RURAL ECONOMY IN YORKSHIRE IN 1641. 65 



till such time as the little beginne to kiU the greate ones. Bees 

 wiU live to the 10th of ApriU, and sometimes Mid-May, and 

 then perhapps dye or fly quite away. 



Secondly, How to take Bees and order Catchers. 

 The best time for drivinge of bees is from the 20th of June 

 to the fii'st of July, because that by this time bees have gath- 

 ered togeather some quantity of honey, wheareof some money 

 and profltte may arise to the owner ; and likewise from this 

 time tin Michaehnasse they wiU againe recover and gather to- 

 geather liviuge enough and store sufficient to keepe tiiem over 

 winter. Whosoever intendeth to diive bees, ought to provide 

 and have in readinesse against night as many newe hives ready 

 speU'd and rubb'd as hee intendeth to take olde ones ; as many 

 severall sheetes as newe hives ; and as many bolles as sheets ; 

 hee is Hkewise to provide a winge, and two peeces of wliip- 

 coarde or plough stringe, and each of them of that length that 

 they may serve to goe three or fower times aboute an hive. 

 Yow are to have an especiaU care that yow drive not your bees 

 too neare to the place wheare the other bees stande, but rather 

 carry them some 10 or 12 yeards distante from them, for feare 

 that the noyse and clappinge up of the catchers shoulde doe 

 harme to the other bees. Yow are to diffeiTe this businesse tiU 

 after supper, that it beginne to grow darke ; because that the 

 bees wiU bee gone up and sattled togeather by that time, and 

 not soe ready to flye and stirre about ; yow are to provide for 

 executing of this businesse three folkes, viz. ; a man and two 

 women, and not to lette any body else knowe of it but those 

 whome yow intende to imploy aboute them, for feare that they 

 waste the honey, and breake the combes. When all thinges 

 are in readinesse, then are yow fii'st to take a sheete and spreade 

 it out smooth and plaine upon the grasse ; then are yow to 

 take your newe hive, that is ready speld and rubd, and to sette 

 it with the crowne downewards, just on the middle of the 

 sheete, wheare one is to holde it till another goe and take the 

 olde hive of the stoole wheare it standeth, which old hive is to 

 bee brought and sette direcktly with the mouth downeward, 

 and placed just eaven with the mouth of the newe hive ; it is 

 to bee sette in such manner with its mouth direcktly upon tlie 

 mouth of the newe hive as if the new hive weare an underlay, 

 and the olde liive the hive that weare to be sette into it ; 

 this beinge done, yow are to drawe up the sheete straite and 

 close on all sides, and soe to lappe the corners over the toppe of 

 the olde hive, and to tye them fast aboute with a coarde, soe 

 that none of the bees may gette forth any v/ay to molest and 



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