FEEDING. 319 



course of thinking and acting, than any love of wife or 

 children, relatives or friends! 



Another sermon ! does some one exclaim ? Would then 

 that it might be to some of my renders a sermon indeed ; 

 " a word fitly spoken," " like apples of gold in pictures of 

 silver." 



The prudent Apiarian will always regard the feeding of 

 bees, e.xcept the little, given to them by way of encourage- 

 ment, as an evil to be submitted to, only when absolutely 

 necessary ; and will very much prefer to obtain his supplies 

 from what Shakspeare has so beautifully termed the " mer- 

 ry pillage" of the blooming fields, thaofrom the more costly 

 stores of the neighboring grocery. If not engaged in the 

 rapid increase of stocks, he will seldom see a season so un- 

 favorable as to be obliged to purchase any food for his bees, 

 unless he chooses to buy a cheaper article, to replace the 

 choice honey of which he has deprived them. Just as soon 

 as the Apiarian begins to multiply his stocks with very great 

 rapidity, he must calculate upon feeding great quantities of 

 honey to his bees. Before he attempts this on a large scale, 

 let me once more give him a friendly caution, and if possi- 

 ble, persuade him to try very rapid multiplication with only 

 a few of his stocks. In this way, he may experiment to his 

 heart's content, without running the risk of seriously injur- 

 ing his whole Apiary, and he may not only gain the skill 

 and experience which will enable him subsequently to con- 

 duct a rapid increase, on a large scale, but may learn wheth- 

 er he is so situated that he can profitably devote to it the 

 time and money which it will inevitably require. 



Before giving directions for feeding bees when a rapid 

 increase of colonies is aimed at, 1 shall first show in what 

 manner the bee-keeper may feed his weak swarms in the 

 Spring. If they are in the common hives, a small quantity 



