Bee-hives in Scotland. 31 
confiderable extent. The reafon is, that they 
are a kind of effate to the poor, who, when 
once they enter upon the bufinefs of rearing 
bees, take a great pleafure in it, and, by paying 
proper attention to them, gradually acquire 
more and more knowledge in the profeffion. 
And, the only reafon why fuch perfons do not 
increafe their {tock of hives, to a much greater 
number than the country at prefent poffleffes, 
is, that pinching poverty obliges them often to 
fell the beft of their hives for ready money, to 
make up their houfe rent: Not to add, that 
fuch perfons, when obliged to leave their cot- 
tages, owing to raifed rents, monopolies of 
‘farms, or the like, think bee-hives a very trou- 
blefome fpecies of property for removal. Be- 
fides, as they keep but a few hives each, they 
never think of raifing any flowers for provifion 
-tothem. And if a perfon in fuch circumftan- 
ces fhould lay out 20s. for a hive, and fhe 
prove a bad one and die, he and fome of his 
neighbours will perhaps ever after look up- 
on the culture of bees as a dangerous and pre- 
carious adventure, not to be attempted by any 
but perfons in affluence. To obviate fuch ob- 
jections, fhall be the fubject of the following 
chapter. ii 
CEVA P. 
