THE PASTUEAGE OF BEES. 69 



the numlier had been twioe as large, the probability is 

 great that the gains or accumulation of honey would not 

 have been perceptibly less in any of the hives. If there 

 be food enough in a grass field for thirty head of cattle, 

 it does not matter much to the cattle whether ten or 

 twenty be kept in it : there will remain grass uneaten. 

 So with bees there is in almost every place far more food 

 for them than they can gather. 



But are all localities equally good for bees 1 No ; there 

 is a great difference. Some are very much more honeyed 

 than others ; and some are rich at one period of the season 

 and poor at another. In my own garden, on the imme- 

 diate south of the black city of Manchester, bees do very 

 well in spring — till the apple-tree blossoms fail ; after- 

 wards it is a poor, poor neighbourhood for bees. They 

 can barely keep themselves in ordinary seasons — in extra 

 fine seasons they gather small stores of honey. We find _ 

 it desirable to remove them farther into the country, where 

 they can find better pasture. We have alluded to this 

 elsewhere, and may allude to it again. 



It is perhaps beyond the powers of the most observant 

 and best-informed mind in the realm to name every plant 

 in this country that yields honey, or from which honey 

 may be gathered. Their number is great. But as there 

 are some of greater value to bees than others, we will now 

 mention those which we consider the best for yielding 

 honey. In one smaU. work on bees in my library there 

 are upwards of seventy bee-flowers enumerated, and put 

 in classes for spring, summer, and autumn. 



Crocuses in early spring receive great attention from 

 bees. Much pollen and some honey are collected from 

 their flowers. 



In some places there are two kinds of willow (salix) 



