INTRODUCTION. 



THE Culture of Bees is one of the most healthful 

 occupations that can be named, and at the present 

 day it is being adopted as a business, while the number of 

 people in all ranks of life who keep only a few hives as a 

 pleasant pastime is very large, as may be judged from the fact 

 that the members of the various associations in this country 

 make up a total of something like 10,000. Consequently, 

 more honey being on offer, it has become much cheaper than 

 it was a few years since, when the supply was very limited. 



While an increased production has lowered the value, there 

 is at the same time a larger and increasing demand for the 

 bee-keeper's commodity ; and as he now has the benefit of 

 improved appliances there is no difficulty in competing with 

 present rates. In fact, it appears likely that very soon it will 

 not pay foreign countries to send their honey here, as continued 

 improvements' are reducing the cost of production at home. 



When honey was superseded by sugar, bee-keeping seems 

 to 4iave fallen into the background, but after a time light 

 began to dawn, and some thirty years since, by using hives 

 wherein' all the combs could be removed separately at will, a 

 great stimulus was given to both practical and scientific bee- 

 keeping ; consequently, the ranks began to swell, as it became 

 known that much larger harvests could be secured than by 



