248 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



September 



" Next to Aetherial Honey I'll proceed," 

 the translator remarks : 



"The poet (saith La Creda) excel- 

 lent in Natural Philosophy, subverts 

 the common opinion implying that 

 the bees do not make Honey, but only 

 gather it together and compact it, and 

 therefore calls it Aerial and Celestial. 

 To this assents Aristotle. That Bees 

 make not Honey, but carry only away 

 the falling Dew, may be argued from 

 hence, that in one or two days a Hive 

 may be found full ; Besides if you 

 take away their Honey in Autumn, 

 they cannot recruit it, notwithstand- 

 ing there are flowers at that time of 

 year. And Pliny, 'Whether it be the 

 Sweat of Heaven, or Spittle of the 

 Stars, or Moisture of the Air purging 

 itself, I wish it were as pure and nat- 

 ural as it first descends ; Whereas now 

 falliug from so great a height, it con- 

 tracts much of impurity by the way, 

 yet retains much of the pleasantness 

 of its Celestial nature.' " 



This was before the days of glucose. 

 Pliny seems to have had some idea of 

 the adulteration craze, even in his 

 time; but he does not tell us whether 

 he thought it done by men or the gods. 



"Wars, Labors, Manners, Nations, I'll re- 

 cite." 



"Aristotle," says the translator, 

 "numbers bees amongst civil people, 

 'For the uses of life (says Pliny) they 

 labor, work, ordain a commonwealth, 

 have their private Councils, their pub- 

 lic Warlike Actions, and, which is 

 strangest of all, they have Morality.' " 



This looks as though they had rath- 

 er a high idea of the little workers in 

 early times. 

 " For jour Bee-liives fitting 8t itions find." 



" jf /)e Station of Bees must be, accord- 



ing to Varro and Columella, in an 

 open. Sunshiny place, little subject to 

 the injuries of th6 Weather, far from 

 noise of Men or Cattle, particularly of 

 sheep, because (says Pliny) they can- 

 not easily disen-tangle themselves out 

 of their Wool ; He adds that the Hive 

 should open towards the East, if it 

 may be, but by no means to the North. 

 Mr. Butler's rules for a Bee-garden are 

 these: It should be near home ; fenc- 

 ed from Cattle and Winds ; the East 

 and North fences high, the South (on 

 which side of the house they should 

 set) and West fences good, but not so 

 high, by no means to shadow the South 

 Sun, nor from Sun-Setting ; The place 

 Sweet; not very cold in Winter, nor 

 hot in Summer ; grassy, but not suf- 

 fered to grow up too high ; beset with 

 Trees and Bushes." 



This man has made some progress 

 in solving the " winter problem." 



" But their abodes near Crystal Fountains 

 place 

 Where purling Streams glide gently 

 through the grass." 



"Varro and Columella advise the 

 same as most necessary, that there be 

 Water near the Hives, and, if possible, 

 to run by them, clear for them to 

 drink. So they order Stone and Wood 

 to be thrown into the Water, so as 

 some part may appear out of it for the 

 Bees to sit upon and drink with more 

 ease." 



It seems, too, that they began to 

 discuss the question of hives as a very 

 early period. In proof of wnich note 

 the following : 



"Whether of hollow Bark thou dost contrive 

 Or else with limber Twigs compose the 



Hive. 

 M;ike straight the Gate." 



"Colliimella gives a reason why 



