INTRODUCTION. 
0 
than the springless bullock-truck, nor is the loco- 
motive more simple than the stage, but surpassingly 
more complex ; for improvement consists in securing 
a certain advantage by readier methods, or by gaining 
a greater advantage by some, possibly more Intricate, 
plan. So in apiculture, the relatively splendid results 
now attainable demand immensely more care, atten- 
tion, foresight, and knowledge, than the bygone “ let- 
alone system” ; and, again, as we learn to secure 
greater harvests from a single stock, civilisation and 
competition demand and necessitate some greater 
refinement in the method of marketing the crop ; so 
that progress has not shown the way to wealth to 
the idle, but has, rather, increased the labour of the 
bee-keeper, though it has undoubtedly sweetened that 
labour by making it more intelligent. The keeping 
of bees has about it a fascination peculiarly its own, 
and so many have, con amove, joined the apiarian ranks 
in recent years, that the output, often exceeding an 
average of bolb. per hive, has grown more rapidly 
than the demand ; hence, prices have decreased. All 
methods of saving both labour and capital must, 
therefore, be carefully studied by those who are 
apiarians by profession ; while the dilettante bee-keeper 
may satisfy his tastes, since to him pleasure, and not 
profit, is the aim. To satisfy the needs of both, 
miscellaneous appliances, which are from any point 
of view genuinely serviceable, will be introduced in 
our subsequent chapters ; but, of course, the intelligent 
reader will understand that he is in no way recom- 
mended to possess himself of anything until he is first 
convinced that his particular requirement is thereby 
