BEfJS. { 



mainly based his fourth Georg-ic, Pliny, and Columella, who 

 is esteemed the most accurate among these early observers. 

 In modern times, the study appears to have assumed an 

 altogether more definite and scientific shape in the hands of 

 such men as Swammerdam, the unrivalled dissector of insect 

 structures, Maraldi, the supposed inventor of glass hives, our 

 own profoundly philosophic Ray, Reaumur, Scliirach, John 

 Hunter, who first discovered the true origm of wax, and^ 

 above all, Huber, who is especially the high-priest of this 

 particular altar in the great temple of science. 



The various points necessary to be known by the would- 

 be apiarian are briefly these : — First, whether or not it i» 

 worth while to keep bees at all. This is a question whicb 

 can best be answered by the kind of locality at his disposal^ 

 although, as I have before stated, the locality must be very 

 poor indeed that will not feed one hive. Secondly, if he- 

 has decided upon keeping bees, where, when, and at what 

 price, to procure them ; how to establish them when pro- 

 cured; how to watch over and manage them when esta- 

 blished; how to extract the greatest possible amount of 

 honey from them without injuring the hive ; how to disposa 

 of his wax and honey when he has obtained them ; what 

 kind of hives to use for different purposes ; how to increase 

 the number of hives if required, and how to forward or 

 prevent swarming. These points will be found explained in 

 this little work, briefly and sparingly ; briefly, because the 

 limits of the book are too small to admit of long disser- 

 tations where a iow sentences will suffice ; and sparingly^ 

 because many of these points are much better learned by 

 practice than by mere theoretical teaching*. All that this 

 little work pretends to perform is to put the reader in the 

 way to work, and to serve, as far as a written book can do^ 

 as a guide if he should feel perplexed. In the present state 

 of advancement in this particular department of natural 

 history it is very probable that a future apiarian may be 

 enabled to discover far better methods of management than 

 those given here. The systems, however, that are recom- 

 mended in this work have been found to work very success- 

 fully, and will very well serve until better are discovered. 

 Nor can it be expected that any one who really takes an 

 mterest in the management will keep strictly to the rules 



