2 
PREFACE. 
now, by the majority, deemed a hazardous enterprise 
The ravages of the moth had. been so great, and loss 
so frequent, that but little attention was given to the 
subject for a long time. Mr. Weeks lost his entire stock 
three times in twenty-five years. But soon after the 
discovery was promulgate*® that honey could be taken 
from a stock without destroying the bees, an addi- 
tional attention was manifest, increasing to a rage in 
many places. It seems to be easily understood, that 
profit must attend success, in this branch of the farm 
er’s stock ; inasmuch as the “ bees work for nothing 
and find themselves.” This interest in bees should be 
encouraged to continue till enough are kept to collect 
all the honey now wasted ; which, compared with the 
present collections, would be more than a thousand 
pounds to one. But to succeed, that is the difficulty. 
Some eighteen years since, after a propitious season, 
an aged and esteemed friend said to me, “ It is not t<^ 
be expected that you will have such luck always ; you 
must expect they will run out after a time. I have 
always noticed, when people have first-rate luck for a 
time, that the bees generally take a turn, and are gone 
in a few years.” 
I am not sure but, to the above remarks, may be 
traced the cause of my subsequent success. It stimu- 
lated me to observation and inquiry. I soon found 
that good seasons were the “lucky ” ones, and that 
many lost in an adverse season, all they had before 
gained. Also, that strong families were the only ones 
on which I could depend for protection against the 
moth. This induced the effort to ascertain causes 
