BEES, BEE-HIV£Sj AND BEE CULTURE. 105 



It is difficult to assign au exact limit to the distance that bees 

 will go in search of honey yielding blossoms. It has been proved 

 by various experiments that they will fly say five or six miles, if the 

 supplies are scanty within a shorter radius ; but bees weU under- 

 stand that first of all economies, — the saving of time, and if they can 

 find forage near at hand, they prefer it. Hence, other things being 

 equal, the quantity of honey stored will be in proportion to the 

 contiguity of good pasturage. In this way it is that the systematic 

 removal of hives, as practised in many districts, has such a notable 

 eflect on the honey harvest. 



During several years we kept bees in the Zoological Gardens, 

 E«gent's Park, and have there frequently taken fuU and handsome 

 glasses of honey. The position of our apiary was on the site now 

 occupied by the " New Monkey House." The Society promise to 

 erect a new building for an apiary in the course of the ensuing 

 summer. The visitors to the Gardens found considerable interest 

 in watching the bees in our glass hives, and are now much 

 disappointed at the absence of so entertaining an exhibition. 



A gentleman residing in St. James's Place, has for some 

 considerable time past kept bees in his garden there. He uses 

 our improved cottage hives, and his bee-keeping is decidedly 

 successful as he generally takes some fine glasses of honey each 

 season, besides leaving sufficient as winter store for the bees. For 

 a London situation, St. James's Place is a very favourable one ; 

 the gardens behind the houses pleasantly face the Green Park, so 

 that the bees have an nninterrupted flight to start with. They are 

 also within easy range of the richly flowered gardens of Buckingham 

 Palace and those of the nobility and gentry who reside around 

 the Parks. To those gardens the bees of St. James's Place resort, 

 without waiting for any license or certificate from the royal and 

 noble owners of the honey yielding preserves. Being within a 

 short distance of our estabhshment, when this gentleman's bees 

 swarm he generally sends to us for assistance in hiving them. 



The neighbourhood of St. John's Wood, and indeed almost all 

 the suburbs of London, are favourable for the production of honey. 

 "We mention St. John's Wood because, from the fact of having 

 kept bees there ourselves, we are able to prove by our experience 

 that they do well in that locality. We have several customers on 

 nearly all sides of the town, who have each had this year a 



