any 
On Bees. 11k 
hive, which being done, it was soon covered by the old 
bees. The day being extremely hot, our attention was 
for some time withdrawn; but on examining them in 
the evening, we found the cells all open, and the prison- 
ers escaped, which leads to the opinion that they were 
liberated by the old bees. 
From these facts it would seem, that the division of 
the hive into four boxes is useless, the upper box be- 
ing the only one that contains honey fit for use. Even 
the removal of this is prejudicial to the bees, as the cut- 
ting through the comb causes the honey to stream 
down, by which a great number of the bees are drowned. 
It may here be not improper to mention a method 
communicated by Mr. Coles, (secretary to the late 
president U.S.) who says that in the western section of 
Virginia, where he resides, they raise large quantities of | 
bees; and that from the peculiar construction of the 
hives used, they are enabled to take a great deal of 
honey without disturbing any of the bees, who conse- 
quently multiply with unusual rapidity. The hive is 
composed of two boxes; the lower one is about one 
foot wide, and three feet high, with a close cover in 
which there are four holes, one at each corner, large 
enough for the bees to pass up into the superior box, 
which is about a foot in every direction, and is without 
a bottom. Into this the bees ascend, and fill it always 
once, and sometimes twice during the summer, with 
pure honey ; while in the lower box they deposit their 
eggs, rear their young and store their wax. This box is 
never disturbed except when wax is wanted. T he upper 
box by being carefully slid off, is taken without a single 
bee, or even breaking the comb. ‘These hives are kept 
