, 1880-08-28
laMRMT @G VD0Hv1T

better, and if 10 deplofable to, think Of the
honest bee nature being thus perverted by
human teaching. % To put temptation 10
the way ofra bee il e~sftaiply immoral; but
the municipal authorities Of Paris, looking
% The matter fsom alower standpoint. de-
cidea that itidwas wrong to put human
beings ip the wsyA Of being stung. and the
'shrewd beekseper had to Zmoys his hivss
back into the purer atmosphere Of the
county iife. In Londou. probably. similar
.Eesults would follow il the same expert.
.ment wese tried; but meanwhile It 10 o
enrique fact that numbers Of hives arc
kept 10 the busiest part of the metropolis.
generally Oh the topniost storsys Of houses.
the little occupants Of which must spend
their days in the frniterer's and grocers'
shops and stalls. aud carry Themes the
sweetness which later on delights their
frugal owner 10 the form Of hoaey.
Though London, however, by supple.
-mentingl the natural resources of ito parks
and gardens by the display Of sweetmsats.
fruits, and flowers 10 the streets, sufices
for tho maintenance Of bees. 10 is only
In the suburbs of the city that the indus.
try can be fairly tested. 1t il, therefore
tothe working men who liye in many thou
sands just beyond the central mass of Lon.
don bricks aud mortar that the Beekepers'
Association wishes chiefly to commend
this lucrative pursuit. We have elsewhere
called it on industry. and in one sense OF
course it deserves he pane. but it 10 not an
indnstes. y-hiNh naaa aintarfarA with ,anx
mans regular occupation, for there 10 viTtu.
ally nothing for him to do except to Gee
that no harm comes to the hives, and to
choose the proper seasons for the few
operations that agriculture entails. In
these the exhibition now open will give
him every assistance. and. where necessary.
the essential " furniture" to commence
with can be obtained on specially easy
terms. For the, rural populatiou no On.
~coursgement to beekeeping 10 necessary.
since, in q country SO rich 10 saowess ae
England ia, it is natural that the thrifty
insect should have spread it's colonies fec
and wide and thick together. Indeed.
the. affection OF cosntry people tor thsir
bees forms q very curious and pleasant
chapter of our national folklore for these
insects, endowed, according to rural super.
%stition, with al occult sympathy with men
and women, are cereMoniously admitted
to knowledge OF oil important household
matters, and no domestic eveot.l birth.
death, or marriage. 10 ever kept Q sacrst
from the hives. When tina cradle 10 filled
the bees house 10 decked with white;
when the bells ring for Q wedding Q favour
and cake ere given to the bees and when
the pall-besrers pass out from the house
the hives are put 10 mourning Ior the
dead. Only certain days Of tho year are
considered lucky for moving bses. and
when the hives are not doing wsll the
c~ottagers in some places chant 0 psalm 30.
fore them. To sell bees is unlucky, but
they may be battered for wheat a. hay /;
a quarrelsome family need nsvss hope to
see their hives fiourish /; . stray swarm
must never be kept by the house where
it settles. lest sickness should befall the
household; when the owner dies the bees
die too, anasifstheb sess d(estt thSif hives
it is a signI that TIE head 81 tie house will
soon be no more.r Such are . lew among
the, many superstitions still current q
England about bees, and they suffice to
show how closely these insects have como
to be allied 10 interests and sympsthiss
with those that keep them, while The
facts that. the, keeping OF bees i il: iisslf
considered lucky, and that their ,thsiyiag
il. looked upon o. Q sligo of Z, wslkoe@ered
aud happy household, partially explain
fha nnn,,lo vitv ~ th;. c..v and nrnAeAhlA