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 along time. Mr. Weeks lost his entire stock 
three times in twenty-five years. But soon after the 
discovery was promulgated, 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 to 
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 
