ENEMIES OF BEES. 251 



process of lime, the weeds begin to spread more and more, 

 until at last, this farmer's son or grandson finds that they 

 entirely choke his corn, and that he cannot, in the old way, 

 obtain a remunerating crop. Now listen to him, as he 

 gravely informs you that he cannot tell how it is, but corn 

 with him has all " run out." He manages it precisely as his 

 father or grandfather always managed his, but somehow 

 the pestiferous weeds will spring up, and he has next to no 

 crops. Perhaps you can hardly, in such a case, conceive of 

 such transparent ignorance and stupidity ; but it would be dif- 

 ficult to show that it would be one whit greater, than that of a 

 large number who keep bees, in places where the bee-moth 

 abounds, and yet imagine that those plans which answered 

 perfectly well, fifty or a hundred years ago, when moths 

 were scarce, will answer equally well now. 



If however, the old plan had been rigidly adhered to, the 

 ravages of the bee-moth would never have been so great as 

 they now are. The introduction of patent hives has con- 

 tributed most powerfully, to fill the land with the devouring 

 pest. I am perfectly aware that this is a bold assertion, and 

 that it may, at first sight, appear to be uncourteous, if not 

 unjust, to the many intelligent and ingenious Apiarians, who 

 have devoted much time, and spent large sums of money, in 

 perfecting hives designed to enable the bee-keeper to contend 

 most successfully against his worst enemy. As I do not wish 

 to treat such persons, wiih even the appearance of disrespect, 

 I shall endeavor to show just how the use of the hives which 

 they have devised, has contributed to undermine the prosperi- 

 ty of the bees. Some of these hives have valuable properties, 

 and if they were always used in strict accordance with the 

 enlightened directions of those who have invented them, they 

 would undoubtedly be real and substantial improvements 

 over the old box or straw hive, and would materially aid the 



