BEE CULTURE. 27 
A territory of three or four miles all alone is quite a luxury, 
if you intend keeping bees for profit. 
Our apiary was located in Chicago, close to one of 
the main thoroughfares and street-car lines, and the results 
in both increase of colonies and honey has been exceedingly 
satisfactory. Mr. Muth, of Cincinnati, has his apiary on 
the roof of his store—and is successful with it. 
We use saw-dust under and around the hives, to prevent 
the springing up of grass to the annoyance of the bees.— 
Some use sand or gravel for the same object, with success. 
A timber range is very desirable, for a large portion of 
their honey and pollen they gather from timber and shrubs. 
Many good localitics are found near rivers or streamlets, 
where linden, sumac, maple, willow, cottonwood, and other 
trees, shrubs and vines that yield honey and pollen abound. 
The bees should be near the house, or where they can be 
heard when they swarm. They should be so located that the 
north and west winds would not strike them, where they can 
have a warm, calm place to alight. 
A hedge, high board-fence, or building on the north and 
west are a protection against the strong winds which destroy 
very many laboring bees in the spring, when one bee is worth 
as much as a dozen in the latter part of summer, as they are 
then much needed to care for the brood and keep it warm. 
If, in April, the day has been rather warm and the evening 
cool and windy, hundreds of becs may be found on the 
ground in front of the hive, perhaps loaded with pollen, but 
exhausted from the flight and chilled with cold. As they 
approach the hive they relax their exertions, and a light 
whiff of wind dashes them to the ground, from which they 
are unable to arise, and before the sun could warm them up, the 
next morning, they will be dead. 
If you have no shade for your bees, it would be best to 
plant fruit trees among them. These would not only supply 
them with pollen and honey in blooming time, but acceptable 
shade in hot summer days. Another thing is apparent, 27. e., 
the fruit would be a remuneration. The bees would fructify 
the trees and make them to bear plentifully—while in return, 
the trees would afford to the bees that shade which they so 
much require, from the burning rays of the sun. 
