THE APIARY. 107 



on the knowledge of the apiarian, and the mode of 

 managing the bees. I never lost a hive of bees, but 

 it could be traced to a natural cause, which was 

 generally neglect or carelessness, that could have 

 been easily obviated with proper care and attention ; 

 hence I have long since been satisfied that there is 

 no danger of selling luck or of buying luck in bees, 

 only as it is bought in acquiring knowledge of their 

 habits and requirements, and practicing it carefully. 

 Any one in possession of this knowledge may com- 

 mence bee-keeping with the same assurance of suc- 

 cess that he would have to enter upon any other 

 pursuit. 



KIND OF STOCKS TO BUY. 



In buying bees, as in most other kinds of stock, 

 get the very best and strongest you can, even if you 

 have to pay a higher price for them ; they generally 

 prove to be cheapest in the end. Select such as have 

 straight, nice combs, with as little drone-comb as 

 possible ; this you can tell by the cells being larger 

 than the worker cells. If in the fall, the hive should 

 be well stored with honey, the combs pretty well 

 filled, and covered with bees, and the spaces between 

 the combs clustered full down to bottom. If in the 

 spring, see that they have a supply of honey sufficient 

 to last them until more can be obtained in the fields 

 abroad, and that there is a strong colony of bees. 

 At this season the}' will not be so strong, of course, 

 as in the fall ; however, select those having the most 

 bees and greatest quantity of honey. Stocks of 

 three, four, five, or even more years old, if the combs 



