No. 4.] BEE KEEPING. 77 



the proper (iiiie. Thousands of bees are lost (!vcry winter l)e- 

 caiise the owner guessed they had enough stores. Thousands 

 of swarms abscond from inattention on the part of the owner 

 during the swarming season. Tons and tons of honey are 

 lost from enforced idleness because the colonies were not pro- 

 vided with i-ooiii at the ])r()])er time. 



I once had a man visit me at my home to learn why, after 

 years of bee kee])ing, he had not been successful. After a 

 long conversation with him I said : " There is never an effect 

 without a cause, and it seems you have never expected a crop 

 of honey. If I were to suggest a motto for your shop it would 

 read something like this: ' Blessed are they who expect noth- 

 ing for they shall receive it.' You must have faith that you 

 will get a cro]), provide everything necessary to secure it and 

 persistently work to that end." To-day this man is one of the 

 large producers of honey, and has three fine bee yards, and 

 says the most profitable day he ever spent was the one when 

 he found out why he had failed. 



]\rany keep bees for the pleasure they derive from a study 

 of their habits, and, after having overcome the fear of stings, 

 discard both veil and gloves, and by using a little smoke 

 handle them freely, caring little for a few stings as the system 

 becomes ada])ted to the poison. 



Bryant has truly said : " To him who in the love of nature 

 holds communion with her visible forms she speaks a various 

 language." To most people the hum of the bee means but 

 little, but to the expert it may mean joy, sorrow, anger or 

 curiosity, and he governs himself accordingly. Nature is 

 selfish in her ways and is slow to give up anything without 

 exacting something in return. Honey is not secreted in the 

 blossom from any philanthropic motive, but rather to entice 

 the bee to come in contact with the pollen, and carry it from 

 flower to flower and insure cross fertilization and thus repro- 

 duce its kind. Plants may be divided into two classes, — 

 those bearing wind flowers and those bearing insect flowers. 

 In the former may be classed corn and timothy, whose pollen 

 is distributed by the wind, while to the latter class belong 

 fruits and berries which are largely dependent on insects. A 



