14 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING 



tion will generally answer admirably for the bee- 

 hives. 



. The main thing is to understand thoroughly the 

 habits of the' bees and the working pf the hive. 

 It is with the intention of teaching this that this 

 little book has been written. As regards the text, 

 abstruse wording has been carefully avoided, and 

 the idea has been to produce a plain, straight- 

 forward work for the use of the great body of 

 small-holders. The number of necessary appliances 

 has been kept within strict limits. Many bee- 

 keeping appliances which figure in catalogues can 

 readily be dispensed with, and thus a certain 

 amount of capital is retained. 



As in every other pursuit much money may be 

 uselessly spent, and my object has been to elimi- 

 nate all articles which may be dispensed with 

 without injuring in any way the efficiency of the 

 practical work. 



By the same rule the anatomy of the bee and 

 the economy of the hive have only been touched 

 upon sufficiently to serve the everyday needs of 

 the apiarist; 



