THE PASTURAGE 01? BEES. 43 



■whicli one swarm only was obtained, was weighed every 

 morning during the hot weather of July. On the 17th 

 and 18th it gained 12 lb. in weight, next two days only 

 4 lb., and on the following day it gained 4 lb. The dif- 

 ference of the weight of honey gathered was attributed 

 to the variation of night temperature, for one day was as 

 hot as the other. 



Heather-blossoms, during the months of August and 

 September, yield a harvest of honey prodigiously and 

 marvellously large. This is so well known, that in Scot- 

 land and some parts of the Continent, there may be seen 

 cartloads of bee-hives going to grouse-land. Bee-masters 

 find that there is an ample return for the trouble and 

 expense of taking bees to the moors, even though the 

 distance be thirty or forty miles. 



On no spot of Scotland can it be said that heather is 

 not within easy distance of it, so that all Scottish bee- 

 keepers can avail themselves of the honey that is so 

 abundantly produced by its pinky-purplish blooms. To 

 me it appears wonderful that in England we have heather 

 enough for all the bees in the world. In Yorkshire there 

 are magnificent seas of it. On the hills of Derbyshire 

 and Cheshire, within twenty miles of Manchester, we find 

 miles of heather excellent for bees. In both Staffordshire 

 and Warwickshire, heather in abundance may be found. 

 In the south, we find large tracts of heather in Devon, 

 Surrey, Hampshire, and Sussex. In Ireland, "Wales, and 

 the northern counties of England, it is as abounding as it 

 is in Scotland. 



All plants grown on warm well-drained soils yield more 

 honey than those grown on cold heavy land. Even in the 

 case of heather this is true. In ordinary seasons heathery 

 hiUs yield more honey than heathery swamps. And the 

 good sense of every bee-master will tell him that hilly 

 exposed pastures and districts are better in showery 



