MY BEES. 129 



other little book told of a bright young city 

 man who gave up the delights of the theatre 

 and base-ball matches to retire to the country 

 with a hive of bees ; he emerged five years 

 later with something like a fortune made out 

 of honey. 



The first supply was to be the only cost of 

 the enterprise beyond that of the hives in 

 which to place other swarms, and the little 

 boxes which are put in the hives to receive the 

 honey. I was assured that very few people 

 who took hold of the business gave it up 

 because of the stings they received, and that, 

 if I could take the opinion of all bee-keepers 

 upon the subject, I would find that it was 

 virtually a chorus of praise in honor of this 

 industry, which is almost literally as old as the 

 hills, and yet has been completely revolution- 

 ized, turned upside down, within the last 

 twenty years. For centuries people had gone 

 on allowing bees to do as they thought fit. 

 Twenty years ago an inventive genius discov- 

 ered that the bees knew nothing about making 

 the most of their time, and were living a life of 

 riotous idleness. 



It is some five years since, thus induced to 



