noun of the first person as often as I please, and if the 

 printer runs out of big I's toward the last of the book, 

 he can put in little i's. 



Moreover, I don't mean to undertake to lay down a 

 methodical system of bee-keeping, whereby one with no 

 knowledge of the business can learn in "twelve short 

 lessons" all about it, but will just talk about some of the 

 things that I think would interest you, if we were sitting 

 down together for a familiar chat. I take it you are 

 familiar with the good books and periodicals that we as 

 bee-keepers are blest with, and in some things, if not 

 most, you are a better bee-keeper than I ; so you have 

 my full permission, as you go from page to page, to 

 make such remarks as, "Oh, how foolish!" "I know a 

 good deal better way than that," etc., but I hope some 

 may find a hint here and there that may prove useful. 



I have no expectation nor desire to write a com- 

 plete treatise on bee-keeping. Many important matters 

 connected with the art I do not mention at all, because 

 they have not come within my own experience. Others 

 that have come within my experience I do not mention, 

 because I suppose the reader to be already familiar with 

 them. I merely try to talk about such things as I think 

 a brother bee-keeper would be most interested in if he 

 should remain with me during the year. 



f-i 



