THE MODERN BEE-FARM 263 
supply of sugar-syrup from the first moment that 
breeding commences in the hives. Chemically, 
the sweet constituent in nectar is almost identical 
with that from the sugar-cane ; and sugar-syrup 
has this advantage over honey given—that it more 
nearly simulates the natural flow. The bees re- 
sponsible for the nursery-work in the hive and the 
regulation of the queen’s fecundity, are young bees 
that have never yet flown. Theycan, therefore, only 
judge of the progress of the season by the amount 
of nectar and pollen coming into the hive. Where 
this is steadily increasing day by day—and it is 
this regular natural progress in prosperity which 
the bee-keeper must strive to imitate in artificial 
feeding — the nurse-bees gain confidence, and 
brood-raising forges rapidly ahead. 
But sugar-syrup and pea-flour are not natural 
foods for bees, and there is little doubt that a pro- 
longed course of such diet tends to lower the tone 
and stamina of the race, and thus may prepare the 
way for disease. The golden rule in the matter 
seems to be that artificial feeding should be re- 
sorted to only where strength of stocks is neces- 
sary to secure the harvest, or where actual starva- 
tion threatens. In purely heather-districts, when 
the big population is quite early enough if it is 
to hand in late June, nothing short of imminent 
starvation should induce the bee-master to give 
artificial, and therefore unavoidably inferior, food. 
In sheep-country the same rule holds. Except in 
