118 
Modem Bee-keeping. 
the habitation in which they dwell, and the utensUs in which 
they deposit the products. Again, every pound of honey 
gathered means so much added to the national wealth, as every 
pound collected here means that much less foreign honey to be 
imported. 
Few persons, even among fruit-growers and agriculturists, 
think of the benefits that Bees confer upon them. Without 
the aid of the Bee our fruit crops would, in a great measure, 
fail, for Bees alone fertilise a very large proportion of the 
blossoms. The yield of white clover or sainfoin seed is im- 
mensely increased if an Apiary is near ; and this alone, apart 
from the profit the Bees yield directly, should induce agricul- 
turists to keep them. One of our largest fruit-growers. Lord 
Sudeley, has an extensive Apiary attached to his fruit farm at 
Toddington, and there is no doubt whatever that did he not gain 
even so much as a pound of Honey per year upon them he would 
be repaid again and again by the fertilisation of the fruit-tree 
blossoms through the agency of the Bees, and the consequently 
greatly increased yield of fruit. We give too little thought to 
their importance, in so many ways, to our welfare. In olden 
times so much were their products prized that elaborate laws 
were framed for the protection of Bees, and pages might be 
written on this point alone. It is decidedly interesting that in 
Germany a law has recently been passed which embodies nearly 
all the old edicts on the subject, and includes strict regulations 
to prevent the spread of the disastrous disease called foul brood, 
the microscopic researches into which by Schonfeld, Helbert, 
Cohn, Cheshire, and Cowan are of surpassing interest, and, 
though not of such general importance, are quite as absorbing 
as the investigations of Pasteur and Koch. Within the last 
year or two, foul brood has also been made the subject of legis- 
lation in Canada. 
There are many persons who regard Honey simply as a 
luxury, but it is more than this. It is a most wholesome food, 
and everyone who values health would do well to take it daily 
in quantities of two or three ounces. For children it is invalu- 
able, and should always form part of their daily diet, the morning 
meal being the best time for its use. The trashy syrups of the 
breakfast table should be banished and Honey should take their 
place. Some Bee Keepers of our acquaintance eat Honey each 
morning in their oatmeal porridge in place of sugar, and 
there is no doubt it is far more wholesome than much of the 
sugar of the present day. For preserving some kinds of fruit it is 
particularly adapted, as it has not any tendency to crystallise 
as sugar often does. Agriculturists know its value as a cattle 
