348 



STATE BOARD OF AGEICULTURE. 



investigate, are essential elements in the ai^iarist's character. And to such an 

 one a box hive wonld be valued Just in proportion to the amount of kindling- 

 ■\vood it contained. A very serious fault with one of our principal bee books 

 which otherwise is mainly excellent in subject matter and treatment, is the fact 

 that it presumes its readers are box-hive men. As well make emperors, kings, 

 and chivalry the basis of good government, in an essay written for American 

 readers. I have entirely ignored box-hives in the previous discussions, for I 

 believe no sensible, intelligent apiarist, such as read books, will tolerate them, 

 and that, suj^i^osing they would, it would be an expensive mistake, which I have 

 no right to encourage, in fact, am bound to discourage, not only for the benefit 

 of individuals, but also for tlie art itself. 



For the movable frame hive, the world is indebted to the Eev. L. L. Lang- 

 stroth, and for this gift, as well as his able researches in apiculture, as given in 

 his invaluable book, "The Honey Bee," he has conferred a benefit upon our art 

 which cannot be over-estimated, and for which we, as apiarists, cannot be too 

 grateful. It was his book, one of my old teachers for which I have no word of 

 ■chiding, tiiat led me to some of the most delightful investigations of my life. 

 It was his invention that enabled me to make those investigations. For one, I 

 shall always revere the name of Langstroth, as the great leader in scientific 

 iipiculture, not only in America, but throughout the world. His name miist 

 •ever stand beside that of Dzierzon and tlie elder Huber. 



To be sure of success, the apiarist must be able to inspect the whole interior 

 of the hive at his pleasure, must be able to exchange combs from one hive to 

 anotlier, to regulate the movements of the bees : by destroying queen cells, by 

 giving or withholding drone comb, by extracting the honey, by introducing 

 queens, and by many other manipulations already explained, which are only 

 practicable with a movable frame hive. 



CHARACTEE OF THE niVE. 



The main feature of the hive should be simplicity, which would exclude doors, 



drawers, and traps of all kinds. The 

 body should be made of good pine or 

 white-wood lumber, one inch thick, thor- 

 ouglily seasoned, and planed on both sides. 

 It should be simply a plain box (Fig. 15) 

 without top or bottom, though some pre- 

 fer to have a bottom, and of a size and 

 form to suit the apiarist. The size will 

 depend upon our purpose. If we desire 

 no comb honey, or desire comb honey in 

 frames, the hive may contain 4,000 cubic 

 inches. If we desire honey in boxes, it 

 should not contain over 2,000, and may 

 be even smaller. A one-incli rabbet 

 should be cut from the top of the sides or 

 ends, as the apiarist prefers, on the in- 

 side. (Fig. 15 c.) The rabbet may equal 

 one-half the thicknes of the board. Heavy 

 tin strips f of an inch wide siiould be 

 Fig. 15. tacked to the side below the rabbet, so as 



to reacli oue-fourth of an inch above the shoulder. For a bottom board (Fig. 



