ICO BEES. 



and the bee-master. The judicious apiarian must, therefore, 

 constantly distinguish between these two departments of 

 bee-management, and either promote the one in which he 

 most desires to be successful, or strive to hit that golden 

 mean which shall preserve a moderate increase both of honey 

 and brood. 



We will now suppose that the apiarian has followed tho 

 instructions given respecting the caps to be placed upon 

 hives, and has diligently capped his hives, by always keeping 

 a store of fresh glasses by him, and immediately replacing 

 the filled cap with an empty one charged temptingly with 

 a piece of pure white comb. He will in that case have 

 obtained nearly two pounds per diem of the very purest 

 honey, which if sold, will at this comparatively early 

 season of the year, always fetch a very high price, for 

 the appearance of a glass-cap filled with honeycomb is so 

 elegant as always to secure a sale for it, as an ornament to 

 the breakfast table. If later in the year, say in July or 

 August, the hive is strong enough to bear a further depriva- 

 tion, the bee-keeper should fumigate the bees, and then cut 

 out some of the combs. Of course this is only to be done 

 if the hive is a single one, as if it is a double or treble 

 hive, the combs can be removed almost without the know- 

 ledge of the bees. The best method of fumigating is as 

 follows : — 



FUMIGATION. 



Fumigation implies directing certain smoke of a stupify- 

 ing character into the hives, so as to render the bees harm- 

 less while their combs are being removed, while at the same 

 time no injury is done to the bees themselves. There are 

 several substances which stupify ; tobacco is one, but it is 

 apt to give the wax and honey an unpleasant flavour, and 

 we will, therefore, say nothing about it. The best material 

 that can be used for this purpose, is the lycoperdon, or 

 common puff-ball, which is also known among- the peasantry' 

 of the various parts of England, by the names of frog-cheese, 

 mully-puff, and punk-fist. A fine specimen of this fungus 

 will grow as large as a child's head Tt may be found in 



