SECTION I 

 I' 



BEES— THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE 

 APIARY— BEE PASTURAGE 



CHAPTER I 



INTRODUCTORY 



That the keeping of bees has a distinct, well-nigh un- 

 definable fascination, peculiarly its own, no ardent bee- 

 keeper will deny. " The genial Baron von Ehrenfels 

 (to quote Dzierzon), who has called beekeeping the 

 ' Poetry of Agriculture,' could not have expressed more 

 beautifully the charm which beekeeping possesses." 



Beekeeping is also a centre, a starting point, from 

 which many delightful roads radiate ; and creates a 

 stimulus for increased knowledge, not only of the habits 

 and life history of the little creatures who so delightfully 

 minister both to our pleasure and profit, but also of the 

 truly marvellous part they (with other allied insects) 

 play in the economy of nature. 



Probably no other pursuit is calculated to bring one 

 into intimate touch with nature at so many points as is 

 beekeeping. 



To the gardener, the fruit-grower especially, bees are 

 an absolute necessity. 



Flowers are the sexual organs of plants, the male 

 element being represented by the stamens, the pollen 



