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QUESTION AS TO GRAZING STOCK. 



There is, however, a plea put in by the agriculturist on behalf of his 

 grazing stock, and one which he generally seems to consider unanswerable.' 

 He says, " Even if it be admitted that the removal of the honey from my 

 farm is neither exhausting to the soil nor injurious to the plants of the 

 standing crop, still it is so much fattening-matter which might be consumed 

 by my stock if it had not been pilfered by the bees." 



Now, it may at once be admitted that honey consists to a great extent 

 of fattening-matter, though it may be allowable to doubt whether in 

 that particular form it is exactly suitable as food for grazing cattle. 

 Although it is quite true that the saccharine matter assimilated in the 

 body of a plant tends to the formation of fat in the animal which eats and 

 digests that plant, still one may question the propriety of feeding the same 

 animal on pure honey or sugar. We may, however, waive that view of the 

 subject, as we shall shortly see that it is only a question of such homceo- 

 pathically small doses as would not be likely to interfere with the digestion 

 of the most delicate grazing animal, any more than they would considerably 

 increase its weight. Admitting, therefore, that every pound of honey of 

 which the grazing stock are deprived by bees is a loss to the farmer, and 

 therefore to be looked upon as a set-off to that extent against the benefit 

 conferred by the bees in other ways, it will be necessary to consider to what 

 extent it is possible that such loss may be occasioned. 



QUANTITY OF HONEY FURNISHED BY PASTURE-LAND.. 



In the first place, it must be recollected that a large proportion — in 

 some cases the great bulk — of the honey gathered by bees is obtained from 

 trees, as, for instance, the linden in Europe, the bass-wood and maple in 

 America, and in this country the forest-trees, nearly all of which supply 

 rich forage for the bee, and everywhere from fruit-trees in orchards. A large 

 quantity is gathered from flowers and flowering shrubs reared in gardens ; 

 from clover and other plants grown for hay, and not for pasture ; and even 

 in the field there are many shrubs and flowering plants which yield honey, 

 but which are never eaten by cattle. Pastures, therefore, form but a small 

 part of the sources from which honey is obtained ; and in dealing with 

 this grazing question we have to confine our inquiries to clovers and other 

 flowering-plants grown in open pastures, and such as constitute the ordinary 

 food of grazing stock. In order to meet the question in the most direct 

 manner, however, let us assume the extreme case of a large apiary being 

 placed in a district where there is nothing else but such open pastures, and 

 growing only such flowering-plants as are generally eaten by stock. Now, 

 the ordinary working-range of the bee may be taken at a mile and a half 



