The Leader newspaper of September 3, 1893 had an article on bee keeping in Garfield which also gave some interesting insights into the development of the town, described as a little wayside hamlet which as yet gives no promise of future greatness. It is reproduced below. The interview was with R. Beuhne, who was Frederick Richard Beuhne, known as Richard.
Richard applied to be naturalised in August 1914 and his application papers tell us that he was born in Dresden, Saxony, in Germany on January 11, 1859 and arrived in Victoria on September 22, 1880, when he was 21 years old. His occupation was an Apiarist, and he had lived at Garfield for 15 years and then at Tooborac for 19 years. Richard married Annie Maxwell in 1883, and they had a son Claude Ralph born in 1887 and a daughter Hilda Bertha Rhoda, born 1891 (1). There is more information about the family in footnote 1.
The first mention of Richard that I can find in the Shire of Berwick Rate books was in 1884 where he is listed as owning 226 acres, Crown Allotment 71, Parish of Bunyip. CA 71 fronted what is now called the Princes Highway and was on the west side of North Garfield Road. He sold the land in 1896 to Ernest Thompson and moved to Tooborac.
Mr Beuhne died on June 24, 1933 and an obituary in The Argus tells us something more of his life including the fact that he worked at the Department of Agriculture as their apiculturist and was editor of the Australian Bee Journal -
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No doubt due to the War, it was actually a decade later on June 24, 1949 that the Memorial Cairn was unveiled by the President of the Victorian Apiarists' Association, Mr G. Loft, in the presence of 100 people, including Claude. (7).
Richard's brother Karl Richard Beuhne also migrated to Australia. Born in Brockwitz, Saxony, Germany on May 18,1855, he arrived in Australia on May 9, 1890, at the age of 35. Karl was naturalised in 1926, when he was 71. After his arrival he settled in North Garfield, where he was a market gardener. He married Maria Theresa Josefa Borrmann (also Saxony born) in 1896 (or that's the year the marriage was registered) and they had four children, all born in North Garfield - Alfa Toni (1892-1899), Friedrich Hans (1896), Otto Kurt (1898) and Rosie Dora (1905). He died on October 30, 1938 at the West Gippsland Hospital in Warragul (8). For some reason, even though Karl was at North Garfield from 1890, he doesn't appear in the Shire of Berwick Rate books until the 1929/1930 year, when he is listed as owning 4 acres, Cannibal Creek Frontage, Parish of Bunyip.
This is the article on Mr Beuhne's Bee Farm from The Leader of September 2, 1893 (see here)
The advancement of the district has certainly not been assisted by the operations of the land syndicates, who during the "boom" purchased from the original selectors several thousand acres of land with a frontage to the railway line and in the vicinity of the railway station. This land is now lying idle and absolutely unproductive, while the owners are still holding on in the hope of settlement being attracted some day, thus giving them a chance to dispose of it at something approaching the prices paid for it to the original settlers. As the land was bought at prices varying from £18 to £25 per acres, this hope is not likely to be realised for some time to come.
The soil for the most part cannot be called rich, except narrow strips in some of the with a growth of heath and coarse sedgy grasses. The timber is not of good character, and its principal use hitherto has been for firewood, of which large quantities used to be sent to Melbourne; but since the unemployed have been engaged at the work of wood cutting most of the residents of the district have found out that it does not pay to enter into competition with them, consequently sending firewood to Melbourne from Garfield has been practically abandoned.
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The main Gippsland road runs through the district and the principal stream is the Cannibal Creek, a tributary of the Bunyip River. Several of the farms some distance back from the station are fairly well improved, and in a couple of instances beekeeping engages a good deal of attention. Nowadays, when so many people are anxious to get on to the land and engage in some occupation that will prove profitable, beekeeping is an industry which should receive more attention than has hitherto been given it.
It must, however, be admitted that only comparatively few persons are fitted by nature for the occupation, but amongst those who have made it a success is Mr. R. Beuhne, whose farm is situated about 1½ mile from the Garfield station and on the Gippsland-road. Mr. Beuhne selected land here about 11 years ago, and is now the holder of 220 acres. About 30 acres have been thoroughly cleared, a comfortable house erected, an orchard established and other improvements, carried out, but attention is mainly devoted to beekeeping. This is generally considered one of the small things of a farm, but Mr. Beuhne has found it profitable enough to justify him in almost exclusively depending on it; indeed, he is of opinion that if carried on anything like an extensive scale it does not go well with any industry except poultry keeping, as during the busy season all other work must be neglected in order to attend to the bees.
From a small beginning Mr. Beuhne gradually increased the number of his colonies until now he has 136 to control, and the many duties connected with them keeps him fully employed. Indeed, the work in connection with so many hives, when pursued scientifically, is almost endless, but at the same time it is light and highly interesting to any one who really cares for the occupation. If the beekeeper is not really interested in the pursuit and does not follow it for love of the work he will never make it a success, and it is better to direct his attention to some other business. If, on the other hand, attention to all the details of the industry is a pleasure, beekeeping becomes a profitable undertaking in any district that is adapted for the pursuit.
Some localities are much better adapted for beekeeping than others on account of the climate, the greater profusion of honey producing trees, shrubs and flowers. The Garfield district is not specially suitable, the varieties of eucalypts with which it is timbered being principally those known as stringy bark and peppermint, whereas the box and white gum blossoms secrete most honey, while the flavor of the article is also superior. In the gullies and swampy places also a good deal of ti-tree grows, from the blossoms of which honey of a peculiar character is obtained. It possesses a distinct flavor of its own, and, strange to say, cannot be extracted from the comb by the centrifugal extractor. The closeness with which it adheres to the sides of the cells seems to indicate that it partakes somewhat of the character of gum, though persons who are in the habit of using it declare that they prefer it to any other kind of honey. The taste for it, however, requires to be educated, and its general popularity is never likely to rival that of honey obtained from box or white gum blossom. On account of its non-extracting peculiarity small section frames have to be used in the hives during the period, when the ti-tree is in bloom, while at other times, the ordinary large frames are placed in the boxes.
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Mr. Beuhne uses hives of the Langstroth principle, but the boxes are two inches shorter than the regulation size. He has made them all himself, being an amateur carpenter of no mean skill, and most of the appliances used in their manufacture have also been supplied by his ingenuity. A small circular saw, made out of a piece of a broken hand saw, has been set in a neat frame and worked by a treadle. With this the laths used in the frames of the hives are quickly sawn, and an appliance for boring holes, also worked by foot power, has been provided. Each hive is made exactly the same size so that the parts are interchangeable and he is thus able to work amongst the bees with that confidence which is absolutely necessary if success id to achieved in dealing with these remarkable insects.
In dealing with his bees, Mr. Beuhne in general follows out the practice adopted by the majority of skilled apiarians in attending to the thousand and one particulars involved in beekeeping, and which could not be fully described in anything short of the limits of a book; but he is also experimenting, and there is a possibility of his experiments proving successful, and having an important bearing upon the future of the industry. For instance, he thinks there is a possibility of breeding out the swarming impulse, which causes so much trouble during the season. He points out that it is just as natural for hens to sit as for bees to swarm, yet the desire to hatch has been almost entirely overcome, by breeders in connection with certain breeds of fowls.
Of course bees are more difficult to control, but by selection and management much may be done. He would select queens, from stock that experience had shown displayed comparatively, little disposition to swarm, and by mating her very late in the season a beginning leading to the desired end would be made. In order to secure the fertilisation, advantage would be taken of a favorable day when the drone bees were likely to fly, and by giving them a little stimulating feed liberating the queen shortly afterwards the desired end would be accomplished.
A careful attention to the laws of selection having the definite object in view of producing non-swarming bees, and following out the lines indicated, would he thinks, eventually result in the apiarian being able to control the impulse as the progeny of queens fertilised late in the season evince less disposition to swarm than those mated early. Mr. Beuhne has at various times grown patches of buck wheat as pasture for the bees, but, as a rule, the insects have to depend for stores on what nature provides. Wattles and acacias, as well as different kinds of heaths, blossom well in the district, but, unfortunately, the flowering season is too early to be of much benefit to the bees, and the blossoms in most instances have disappeared by the time they are most wanted. Just at present the prickly mimosa and pink and white heaths are in full bloom, but the bees are not to be tempted out during the present unsettled weather, and consequently the stores of honey which the flowers contain cannot be utilised.
Mr. Beuhne is now engaged in the endeavor to solve the problem of how to prevent the crystallisation of honey during the winter months. It is well known that the best and purest honey crystallises in cold weather, and this has a prejudicial effect upon its sale, more particularly if it has been put up in glass jars. It frequently happens that the crystallisation is only partial, and while one portion of the contents of a jar assumes the consistency of lard, the remainder is liquid. This causes many persons to think that the honey has been adulterated, and accordingly they decline to buy. The honey does not deteriorate in quality by becoming crystallised; indeed, not a few who know the difference consider that it is improved thereby; but its sale to the general public is undoubtedly affected, hence the necessity for preventing crystallisation if possible. Mr. Beuhne, by a process which he has invented, but which is yet a secret, believes that he can not only prevent any honey from crystallising, but can also treat that which has already become crystallised in such a way that it will ever afterwards remain liquid. If the process, after being thoroughly tested, is the success which he claims, it will have the effect of increasing the local sales of honey, and will be of immense importance if an export trade is established on anything like an extensive scale, as no doubt it will be some day. A press which he has constructed for obtaining wax is very simple and useful, and with it he can obtain just as good wax from old black combs as from now unstained comb.
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With regard to the profits to be derived from beekeeping, it must be remembered that this district is not a good one for bees, consequently results obtained here are likely to be greatly exceeded in other and more suitable localities. Last year, which was a bad one, Mr. Beuhne obtained only an average of 30 lb. of honey from each hive; the previous season he obtained over 50 lb., and his best record was 80 lb per hive. There is certainly nothing startling in these returns, but, taking one year with another, say 60 lb. of honey, worth at least 4½d. per lb., can be got from each hive, and this is certainly not an excessive estimate, then the gross return per hive amounts to £1.
Mr. Beuhne would advise all who think of going in for bee culture to begin on a small scale and gradually work up. Although much information may be gleaned from books, practical experience must be gained, and this will be less costly when pursued in connection with a few hives than when the care of a large number is attempted by one who has had no previous knowledge of the business. If possibly an opportunity should be sought of getting employment with a practical aparian for at least 12 months, and thus gain the benefit of his experience. Even after such an opportunity to gain knowledge it is necessary to make haste slowly, as there is always something to learn or some unexpected difficulty to overcome. Perseverance, however, will eventually be crowned with success, and the industry offers a means of making a fair livelihood to those who have a taste for beekeeping; and if this industry is combined with poultry farming, the owner of a small block of land ought to make not only a good living, but to ultimately realise a handsome competence.
Trove list: I have created a short list of newspaper articles connected to Frederick Richard Beuhne, his time at Garfield and his other activities. Access it here.
Footnotes
(1) Naturalisation papers at the National Archives of Australia www.naa.gov.au Family information from Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages and family notices in the newspapers. Annie died January 13, 1941, aged 76. Their son, Claude married Irene Florence Bognuda in 1923. They were divorced in 1933 on the grounds of her desertion. They had one child, Elaine. He remarried in 1936 to Irene Richardson and he died in 1959. Hilda (known as Flossie) married William Murray Winzar in 1924. She died in 1943, aged only 52. They had three children - Dorothy, Gordon and Freada.
(2) The Argus, June 26 1933, see here.
(7) Read the full report of the unveiling in the Kilmore Free Press, June 30 1949, see here.
(8) Naturalisation papers at the National Archives of Australia www.naa.gov.au and the Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages.
(9) The illustrations are from The Leader December 9, 1893, see here. The newspaper incorrectly stated that these illustrations were of Mr M'Farlane's farm at Lyndhurst. There was a correction in The Leader of December 16, 1893, see here, In last week's Leader a full page illustration of "Bee Farming," the central picture in which is a representation of Mr. Beuhne's apiary, was inadvertently described as Mr. M'Farlane's. The mistake occurred through our reporter having visited both the apiaries named, and his description of Mr. M'Farlane'a place at Lyndhurst was attached in error to the drawings taken by our artist on the establishment of Mr. Beuhne, at Garfield, about 40 miles from Melbourne, on the Gippsland railway.
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