JOHN ROSS- EXPERIENCES
Recorded: 27.9.2005 Venue: Fife Council Archives, Carlton House, MarkinchAttendees: John Ross Facilitator: Dave ReidSIDE A:Keywords / Topics:Salesman/splitting saw/frames/brother in law Mr. Robertson/woman who did the sewing/train from London / acareen (disease) (?)/nearly wiped out in 1921/foulbrood/Steel ‘n’ Brodie/3lb weight of bees/gave them a feed for 2 days/good weather/honey/sugar & water/melted/Freuchie broke away/chap in Kirkcaldy pro bee farmer/Beveridge Park/raspberries/Blair Gowrie/back to Fife for clover/strong colony/pick up everything/no one had cars1st August hail rain or shine/lightest going up/heaviest going back/wouldn’t take swarm/2 hives/squeeze them down/July/leave all till 3rd week of July/boxes/small glen/guard bees at door/weak hives/strong hives/modern inventions/photo’s/Kelly castle/rape/stand still order/mite/sucks blood/honey bees/worker bee/21 days/egg laid/sealed halfway through/drone bee/24 days/verda (?) mite/lays eggs in worker cells sometimes/nearly always drone cells/3 extra days/caps off/mites pearly white/drone grub/mites are black/before hatched/must be destroyed/all over Britain/stopped imports/extracted honey/never had customers/only gave to friends/women in Falkland/thought honey was Gails (?)/clear honey/granulated honey/clear is melted/can change from granulated to clear but not back/honey now is soft set/like granulated/raspberry blend/favourite is Sycamore/Facelia (?)/bees will take honey from it/June – July pure clover/different flowers + different taste/kinds of honey/fellow at Pete Inn/no one else got honey that year/Strathkinness (?)/Scottish honey/environment folk/Australian honey/Gails (?) blended EucalyptusEnid Brown/president/her grandfather/chemist/passion for cycling/cycle to Cupar, Freuchie/no one had cars/wax/lived to 103/police/Scotlandwell/honey shows/Peebles/making candles/library/rare books/meeting at Perth/judge/clean, colour, smell, taste/Sheffield / Arbroath/coffee shop/Dundee/torches/Falkland/Davey Munro/Almeston Hall (?)/medium class/Sycamore/dark honey/3 jars/all same/lightest honey/Clover/darkest honey/bean (?)/bell heather/Ruby (?)/purities/healthy/stings/wax/Berwick-on-Tweed/Robson/commercial bee farmer/Chinese/face cream/antiseptic/wax/not propolous (?)/resin from buds/water tight/used on wounds/lassies picking coal/bairns 7 or 8 gathering coal/once a month Dunfermline/paint different colours/mostly white/for heat/bees eyes/bee dance/saucers of sugar-water/marked/sip/UV light/different coloured boxes/Captain Thaig (?)/beekeeper/a character/cant dictate / meetings/Logie / son/canny anny/bumble/lots of kinds/boy at door/Pitlessie/wife/pedigree cats/dry stone dyke/computer/Mason (?) bees smoker/6 lectures/guy from Perth/Cupar in winter/saccharin breathing tubesComments:SIDE BKeywords / Topics:Balfarg/tumbler mate & father (?)/lunch/long hours/haulage engine/Lengonny (?)/book/photo/lorry/deliver to Strathclyde and Tayside/6 year old/born 1919/sentinel truck/Glasgow/Sunday/tipper up/not blocked properly/Aberdeen/born in Leslie/Methvens Mansion/Adam shopping centre/fire station/Glenrothes hospital/Old Leslie Road/scrapie (?) brae/brickworks/Kirkforthar,Markinch/garages/smithy/horseshoes/clay/Headmaster John Steven/gentleman/strict/Markinch primary school/illiterate/didn’t pay much attention/not sporty/short cut to Markinch Lodge/not allowed on drives/everyone knew each other/2 hives/house bees/Mr Edwards/curious/ploughman’s bairns didn’t fraternise/forgotten until after war/Dunshelt (?)/1950/moved to kettle/hive of bees/2 houses on left/Muchty Road/digging gardens/first hive/bought one from Ladybank/industrious/liked honey/liked handling bees/doesn’t like sticky mess/new hive at Wormit/shallow boxes/get income of honey/swarm/good weather/Clover/Sycamore Trees/100 sections/comb/cut-comb/Chapel Lodge/Sycamore honey/good spread from it/show at Cupar/Hamish Matheson/Freuchie bee keepers/camera/demos/depends on locality/honey from flower/Balmalcolm/necessary for pollination/bumbles don’t mind cold/some survive winter and start from scratch in spring/farmers spraying/lost 2 hives/insecticide/sent sample to Edinburgh/need to go to Cupar now/Mr Dewar/slightly scared of bees/might damage queen/ruled his life for 40 years/combs made from wax/3 segments/chew it/make into hexagons/max number of cells/bee sceps (?)/Gateside/bee bowls/lecturer/post office/size/two old women/Father Newton Farm/Markinch Cemetery/Clydesdale Stallion/bannocks/roses growing around door/wasps/sulphur/Kelly castle/bee bowls for shelter/dogs/earthen ware/lost bees during winter/Steel ‘n’ Brodie (?) import French bees
