REJUVENATION 65 



of June, 1910 (when on two or three days there 

 fell over an inch of rain per day), walking in a 

 secluded part of our forest and finding in a 

 ditch thousands upon thousands of caterpillars 

 which had been washed off the trees. 



It is just the same with bees. Given plenty of 

 stores, they will safely winter through the most 

 severe season, but if the spring is wet, cold, and 

 windy, it is the easiest thing in the world for 

 colonies to be completely wiped out if they are 

 not artificially assisted. 



By the end of March or early in April, about 

 Eastertime, in fact, the sallows are at their best, 

 and colonies are making rapid headway under 

 favourable conditions. There is then usually, but 

 not always, a little lull in the forward march 

 of vegetation, lasting for a week or a fortnight. 

 During this time there are very few flowers to 

 be found in bloom. After that, the tide com- 

 mences to flow again, commencing with the 

 gooseberries and currants. Few people are aware 

 to what an extent our crops of these two useful 

 fruits depend on the bees. They are very great 

 favourites, mainly, no doubt, on account of their 

 being the most convenient forage at the time, and 

 they work them thoroughly and systematically. 

 Without them there would practically be no crop 

 at all, for they are almost the only insects which 

 are abroad in any numbers at this season. 



Moreover, they are very constant. It is most 



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