42 THE BEE-MASTER OF WARRILOW 
ness ideas as well as in pocket, to take up the whole 
scheme, and to start a network of small bee-gardens 
for women over the whole land. Very large bee- 
farms are a mistake, I think, except in the most 
favourable districts. Bees work only within a 
radius of two or three miles at most, so that the 
number of hives that can be kept profitably in a 
given area has its definite limits. But there is 
still plenty of room everywhere for bee-farms of 
moderate size, conducted on the right principles; 
and there is no reason at all why they should not 
work together on the co-operative plan, sending all 
their produce to some convenient centre in each 
district, to be prepared and marketed for the 
common good.” 
‘* But the whole outcome,’’ she went on, ‘ of a 
scheme like this depends on the business qualities 
imported into it. Here, in the heart of the Sussex 
Weald, we labour together in the midst of almost 
ideal surroundings, but we never lose sight of the 
plain, commercial aspect of the thing. We study all 
the latest writings on our subject, experiment with 
all novelties, and keep ourselves well abreast of the 
times in every way. Our system is to make each 
hive show a clear, definite profit. The annual in- 
come is not, and can never be, a very large one, but 
we fare quite simply, and have sufficient for our 
needs. In any case, however, we have proved here 
that a few women, renting a small house and garden 
out in the country, can live together comfortably 
on the proceeds from their bees; and there is no 
reason in the world why the idea should not be 
carried out by others with equal success.” 
We had made the round of the whole busy, 
