The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1878-10-02

selection and pursuit OF business, his
aim, in the end, is the requirement of
property in one shape or another He
is eminently endowed with the organ
of acquisitiveness, and he has it hon
estly Tor God has given it to him,
and no one can doubt the wisdom
of it,
In the present state of society,
where every one is living up to the
full extent Of his ability, it is wise to
make money from all the honest re-
sources within our reach. That we
may learn to make money from the
management of bees is our business
here to-day. If we can by intelli-
gence in the application of science to
their habits make them source Of
wealth to our people and the nation,
we shall have done much for the good
of society.
We hear of bees from the earliest
age down to the present time. They
are spoken of in the Bible many cen
turtles before the Christian era, and in
the writings of Virgil and Columella;
but they seem to have had no manage
ment except that which was dark,
mysterious and uncertain. No good
results are reported Of them. The
correct understanding of their natural
history and the proper applications
Of art and science to their habits was
left for Huber and Dzierzon, and
Langstroth and Quinby.
The laws which govern bee instinct
were unknown to them. The science
and art, so applicable and essential in
the successful management of them in
the present day, were unthought of in
the past, as they are unthought of
now by more than nine-tenths of our
people. The light had not yet come
out Of them. Fifty years ago the
light had not come out of steam and
electricity. Now they are the motive
powers of the world, bearing tele-
grams to every nation and freight to
to every port. God unvails to us
what he knows best.
Of course, we do not claim for bee
keeping place among these wonder
full agencies, but we do claim for it a
place among the industries of our
people, capable, by intelligent man.
agement, of giving as good results
for the outlay as are obtained by any
work done upon the farm.
1t appropriately belongs to farm
ing. Farmers have the soil and the
flowers, and where the forage is
wanting they can supply it by sowing
and planting. And it is to them
l especially direct my thoughts to-
day. The flowers upon your fields
and meadows and waysides contain
in their tiny cells treasure-a delic-
Gus sweet, secreted day by day, and
unless some arrangements are made
to gather it in, will be daily wasted
upon the air. 1t is this saving, this
gathering from every available source
that brings thrift and success to the
farmer. Shall we let this treasure of
the flowers be wasted in our fields or
shall we gather it in, is question
worth consideration.
He is a poor economist indeed,
who suffers available treasure to 90 to
waste around him. What would you
think of the farmer who would not
gather the golden grain when it was
ripe and waving in the fields Or
what would you think of the man
who'would harvest the new crop and
let the old go to waste? The man
of thrift gathers and saves from every
possible source. He lets nothing 90
to. waste. He gathers in his corn
and his wheat, his rye and his barley,
and he gathers also the honey from
the flowers OF his fields It is his.
He pays nothing for it. Genial nature
plants the flowers and fills their cups
with honey, and he gets it simply for
the taking of it, and thus saves what
would otherwise be lost.
Now, are we at liberty to neglect
the development of an industry that
can by proper management be made
to bear fruit an hundred fold, and
thus add to the happiness of our peo-
pie and the wealth of our State?
We are told by Prof. Shaler and
others that we have untold mineral
wealth in our mountains. But the
greatest question of the day is, how
to reach it. Legislatures. have met
and adjourned; conventions have
done the same; the wise heads of the