OPINIONS OF THE PRESS.
From The Journal of Horticulture, February 28, 1865.
Mr. Neighbour says in his preface: "We are so frequently appliedto for advice oil matters connected with bees and bee-hives, that itseemed likely to prove a great advantage to our correspondents andourselves if we could point to a 'handy book' of our own whichshould contain full and detailed replies sufficient to meet all ordinaryinquiries." Keeping this object steadily in view, the writer describesthe various hive's and apiarian apparatus manufactured by his firm,pointing out the various advantages claimed for them, and givingample directions for their use. When we add that the author expresseshis acknowledgments to Mr. Woodbury, Mr. Taylor, theillustrious Huber and Mr. Langstroth, it may readily be imaginedthat the information derived from such sources must in the main becorrect, and that Mr. Neighbour, in addition to the strictly businessportion of his work, has been enabled to impart to his readers a veryconsiderable amount of sound instruction on most points of Apiarianmanagement.
From The Journal of Horticulture, May 29, 1866.
Mr. Neighbour's book, the first edition of which was noticed byus in February 1865, now makes its appearance in a new guise,being reduced from demy 8vo. to crown 8vo., whilst the number ofits pages is increased from 134 to 274, with but a slight increase inprice. In addition to a description of the various hives andapiarian apparatus sold by the well-known firm of which the authoris a member, it contains a considerable amount of generally accurateinformation compiled from the best authorities; Mr. Woodbury'scontributions to our pages being in particular heavily drawn upon.
A new feature in this edition is a couple of steel plates illustrativeof the anatomy of the bee, engraved by Mr. E. W. Robinson withhis customary ability; embracing also coloured delineations of thethree sexes of the Ligurian or Italian variety of honey-bee. . . .
Mr. Neighbour possesses a very great advantage over a merecompiler, in that he himself is a practical bee-keeper, and diversanecdotes of his experiences are related by him in a light andamusing manner. For this reason also the information conveyed inhis pages is, as we have already stated, very generally correct.
Athenæum, August 19, 1865.
Emanating from a house so well known and so extensivelypatronized by the cultivators of bees, it will readily be concludedthat the object of the present work is primarily commercial. Theauthor, a member of the firm, in giving the reason for the publicationof his book, speaks in the name of the company. "We are,"he says, "so frequently applied to for advice on matters connectedwith bees and bee-hives, that it seemed likely to prove a great advantage,alike to our correspondents and ourselves, if we could point toa 'handy-book' of our own, which should contain full and detailedreplies sufficient to meet all reasonable inquiries." This is candidand open, and stands in favourable contrast to the ordinary puffingbooks which aim to conceal under the aspect often of a scientifictreatise the boasting advertisement of their own wares. It is butjustice to the respectable house from which the present little treatiseissues to say that it fulfils its public object, presenting one of the mostuseful practical trea