156 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



observation on the part of the apiarian, their different moods, fear, 

 anger, frenzy, pleasure, contentment, can be ascertained by their 

 actions as readily as in the domestic animals. 



All the remarks that have been made refer to the common or 

 old-styled hive, of generations ago. I would not have it under- 

 stood that I approve of no other, but for a person unaccustomed 

 to the care of bees and negligent in their management, this style 

 of hive is the best adapted for their use, and nearly every depart- 

 ure from this form will be followed by failure; this fact has been 

 demonstrated for one-fourth of a century. To manage bees after 

 the improved method requires a tnoroiigh knowledge of the prin- 

 ciples of apiculture, with ability to carry them out in a careful and 

 intelligent manner,^and patience in observing and supplying all 

 their wants at the proper time. If a novice should commence 

 with one-half a dozen stocks or more, in the modern hive,. I would 

 predict failure. But to a person who is anticipating bee-keeping as 

 a business, and has a thorough knowledge of its principles, a mova- 

 ble frame hive in some form is indispensable. It gives him the 

 entire control of his bees, and offers the advantage of performing 

 any and all operations with ease and dispatch, and instead of 

 allowing each stock to raise five or six thousand useless drones, 

 we prevent this by removing the drone comb, and substituting 

 worker comb; the advantage of this is, that instead of raising 

 these thousands of drones, which will consume at least fifteen 

 pounds of honey, as many workers are raised, which gather the 

 same amount, making a difference in the product of thirty pounds, 

 which is no small item in the economy of the bee-hive. It is esti- 

 mated that it takes fifteen pounds of honey to make one of comb. 

 Every pound of comb and foundation used not only saves this 

 amount of honey, but also the time of the bees in its manufacture. 



The season for comb building and honey gathering occur at the 

 same time, and it is important that all available forces should be 

 used for gatjiering and storing the honey. Flowers produce 

 honey only in certain hours of the day, and then in abundance; at 

 any other time there is not a drop secreted. In the full honey 

 harvest, a swarm, having a hive of empty combs, will gather from 

 fifteen to twenty pounds of liquid honey in a day; where they are 

 obliged to manufacture their combs, they will give only one-fourth 

 of that amount. When this honey ripens, by using the extractor, 



