36 Reasons for encreasing the number 
dreds. For, as has been often mentioned, when 
we confider the vaft quantity of flowers, which 
the carth naturally produces, and which might 
Be ftill much more increafed by art, how pro- 
digioufly great may we eftimate the total? 
This confideration may convince us of the little 
danger we have of running into the extreme 
of overftocking our fields with bees. 
Some may perhaps alledge, that if there were 
twenty times more hives in Scotland than there 
are at prefent, the produce, in a bad feafon, 
would ftill be very trifling: But this is a very 
childiih objeCtion ; for, even in the worft of fea- 
fons, the quantity of honey produced, would, 
by proper care and attention, fill be twenty 
times greater,than, in. fuch:a feafon,, it is at 
prefent. For inftance, were there but one hive 
in all Scotland, in a cold rainy fummer ; even 
that hive would produce but a very fmall in- 
creafe, perhaps {warm only.once,and that fwarm 
produce but only one pint of honey ; whereas, 
if there are 100 hives, granting the weather to 
be equally bad, the produce mutt be at leaft 
100 pints of honey.  Eftimating the number 
of parifhes in Scotland, capable of raifing bees, 
to be only 800, which I think is below the — 
truth, the following calculation will five a view 
of 
