NATURAL SWARMING. 189 



the case ever since bees were introduced into Cali- 

 fornia), the difference of a hive or two, more or less, 

 is quite an important item ; hence the decision and 

 the experience of the California apiarians upon this 

 point is worthy of serious and careful consideration 

 by all who are or expect to be engaged in bee-keep- 

 ing. Where dollars and cents in such large quan- 

 tities are so temptingly arrayed before the skillful 

 importers, propagators and dealers in bees, it is very 

 safe to conclude that the shortest road to wealth will 

 be adopted by the majority; the most certain and 

 expeditious method of increasing bees, and keeping 

 them in the most flourishing condition, will be sought 

 out and practiced ; and all prejudice and fanciful 

 ideas will be laid aside for the purpose of acquiring 

 the mighty dollar. 



I think facts justify me in supposing that greater 

 advances have been made by the California bee- 

 keepers, within the last three years, to acquire and 

 perfect a thoroughly practical and reliable system for 

 the management of bees, to obtain the greatest in- 

 crease of stocks and the largest yield of surplus honey 

 in any given period of time, than has been made in 

 all the other States of the Union during the last half 

 century. This may seem somewhat paradoxical ; if 

 so, just reflect for a moment that bees at one hundred 

 dollars per colony, and honey at one dollar per pound, 

 is a great temptation to seek for knowledge in bee- 

 keeping; in fact, it has been sought with greater 

 assiduity than the world has ever before seen in 

 apiarian science. 



