374 
CONCLUSION. 
not qualified for the charge. The careless, inattentive 
man, who leaves his bees unnoticed from October 
till May, will be likely to complain of ill success. 
Whoever cannot find time to give his bees the 
needed care, but can spend an hour each day obtain- 
ing gossip at the neighborhood tavern, is unfit for 
this business. But he who has a home, and finds his 
affections beginning to be divided between that and 
his companions of the bar-room, and wishes to with- 
draw his interest from unprofitable associates, and yet 
has nothing of sufficient power to break the bond, to 
what can he apply with a better prospect of success, 
than to engage in keeping bees? They make ample 
returns for each little care. Pecuniary advantages 
are not all that may be gained — a great many points 
concerning their natural history are yet in the dark, 
and many are disputed. Would it not be a source of 
satisfaction to be able to contribute a few more facts 
to this interesting subject, adding to the science, and 
holding a share in the general fund? Supposing all 
the mysteries pertaining to their economy discovered 
and elucidated, precluding all chance of further ad- 
ditions, would the study be dry and monotonous? 
On the contrary, the verification witnessed by our. 
selves would be so fascinating and instructive, that we 
cannot avoid pitying the condition of that man who 
finds gratification only in the gross and sensual. It 
has been remarked, that “ he who cannot find in this 
and other branches of natural history a salutary exer- 
cise for his mental faculties, inducing a habit of ob- 
servation and reflection, a pleasure so easily obtained, 
