546 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 9 



etand liir apart ; if there are six hives in one por- 

 tion or division ol' the apiary, ihey should not be 

 less than nine or twelve feet asunder. Bui too 

 great a number never sliould be situated in the 

 same district. The colieclions of bees are drawn 

 solely from flowers, and perhaps, in some small 

 measure, Crorii hom-y dew, which at times appears 

 on leaves, and is said lo produce an inlt^rior honey; 

 it is therefore evident, tliat ininienae quantities of 

 bees, actively employed, would not be long in ex- 

 hausting the whole. The number of hives should, 

 therefore, be regulated by the situation of tiie api- 

 ary. A district abounding with flowers and blos- 

 soms will admit of more than one where the chief 

 product is grain. An apiary ought to stand in a 

 quiet sheltered place, where the bees may perlbrm 

 their labors totally undisturbed : flowers, particu- 

 larly those most liuitful in honey, should be co- 

 piously disseminated around ; and, lor the facility 

 of saving swarms, it is better lo have low flower- 

 ing shrubs in the vicinity than lofty trees. Means 

 should be practised lo obtain a succession oi" flow- 

 ers in successive seasons, that the bees may al- 

 ways have the collection of honey in their power, 

 and without going to a distance. It is not known 

 how liir tliey fly ; some think they traverse several 

 miles; others, that their flight hardly exceeds half 

 a league ; but the accidents to which they are ex- 

 posed render it im[)ortant lor provisions to be near 

 at hand. In the low country, mignonette is said 

 to aflbrd the finest honey, and may be kept in blos- 

 som a large portion of the year. Bromwich, an 

 intelligent writer, relates, that, in 1/79, he planted 

 a great quantity of it before two bee hives, at a 

 considerable distance (rom any other bees. With 

 euch abundant supplies as this aflbrded them, few 

 ever left his garden. In September he took the ho- 

 ney, and found it exceeded, by above a third, what 

 he obtained from any other two of his best hives, 

 where the bees were obliged to fly farther; and 

 equal in fragrance and color to what is imported 

 from the warmer climates. It is a favorite flower 

 among bees; for we have observed patches of it, 

 in the very centre of the city of Edinburgh, re- 

 sorted to from hives beyond the suburbs. Bonner 

 aflirms, that he has olien "seen a hive, by being 

 placed nigh heath, become ten, tvv-elve, or fifteen 

 pounds heavier in the month of August; wheretis, 

 if il liad remained in its original early situation, it 

 would probably liave become every day lighter af- 

 ter Lammas." 



This circumstance leads us to another point 

 which the cultivator has to observe, namely, 

 clianging the situation of his apiary as the flow- 

 ers surrounding it decrease. Those in one dis- 

 trict, as we well know, have entirely laded, while 

 those of another are in lull blow. Though the 

 practice of transporting hives to fresh pasturage is 

 not so general as it ought to be, probably because 

 they are seldom numerous in the possession of in- 

 dividuals, il is not unknown in Scotland ; and per- 

 sons in the vicinity of Edinburgh yearly send their 

 whole stock to the Highlands, for the purpose of 

 gathering honey. In France it is done either by 

 land or water. M. Reaumur mentions the cus- 

 tom of a M. Protaut, who cultivated bees on an 

 extensive scale, and seems to have kept between 

 600 and 600 hives for a manufactory of wax. 

 These he sent twenty miles fiom their ordinary 

 station, and, if the place appropriated for them 

 was not productive of^ food, they were transported 



still farther. Each hive was put on a coarse cloth, 

 the corners and edges of which were turned up, 

 and secured by binding them round vviih pack- 

 thread. Those containing small quaniitiesof comb 

 were kept in the usual position ; but thope full of 

 comb were reversed, in order to secure the comb. 

 Tliey were then disposed in tiers, two and two, 

 throughout the whole length of carts made on 

 [)urpose, from 30 to 48 beiiiir carried in each cart. 

 The carts travelled slowly over the smoothest road 

 when the journey was long: if the hives were 

 slenderly stored, they sometimes halted near fertile 

 fields, and the bees were allowed to go abroad to 

 lijed ; having returned at night to their dwelling, 

 the journey was resumed. The Egyptians also 

 transport their bees on a large scale on the river 

 Nile. The inhabitants of lower Egypt collect 

 the hives belonging lo difl'erent villages, and pile 

 them up in pyramids in boats prepared to receive 

 them. These boats slowly ascend the river, as in 

 higher Egypt the flowers are earlier in bloom ; 

 and they stop on the way, to allow the bees to fly 

 about and make ample collections on the banks. 

 Three months are occupied in the voyage and re- 

 turn, when each hive is delivered to its proprietor, 

 whose name, mark, or number has been affixed 

 to it. The modern Greeks, inhabiting the coast 

 of Asia Minor, convey their hives also in boats 

 from shore to shore, m order to reach newer and 

 more abundant pasturages than what they leave. 

 In one of these voyages we are told, that a hive 

 being accidentally overturned, the enraged beea 

 so keenly attacked the seamen, that they were 

 glad lo leap overboard and swim to the shore, 

 which fortunately was not distant. The extent of 

 this practice justifies our recommending it as one 

 effectual method of increasing the quantities of ho- 

 ney. The hives must be transported on a spring 

 cart, which, if well hung, an essential quality, 

 ouglit to travel expeditiously through the night ; 

 and they should also be kept cool. Small holes, 

 for the admission of fresh air, should be made in 

 the bottom and sides of the hive ; but the opera- 

 tor need not dread the consequence of keeping his 

 bees one or two days in total confinement. In 

 changing the situation of the apiary, certain con- 

 veniences must be sacrificed ; but when it remains 

 stationary, its proper position is in a field or garden, 

 where it is sheltered fi-om the winds, and protected 

 from the access of cattle and the curiosity of man- 

 kind, by a railing. Flowers and shrubs ought to 

 be in the immediate vicinity, and trees at a dis- 

 tance. It should not be encompassed by high 

 walls, for the bees, from either being heavily laden, 

 or latigued with their labors, or afl'ecled by the 

 sudden chill of evening, predominant in our own 

 climates, are unable to surmount it: and there are 

 the same reasons against its being encircled by a 

 thicket. A southern exposure is not indispensible, 

 as Bergman jjroperly oLiserves ; but hives should 

 seldom stand in the shade. The apiary should be 

 freed of weeds and tufts of grass close to the hive, 

 as they harbor vermin : and spreading sand or 

 gravel around the hives, is beneficial both in ob- 

 structing the growth of weeds, and in absorbing 

 moisture. To save the trouble of attendance, it is 

 convenient to have the apiary in the vicinity of' a 

 dwelling house. 



After the site of the apiary is chosen, it is ne- 

 cessary for the cultivator frequently to inspect his 

 hives, to ascerlaia whether they are in a flourish- 



