22 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



bees build comb on foiindiitiou having cells 

 iiot quite as lai\iie as drone ceils. As 

 soon as a lar<:e colony has been hatched 

 brush all the bees from the combs and re- 

 peat as iu the first case. In this way 

 about four broods could be reared in one 

 season. 



Of course we would not forget the point 

 friend S makes in sele< ting larye queens 

 and drones. We are not certain that a 

 larger l)ee could be reared in this way ; yet 

 the ex[)ei'imeiit is worth testing. About 

 all the expenditure needed is lor a ma- 

 chine that will make the foundation with 

 cells of the desired size. We are ready to 

 undertake the work. — Ed.] 



afterwards removed bu^. a small amount 

 of honey in one or two combs. The mice 

 tlien went tor the honey and consumed 

 all. 



The only way I can explain it, Dr., is 

 that our honey was so darned mean the 

 bees rather starve than eat it. — Ed.] 



TO KEEP MICE OUT OF HIVES. 



Allow me to say to Kit Clover that a 

 plan for keeping mice otit of hives was 

 given by me some time ago, that I like 

 better than the drone trap, although 

 I'll be magnanimous enough to allow 

 her to use the way she likes best. I 

 suspect the drone-and queen trap may 

 be more useful than we have .known, 

 but wire cloth with three meshes to the 

 inch, is the thing I have used, and it 

 does not close the entrance so much, 

 thus allowing better ventilation, and 

 giving the bees a better chance to carry 

 out their dead. 



But it isn't of mticli use to close the 

 entrance with eitner one after the bees 

 are in tlie cellar, for the mice are apt 

 to be carried into the cellar in the hive. 

 Make your hives mouse i)roof while the 

 bees are yet active out doors, and then 

 if a mouse is in the hive he will be 

 stung to death. 



Look here, Bro. Alley, what are you 

 thinking of? Never knew mice to 

 trouble honey when there is anything 

 else for them to subsist upon ? Well, 

 I have. They're fond of sweet, and 

 will take honey as part of their rations 

 with almost any other diet. 



C. C. Miller. 



No, we never knew mice to touch lioney 

 as long as there was anything else for 

 them to eat. Our only experience with 

 mice has been within a year. The little 

 "cusses" got into our beeiiouse and raised 

 (you know vvliat Bob. IngersoU calls it), 

 yes, destroyed lots of nice combs. All the 

 combs, and in fact, every thing else was 



AN IMMENSE INSTITUTION. 



Among the many fine improveinents 

 made here is the new bee-hive factory 

 of the G. B. Lewis Co. We were pi- 

 loted througli it a few days since by G. 

 B. Lewis, the senior member of the 

 company and spent a few hours very 

 pleasantly in looking over the various 

 departtnents, and receiving a descrip- 

 tion of the modus operandi. I'he new 

 factory proper is a frame building, three 

 stories and basement high, 60 feet wide 

 and 130 feet in length, and contains 

 26,000 square feet of floor room. Over 

 250.000 feet of lumber was used in its 

 construction. Adjoining the factory has 

 been built a fine brick engine room, 25 

 X 62 feet, and a little to the west of this 

 is another new brick building for office 

 purposes. It contains a large fire-and- 

 burgiar- proof vault, and a suit of rooms 

 nicely arranged and supplied with every 

 convenience for office work. The pow- 

 er for operating the machinery in the 

 Victory is furnished by both steam and 

 water. Of the latter it has 100 horse 

 power, and of the former 125 horse 

 power. 



Bee-hives, sections, shipping crates, 

 common boxes, fancy dovetailed boxes, 

 etc., are turned out in coundess num- 

 bers, necessitating the employment of 

 100 hands, and consuming in their man- 

 ufacture yearly between three and four 

 million feet of lumber. The goods man- 

 uflictured by this company are in great 

 demand, being sought for far and near, 

 the trade extending not only all over 

 America but to European countries as 

 well. This institution is tiie largest of 

 its kind in America, and we believe in 

 world. To VVatertown and her people 

 it is of vast importance, giving employ- 

 ment to more persons than any otlier 

 manufacturing establishment in the city. 

 Besides the buildings above specified, a 



