i?4 ?HE FARMER'S MANUAL* 



known. Independently of the kind of cells which 

 are the most numerous, others are constructed of a 

 size rather larger, which are appropriated to the re- 

 ception of the eggs from which the drones are to 

 spring. The Bees, in the construction of the celk, 

 regard particularly these two combinations, that if 

 the size, and the number of Bees to be produced, or 

 generated. The cells of the drones differ in their 

 depth and breadth, but they have in general a regular 

 diameter, which is three lines and a half; from which 

 it appears that twenty of the drone cells would cover 

 a space of five inches, ten lines, whilst twenty cells 

 of the working Bees cover a space of exactly four 

 inches. All this labour is performed with so much 

 skill and firmness, that three or four of these sides 

 placed on each other do not exceed the thickness of 

 common paper. A different species of cell is also 

 constructed, destined to be the cradle of the queens. 

 The architects now abandon their ordinary form of 

 building, and construct the cells of a circular and 

 oblong figure, which possess much solidity. One of 

 these cells will weigh as much as 100 or 160 of the 

 common cells* There is less economy used in their 

 construction ; the wax is used with more profusion ; 

 the exterior is waved ; in fine, they are really royal 

 cells. They are trifling in number compared with 

 the other cells. 



A piece of honey-comb is one of the wonders of 

 art, produced by the powers of instinct, and may be 

 considered as a masterpiece of nature. Even man 

 himself, with all his boasted reason, must bow with 

 profound deference to the superior industry, econo- 

 my, sagacity, political harmony, and order of the Bee. 



CHAP. XI. 



On ike particular substances which are found in a hive, 



In the front rank of these substances, stands pro- 

 polis j for with this, they stop all the crevices of the 



