Bees were proverbial for industry centuries before Dr. Watts wrote hi immortal verse or Lewis Carroll hi immortal parody of it. But indastrions neighbours (whether bees or men) are not always the most agreeable. Hence the breezy little action which was fought out recently between two householders of Burley, near London, whose gardens adjoined. Defendant in the action kept bees, and the industry of these insects prevented plaintiff from being able to take any pleasure in his garden. He said that he had tried planting his flower beds with cabbages inst roses; but evea this had not saved and his from attack. "Your family must be too sweet," wrote defendant, in the course of the correspondence which preceded the action. The bees were not to be pat off with cabbages; they had tasted richer food in the persons of complainant's family. So the case is brought into Court for illumination by the legal intelligence; which indeed contributed some curious facts about bees.
For instance, plaintiff's ed that a well-stocked hi tain "something like 60,000 bees." The only time when 1 hive is likely to contain that number is during the season; and as the average population of hive may be put at 20,000, the balance would be thrown out to form two new swarms: which, perhaps, is what occurred at Burley, the outcasts no doubt swarming upon plaintiff's "sweet" family. To check the invasion the judge suggested a 15-ft. fence between the gardens, but both the "bees hover overhead like surveying the surroundings. said the other, "a bee wobbles about like pheasant. Tu the end, defendant the former undertaking not to increase the number of his bees and to remove the hives to another part of the garden. But unless if's family smear themselves over with bitter aloes it is to be feared that the latter precaution will be useless, "if their flesh is really delicate."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.