.—Mahogany, grey gum, spotted gum, cabbage gum,}+ and 
red ironbark are all out in flower this month. 
28th December.—Grey gum, red ironbark in full bloom. Bees have got 
_ back to their old standard. 
| 1891. 
28th January.—Grey gums nearly done; red ironbark in full bloom, also 
_ the cabbage or rusty gum; spotted gum commencing to flower. 
| 28th February.—Red ironbark, bloom nearly done; spotted gum and 
_ apple-tree in full bloom ; bloodwood commencing to flower. 
28th March.—Bloom of spotted gum and apple-tree nearly gone; blood- 
wood in full bloom. ; 
28th April— Bloodwood nearly done; blue gum commencing to flower. 
28th May.—Blue gum in full bloom. 
28th June.—Blue gum and grey ironbark in flower. 
_ _ 28th July.—Blue gum still in full bloom; grey ironbark and tan wattle 
in flower. Bees doing very well. 
28th August.—Blue gum flowers nearly done; also grey ironbark; tan 
wattle in full bloom. 
28th September.—Grey ironbark nearly done. Bees swarming. 
28th October.—A few grey ironbark in flower. No honey coming in. 
ve The bees in their hives might have been fed until the natural trees and flowers bloomed 
again. ‘The pa paee winter is more severe on bees than an Australian drought, yet their owners 
are careful not to let them starve.-——Ed. Q.4.J. 
, 1 The so-called cabbage gum is not a gum at all. Although the Government Botanist, Mr. 
F. - Bailey, callsit the “rusty gum,” it is the Angophora lanceolata, the native name of which is 
‘Toolookar.”Ed. Q..A.J. . 
