BEE PASTURAGE. 
91 
but, like “ obscure virtues,” are often neglected for the 
more conspicuous Dandelion, and the showy appear- 
ance and fragrant blossoms of the apple-trees, which 
now open their stores, offering to their acceptance a 
real harvest. 
FRUIT FLOWERS IMPORTANT IN GOOD WEATHER. 
In good weather, sometimes a gain of twenty lbs. 
is added to their stores, during this period of apple- 
tree blossoms. But we are seldom fortunate enough 
to have good weather all through this period, it being 
rainy, cloudy, cool, or windy, which is very detrimen- 
tal. Sometimes a frost at this time destroys all, and 
the gain of our bees is reversed, that is, they are 
lighter at the end than at the beginning of these 
flowers. Yet this is the season that decides their pros- 
perity for the summer, whether they do first rate or 
otherwise. If good weather now, we expect our first 
sw.u ms about the first of J une j if not, no subsequent 
yield of honey will make up for this deficiency. We 
now have a time of several days, from ten to fourteen, 
in which but few flowers exist. If our hives are poorly 
supplied when this scarcity occurs, it will so disarrange 
their plans for swarming, that no preparations are 
again made much before July, and sometimes not at 
all. In sections where the wild cherry ( Cerasus Sera- 
tma) abounds, the flowers of this will appear and 
fill this time of scarcity, which this section annually 
presents. 
RED RASPBERRY A FAVORITE. 
The red raspberry ( Rubus Strigosus) next presents 
