346 FEEDING. 



attempts to judge of the resources of a hive, from its weight 

 alone. On my system of bee-culture, such an injurious sur- 

 plus of bee-bread, is easily prevented. 



If, in the Spring, the bee-keeper ascertains, or even sus- 

 pects, that his bees have not sufficient food, he must at once 

 supply them with what they need. Bees, at this season of 

 the year, consume a very large quantity of honey ; being 

 stimulated to great activity by the returning warmth, they 

 are compelled to eat much more than when they were almost 

 dormant among their combs. Tn addition to this extra de- 

 mand, they are now rearing thousands of young, which re- 

 quire a liberal supply of food. Owing to inexcusable neglect, 

 thousands of swarms perish annually even after Spring has 

 opened, and when they might have been saved, with but little 

 trouble or expense. Such abominable neglect is incompara- 

 bly more cruel than the old method of killing the bees with 

 sulphur ; and those guilty of it, are either too ignorant or 

 careless, to have any thing to do with the management of 

 bees. What would be thought of the skill of a farmer, who 

 should neglect to provide for the wants of his cattle, and 

 allow them to drop down lifeless in their stalls, or in his 

 barn-yard, when the fields, in a few weeks, will be clothed 

 again with the green mantle of delightful Spring ! If any 

 farmer should do this, when food might easily be purchased, 

 and should then, while engaged in the work of skinning the 

 skeleton carcasses of his neglected herd, pretend that he could 

 not afford to furnish, for a few weeks, the food which would 

 have kept them alive, he would not be a whit more stupid 

 than the bee-keeper attempting to justify himself on the 

 score of economy, while engaged in melting the combs of a 

 hive, starved to death, after the Spring has fairly opened ! 

 Let such a person blush at the pretence that he could not 

 afford to give his bees the few pounds of sugar or honey, 



