About Bees

Kxtract from a paper by Prof. A. J. Cook. Bee keeping has been oalled the poetry of rural pursuits, and vory properly too. There is a fascination about the apiary t luit is indescribable. Nature is alwaye presenting the most pleasurable surprises to those on the alert to behold theui. And aniong insecto, especially bees, the instincts and habita are so inexplicable and marvelous that the student of this departuient of' nature never ceases to meet with exbibiticma that startle liim, no less with wonder than with ad m ira i ion. Show me a svientific bee keeper, and 1 will thow you an enthusiast. A thorough study of the wonderful economy of the hive must trom ita very nature go hand ia hand with delight and adniira(ton. Said I, a short time sim-u, to an 81tensive apiarist, who alao owns a fine farm, " why do you keep bees? " The reply was characteristic : " Even could I not make a good deal the most money trom my bees, I should still keep theui for the real pleaaure they bring me." An apiarist may in vest in Lees any spring in Michigan, with the absulute certainty of more thaudoubling hi.s nrcstiuent thefirst season, while a net gain of 400 per cent. causes no surprise to the bee keepers of our state. During the past scason an iuvestmeut in bees has returned to me 500 per cent., and though this has been a good season for hoaey, yet I have done better several times. Bee keeping too, on a limited scale, demanda very little time ; and sinoo the pletsures would be just ai great with but lew colonies, no oae would object to thus add to his income. I know in fact of no business (and I speak from expeiience) that is so convenient and desirable an avoca tion.