The Bee-Master of Warrilow. 



noticed hundreds of years ago. If I were to put some of 

 the drinking-jars on bright red saucers now, you would 

 not see half as many bees on them as on the pale blue." 



We moved on to the extracting-house, whence the 

 master now fetched his smoker, and a curious knife, with 

 a broad and very keen-looking blade. He packed the tin 

 nozzle of the smoker with rolled brown paper, lighted it, 

 and, by means of the little bellows underneath, soon blew 

 it up into full strength. Then he went to one of the 

 quietest hives, where only a few bees were wandering aim- 

 lessly about, and sent a dense stream of smoke into the 

 entrance. A moment later he had taken the roof and 

 coverings off, and was lifting out the central comb-frames 

 one by one, with the bees chnging in thousands all about 

 them. 



" Now," he said, " we have come to what is really the 

 most important operation of all in the bee-keeper's work 

 of stimulating his stocks for the coming season. Here in 

 the centre of each comb you see the young brood; but all 

 the cells above and around it are full of honey, still sealed 

 over and untouched by the bees. The stock is behind 

 time. The queen must be roused at once to her responsi- 

 bilities, and here is one very simple and effective way of 

 doing it." 



He took the knife, deftly shaved off the cappings from 

 the honey-cells of each comb, and as quickly returned the 

 frames, dripping with honey, to the brood-nest. In a few 

 seconds the hive was comfortably packed down again, and 

 he was looking round for the next languid stock. 



" All these slow, backward colonies," said the bee- 

 master, as he puffed away with his smoker, " will have to 

 be treated after the same fashion. The work must be 

 smartly done, or you will chill the brood ; but, in uncap- 

 ping the stores like this, right in the centre of the brood- 

 nest, the effect on the stock is magical. The whole hive 

 reeks with the smell of honey, and such evidence of pros- 

 perity is irresistible. To-morrow, if you come this wav, 

 you will see all these timorous bee-folk as busy as any 

 in the garden." 



20 



