THE BEE. 359 



pleasure, or loss and vexation, will in general depend 

 upon it. He must, therefore, pay the utmost attention to 

 the choice of his stock-hives ; for the man who takes 

 care to keep good stock-hives will gain considerable by 

 them, but he who keeps bad ones will, besides a great 

 deal of trouble and little or no success, soon become a 

 broken bee-master. In September every stock-hive 

 ought to contain as much honey as will supply the bees 

 with food till June following, and as many bees as will 

 preserve heat in the hive, and therefore resist the severity 

 of a cold winter, and act as so many valiant soldiers, to 

 defend the community from the invasion of foreign ene- 

 mies in the spring. They should be full of combs, and 

 well stored with bees and honey, and should weigh at least 

 30 pounds each ; if heavier, so much the better ; for light 

 hives run a great risk of perishing by famine, unless the 

 bees are well supplied with food, whereas a well chosen 

 hive of 30 pounds weight, allowing 12 pounds for the 

 empty hive, comb, bees, &/C will contain IS pounds of 

 honey, which will supply the bees with food till June ,• a 

 time when it may be presumed they will find abundance 

 of provision for themselves among the flowers. When a 

 choice can be obtained, the youngest hive should always 

 be preferred, because old hives are liable to vermin and 

 other accidents. But although a hive should be four or 

 five years old, it should not be rejected, if it possess 

 these two essential qualities, plenty of bees, and plenty 

 of honey. 



