11 
to hills or mountains, as bees with a heavy load of hon- 
ey can fly down hill easier than they can fly up. They 
will thrive belter where cattle are kept than where sheep 
are pastured. The vast prairies of the West are des- 
tined to be the “ El Dorado” of bees and honey; per- 
haps no country in the world of the same extent posses- 
ses such a variety of honey producing flowers, from 
spring till fall, as do these magnificent natural garden 
Prairies of the West. » 
Their few wants may easily be supplied by the willing 
hand of man. 
IN BUYING BEES HOWTO TELI.A GOOD SWARM. 
Much depends on the season of the year you purchase 
in, — if in Spring, the value lies in the amount of bees 
present; if in the Fall, the amount of honey. 
Much depends on the style of hive the bees are in, 
whether the colony is old or young, whether it is heavy 
or light, according to the season in which it is examined, 
whether the weight is in the materials of which the hive 
is made, or in 4 Honey or Bee-bread, and their compara- 
tive proportions to the whole weight combined. 
There are many styles of hives that will not admit of 
such examinations as are ' necessary to ascertain these 
facts. Therefore I will confine myself to the old-fash- 
ioned box or straw hives, and movable comb hives, that 
secure the advantages of moving each comb sepa- 
rately. 
Buying Bees in the Old Style ok Hives in the 
Spuing. — First, fumigate the bees slightly to drive them 
up among the combs ; then lift the hive, judge of its 
weight, then turn it bottom side up and examine the 
eombs ; they should be straight, for such combs are bet- 
