No. 4.] BKK KKKPING. 403 



The geoij^raphical .situation of our own State is more favor- 

 able for bee keei)iiiii" tlian i.s Vermont ; and there seems to 

 be no good reason why we should not produce sufficient 

 honey for home consumption, instead of purchasing from 

 neighboring States. Our cities are teeming with jx'ople of 

 moderate means who are anxious to move into the country 

 in order to enjoy more quiet and healthful surroundings and 

 occupations. The great difficulty that confronts them is to 

 find a locality not so remote from a large place as to debar 

 them of all social privileges and the advantages of a market, 

 yet at the same time sufficiently removed to enable theui to 

 purchase land at a price within their reach, capable of fur- 

 nishing support for their families. From a lack of experi- 

 ence necessary for them to engage successfully in general 

 farming, and the cost of equipping a farm with the required 

 stock and tools to carry it on, these people must, if they 

 leave the mills, stores and shops of the cities and take up a 

 residence in rural sections, engage in a special branch of 

 agriculture that they can familiarize themselves with through 

 observation and the study of books. 



Market g-ardenino:, the orowinn' of small fruits or flowers, 

 poultry raising and bee keeping are the agricultural special- 

 ties either enofao^ed in alone or in combination that are best 

 adapted for those who are compelled, on account of ill health 

 or from other circumstances, to leave the cities and resort to 

 the country to take up agricultural pursuits to gain a liveli- 

 hood. 



There are seasons, owing largely to climatic conditions, 

 when bees in Massachusetts are unable to collect and store 

 more hoiu>y than is required for the raising of brood and food 

 for winter use. For this reason bee keeping for either comb 

 or extracted honey may not yield a very large income. To 

 provide against such an exigency it is not advisable for one 

 to depend upon bee keeping as a sole source of income, but 

 to combine with it some other specialtj'. Which of those 

 specialties alread}^ mentioned to be selectcid should depend 

 upon location, kind of soils, demands of the market, etc. 



Suitjibly situated in a locality for the advantageous grow- 

 ing of poultry, in a vicinity where there exists a variety of 

 honev-vieldins: plants, a combination of these (\\(i industries 



