BEE PASTUBAGE. 91 



bai, hKc ■' --tibCure virtues," are often neg';ected for the 

 more conspicuous Dandelion, and tbe showy appear, 

 ance and fragrant blossoms of the apple-trees, which 

 now open their stores, offering to their acceptance a 

 real harvest. 



FRUIT FLOWBRS IMPORTANT IN GOOD WEATHER. 



In good weather, sometimes a gain of twenty lbs. 

 is added to their stores, during this period of apple- 

 tree blossoms. But we are seldom fortunate enough 

 to have good weather all through this period, it being 

 rainy, cloudy, cool, or windy, which is very detrimen- 

 tal. Sometimes a frost at this time destroys all, and 

 the gain of our bees is reversed, that is, they are 

 lighter at the end than at the beginning of these 

 flowers. Yet this is the season that decides their pros- 

 perity for the summer, whether they do Jirst rate or 

 otherwise. If good weather now, we expect our first 

 swarms about the first of June ; if not, no subsequent 

 yield of honey will make up for this deficiency. We 

 now have a time of several days, from ten to fourteen, 

 in which but few flowers exist. If our hives are poorly 

 supplied when this scarcity occurs, it will so disarrange 

 their plans for swarming, that no preparations are 

 again made much before Jul\', and sometimes not at 

 all. In sections where the wild cherry {Gerasus Sera- 

 tina) abounds, the flowers of this will appear and 

 fill this time of scarcity, which this section aimually 

 presents. 



RED RASPBERRY A FAVORITE. 



The red raspberry {Rvbus Strigosvs) next presents 



