The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-02-12

a fair supply of honey. Outside the
farmhouse the most noticeable objects
are a large tank for storing honey and
that indispensable machine on a we'll
ordered bee farm, a honey extractor.
In the farm garden are over eighty
hives, imported from America, and
fitted with movable frames. These
latter are fitted with full sheets Of
comb foundation, which supply the
bees with worker comb, thus prevent
ing the production of drones to a great
extent. By using full sheets of founda-
ton comb, the bees r enabled to at
once go to work breeding and storing
honey, as they have no comb to build,
simply drawing out the foundation to
the required depth of cell. This en-
ables the queen to start laying at once,
so that if the queen is fertilized when
she comes out with q swarm, she has a
hive full of young bees in twenty-one
days. Very little honey in the comb
is sent to market, there being numer-
GUS difficulties in the way of go doing.
After the honey is extracted from the
comb, it is strained through a fine
mesh, and placed in a tank for 'ripen-
ing" The tank is five feet In diameter
and twelve inches deep, thus giving a
large surface to allow the honey to
ripen properly. After being in this
tank for one month, the honey is taken
out and prepared for market, princip-
ally so pound car The bees are prin-
cipally leather colored Italians, OBJ
tanned from the United States. When
the red gums blossom freely, which is
usually every second year, the honey
fairly rolls into the hives. 1t is said
that the honey from thered gum varies
according to climate and locality-the
drier the climate the finer the flavor of
the honey, which varies in color from
q pale amber to a dark amber. Though
of rather strong flavor when taken
from the hive, after being allowed to
thoroughly ripen it becomes very thick
and natures with a very fine flavor.
The great advantage of the eucalyptus
honey is that it is always in a market
able state as it does not candy like
white clover honey. The red gums
come out in blossom between January
and March, the Australian summer
months. The first honey yield in the
n.o-~o S;C&wSot 80 that oh4AiuoI FuoVo
fruit blossoms, which enable the bees
TO breed up" and become strong until
the white clover comes into bloom. The
latter is very clear and white and of q
very delicate flavor, being highly priced
in the English market, owing to that
absence of strong flavor which Austral-
ian honey is noted for. A really excel
lent honey is that obtained from the
lucerne blossom. Another bee farm In
the western district is situated at But
ler's Falls, and includes an orchard of
% acres of trees In full bearing. In
fact, fruit farming, flower farming and
bee farming can be most probably
combined. The hives, $50 In number,
are. placed under extensive corrugated
iron sheds, which protect them from
wind and rain. The average product
of these hives during a single season is
considerable, comprising IL tons II
cwt. OF extracted honey, 6 tons Ii cwt.
of strained honey, and 1900 pounds Of
honey comb. Recently increased at
tention has been given to the best
methods of honey production, the bee
farmers in New South Wales being
sufficiently to support a
monthly paper, the Australian Bee
Bulletin, and TO hold occasional con-
ferences for the purpose Of discussing
matters affecting the bee farming In
dustry. The experimental shipments
of Australian honey to London have
been watched with muchinterest. That
sent from Sydney In July last arrived
In excellent condition. not having sui
fered from the intense heat of the Red
Sea. Should Australian honey find a
good place In the British market, there
is practically no limit to its produc'
ton. the colony being capable OF pro
ducing many millions OF pounds an
.nually.