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* The apiaries of Dumfries-shire are by no means well attend-ed to. Not one farmer in ten has any bees ; and few of those Iwho have them, keep above two or three winter hives to breednext year : some particular persons have more ; and a few of Ithe cottagers have bee-hives in their little gardens.
‘ The annual produce from bees may be fairly estimated atone pound sterling for each hive ; but this depends very muchon the season, and not a little on management, attention, andsituation. In the best years and situations, with proper atten-tion, a breeding hive may return, in different swarms, and in thehoney which they accumulate, several pounds instead of one.In the worst seasons they return scarcely any thing, and some ofthem die out.
‘ In summer, the principal and finest pasture for bees is infields of white clover; and in harvest, among heath blossoms.When there is plenty of both at a small distance, the hives, ingood years, generally do very well. Other plants furnish a lesserproportion in fields, -woods, and moors.
‘ About the middle of June the swarming is most active!and one hive generally sends off two, sometimes three, successivecolonies. They alight, for the most part, on some bush not fardistant, and, after they are all clustered and settled, one personholds an empty hive below them, and another shakes them offinto it: the person who holds it then turns the bees gently roundin it, in order to let them adhere all within it, and lays it down,inverted, on a board, with a clean cloth below them, and twosticks to keep the hive up about half an inch, and give them freeaccess out or in. The swarm soon collects in the hive ; and atnight-fall they are all quiet and clustered, and are carried andsiet down softly on a stool prepared for them ; two pared turfs,or divots, being laid across each other over the hive, projectingto the south, and all round, in order to turn rain, and securedwith a flat stone, or thick slate, above all. The bees commence•working next day, if it be good ; and require no more attentiontill their hive be filled with honey.
‘ In September, the strong hives, that weigh from 20 to 30 lib-!are examined, and some are set apart for breeding, which are•well secured with plaster lime, and the door contracted into asmall hole of about half an inch every way; and they are set insuch a way as to give mice no chance of entry, and covered withstraw-hoods to keep warm through the winter.
‘ The weak hives, not capable of supporting themselves, arefor the most part smoked with a linen rag, dipt in melted sul-phur ; and some of the stronger hives are also smoked, when a jsufficient number for standing is left.
‘ It was the practice formerly to. drop the honey, which canonly be done when warm and fresh. But the dirty practice ofsqueezing was also tried, which brought the honey sold unde? ,