ORDER VI. VEIIV-A\qNGED INSETS. 267 



res3 of the bees, also, may be seen in the hives, honey-box- 

 es, and feed-drawers, and each step of their development 

 may be watched. Mr. Davis, also, has a preparation with 

 which to feed the bees in winter and spring, which costs 

 about three cents a pound, and another kind of food, com- 

 posed of seven different articles, which he uses after the 

 blossoms disappear, and which costs from five to six cents a 

 pound. This Platform Bee-hive, with a book giving full 

 directions for making the hive, feeding and managing the 

 bees, may be obtained for $10 of the inventor, S. Davis, 

 Claremont, New Hampshire. 



According to the Report of a Committee of the New York 

 Agricultural Society, at Albany, September 3, 1850, the 

 profits of nine swarms of bees that were fed were S383 75 ; 

 while in 1854 Mr. Davis, with his preparations, fed five 

 swarms of bees, at a net profit of $75 a swarm ; show- 

 ing a great advantage either in the feeding or management 

 of the bees. 



In order to observe the operations of the bees in a hive 

 at least two sides of it must be of glass, covered with shut- 

 ters which can be opened at pleasure. In this w^ay it will 

 be seen that the combs form perpendicular and parallel 

 walls, with intermediate spaces, or streets, wide enough for 

 two bees to pass one another. Each comb has cells on both 

 sides, with here and there passages through the comb, which 

 give the bees much shorter and speedier access from one side 

 to the other. But this internal construction of the hive is 

 subject to many irregularities, because the bees always ac- 

 commodate themselves to circumstances. 



It was formerly thought that the cells were the habita- 

 tions of the bees, because they are seen so constantly putting 

 their heads into them ; but this is not so ; they do this either 

 to fecundate the eggs, or to put honey in them, or else 

 they are feeding the young ones. On account of their mul- 

 titude, it is almost impossible to observe the operations of 



