91 



&c. supply the principal food of these wonderftJ 

 creatures, who, with the mere instinct of their na- 

 ture to fUrect them, afford unvarying- examples of 

 dilig-enc? and labour — of frugality and order — not to 

 be found among men who have reason to guide, and 

 religion to influence their ways. 



It is not, however, my purpose to call your atten- 

 tion to the natural history of these animals, to prove 

 that in the formation of their cells, no architect, 

 having in view the constriiction of a commodious 

 dwelling without loss of space, and the saving of 

 materials, could excel them in ingenuity ; nor to ex- 

 hibit them as a people living in communities, of 15 

 or 20 thousand each, all working for the public good, 

 unthout any selfish consideration, and affectionately 

 attached to their sovereign ; but merely to press upon 

 you all, the advantage of keeping a few hives under 

 the shelter of your garden hedges. £60,000 was 

 paid last year in England for bee's wax imported from 

 Africa, and probably three times that sum for the 

 saiiie article from Holland, France and Italy. Now 

 what is to prevent the Irish small-holders from sup- 

 plying it — the first cost of a stock or two is trifling 

 — no capital is required — beans, buck-wheat, thyme, 

 burrage, sage, &c. sown in gardens and farm fences 

 would, with the aid of clover either natural or arti- 

 ficial, ainply supply them. 



Small holders are particularly interested in this 

 matter — because neither capital, nor labour, nor much 

 skill will be necessary to make money by bees, which 

 increase prodigiously ; you may construct a bee house 

 capable of containing 108 hives, at small expense : 

 for £-3, this house may be built with brick (foiir inch 

 work,) and thatched with straw; in each of the sides 

 (of which there should be six,) let there be several 

 openings or windows with ledges outside, on which 

 the bees may rest — inside, and opposite these open- 

 ings, let the bee hives be placed on stands or shelves ; 

 in each side there may be placed six hives, and if two 



