1856.] The Eoncy Bee — Fatcnt Eives, etc. 155 



wish a delicate flaTor, scent as you would ice cream, with vanilla, or rose, 

 or lemon- You may thus, say they, manufacture an arfide far surjmss- 

 ing the ^nectar from' Jloicers! Statements aie now in our possession, 

 showing that a confederacy/ of three -hives have produced a thousand 

 ^pounds of beautiful honey in a single season ! 



Then these bees, on the community plan, are kept strong and healthy, 

 says the learned savan ; and they will increase much faster, and conse- 

 quently be able, by their increased numbers and increased strength, to 

 keep their enemies effectually at bay, etc., etc. ^Ve will not delay to 

 expose these ridiculous fallacies. 



The game appears to be this : a company in Xew York city have sent 

 out an agent to sell rights of a certain patent for constructing a large 

 or small apiary on this community system ; connected with this feeding 

 process, they sell the honey in great quantities, and at a great advance, 

 and, while the agent sells the rights and they the honey, between them 

 do a thriving business. 



The agent made to us the statement that he had sold seventy-five 

 thousand of these rights in the single State of Ohio (be it true or- false, 

 we give it as received). After having gone the entire round of bee 

 patents, while we have found them all alike unprofitable investments, and 

 will not pay in a pecuniary point of view, yet we have derived, at every 

 step, valuable information, and have satisfied ourselves in relation to 

 many interesting inquiries ; so that, if we offset the pleasure, and the 

 numerous interesting facts ascertained, against the pecuniary losses expe- 

 rienced, we feel ourselves still the gainers by being well humbugged. 



We have, by our experience, expensive as it has been, learned som-e 

 things which it will be well for every practical bee keeper to know and 

 observe. 



And first, to rest satisfied that the simpler his hive is constructed, the 

 better. 



As to its construction, we recommend that it be made of good sea- 

 soned pine lumber, one and a half inches thick ; and as to its dimensions, 

 it is not material, so that it shall contain at least the space of a cubic 

 foot ; it should not be smaller, and larger is unnecessary. There should 

 be space above the main hive for storifying— say six inches — which 

 should be occupied with two boxes. The rear of the main chamber and 

 the boxes should be glazed, so that you could see the state of the hive 

 at any time. This is simply the old fashioned hive, with the back board 

 of the hive hung to inclose the glazed side. Ko new principle is involved. 

 In the next place, you want no miller-traps or miller-catchers. If a hive 

 is in a good healthy condition, it will resist the encroachment of the 



