PEEFACK. V 



author, we may be pardoned the egotism of saying 

 that we were at the age of eighteen apprenticed to 

 the profession of gardening at Carstairs House. In 

 about four- years afterwards we went to London to 

 pursue our profession, which we have followed ever 

 since. "While an apprentice at Carstairs, and a 

 journeyman in Middlesex, we kept bees in " hidden 

 jDlaces " in the plantations and shrubberies ; and 

 while acting in the capacity of head-gardener, we 

 managed the bees of our employers. ISTow we have 

 a small garden of our own, in which we keep " lots 

 of bees " for profit. Such is a brief outline of the 

 author's history from a bee-keeping point of view. 

 The work before the reader, then, is a practical one, 

 and written by a practical man. 



Three or four years ago, we were induced by our 

 respected friend Mr Thomson, editor of ' The Gar- 

 dener,' to contribute a series of articles on Bees for 

 that periodical, then called ' The Scottish Gardener.' 

 Mr T. heralded these articles with a few remarks 

 rather too complimentary. He then said : " We had 

 practical proof of the extraordinary success resulting 

 from Mr Pettigrew's system of bee - management 

 when he was our foreman in the Gardens at "Wrotham 

 Park, Middlesex, twenty-five years ago. We assure 

 our readers who may peruse his letters, that though 

 he may recommend what may clash violently with 

 their present knowledge of the subject, he is, notwith- 

 standing, a safe guide ; and that, where profit is the 

 object, no writer that we have ever read can be com- 

 pared with him. We predicate that his letter^ will 



