Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 85.djvu/179

Rh for the guidance of the apiculturist, some of them still as sound as can be devised, others again being incomplete or obsolete. He knew that certain things conduced to the prosperity of the bees, and therefore to the profit of the owner. The requisite points of a suitable situation for an apiary, a highly important factor in successful beekeeping, he covers very well. A dry, well-drained slope, shelter from the wind, pools of flowing water, water being essential in raising the brood, and protection from the heat of the sun, were necessities upon which he insisted. "Do not trust them to a deep swamp," he cautioned his disciples, "nor where the hollow rocks resound when struck, and the echo of the voice rebounds."

 Let there be flowing fountains and pools bright with moss, So that when the new kings lead out the swarms And the young bees, released from the honey-combs, sport about, The neighboring bank may invite them to withdraw from the heat, And the tree in their way shelter them with its leafy hospitality. Across the center of the stream, whether it pauses here or flows swiftly, Place willows athwart, and lay in large rocks, That they may alight on frequent bridges, And open their wings to the summer sun, If perchance the east wind has scattered the laggards Or plunged them headlong into the stream.

He mentions also the need of having plenty of pasturage, though this he proposes to provide by setting out suitable plants and shrubs:

 Let him who makes such things his care bring thyme and pine trees From the lofty mountains, and plant them far and wide about the dwellings; Let him bruise his hands with hard toil; let him set out these shrubs And irrigate them with friendly showers—

while to-day, when bees are kept in any numbers, a location must be chosen near great fields of some honey-yielding plant, such as clover or buckwheat.

He appeared to know that with bees, as with every other form of life, the breed must be kept up from the best stock;

 But when you have recalled both leaders (kings) from the battle, Give to death him who seems inferior, lest he be a hindrance; Permit the better one to reign in the empty halls. For there are two kinds; the one shining with scales of gold, Distinguished both by his shape and by his ruddy, golden hue. The other is terrible with sloth. As the figures of the two kings, so are the bodies of their peoples. For the one kind is horribly ugly;. . . while the others Shine and glitter, aglow with gold, And their bodies are marked with even bands. This is the better breed; from this source at the proper season You may extract the dulcet honey from the combs.

To-day, after a lapse of nearly two thousand years, the Italian breed