Live Stock.—Bees—Purchafing Stocks. 1219

other flowers untouched by the feythe, and the other with a profufion of farina and honey-dews. Heath and broom are very ferviceable, as continuing long and late in bloom.” It is remarked“ that the domeftic bees are very nice in their fele¢tions, and do not rove from one fort of flowers to thofe of another indifcriminately. They are limited to afew kinds; thofe of the moft gaudy colours, and which afford the moft refplendent fhow and agreeable odours, are mofily neglected by them, as hy- acinths, jefiamines, rofes, honey-fuckles,&c, while very{mall flowers, or thofe of little note, are to them plentiful fources of ne@areous fweets. Sallows furnith a larger quantity of farina than moft other plants, and that as early as the bees have occafion for it. Rofemary is the firft aromatic plant that blows; it grows wild in fome parts of France, and is the caufe of that fuperiority for which the Narbonne honey is efieemed. Minionette yields good honey, and is valuable for its long continuance in bloom, even till November. Beds of it near an apiary will be of advantage, as will edgings of creeping lemon-thyme along the borders of the garden. Single wall-flowers in plenty will be ferviceable. Lime-trees are not to be neglected about apiaries, ferving in a double capacity by their flowers and their leaves, which are frequently covered with honey-dews. Neither beans nor orchard-trees afford any great quantity of honey; as may be obferved by the ftocks in Herefordfhire, which, though abounding in orchards, is not more produive in honey than other counties: In contraft to this, the borders of Cambridgethire and Hertfordthire, and part of Hampfhire, abounding with large heaths, commons and woods, are much more productive than any other parts of the kingdom. Farmers there have been known to keep from a hundred to a hundred and fifty ftocks of bees*. But vipers’ buglofs, and borage, are the two plants to be moft depended upon for providing rich hives+.

In refpect to ftands, the bett arrangement is probably that of feparate ones for each hive, made by driving four ftrong flakes into the ground, at equal diftances, as thus,:: correfponding to the dimenfions of the hive floors to reft on: they fhould be fixteen inches above the earth, and the tops upon a level with each other; the diftance three or four feet from each other, and not too many together.

In purchafing fiock-bees the“ beft time is juft before the taking-up feafon, which is generally about the latter end of Auguft; for then bee-keepers referve as many of the beft ftocks as they judge expedient for their next fummer’s fupply, and therefore, after that period, are not difpofed to part with any, unlets at an advanced price; whereas, by purchafing fome time before, a choice may be made of the beft,

* Keys on the Management of Bees.+ Ibid, 72 2