140 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



an article simply because it is patented. 

 But no wise farmer would take his scythe 

 and whetstone and go into his ten acre 

 mowing tield, and sweat a week to cut it 

 down, when he could avail himself of a 

 mowing machine and cut it in a few^ 

 hours, simply because the mowing ma- 

 •chiue is patented. I have seen the time 

 80 years since when in my father's yard 

 two long rows of straw hives were stand- 

 ing in my father's apiary; and in the 

 proper season, a selected portion of them 

 were placed over brimstone matches, 

 smothered and the honey some side 

 •combs and top, white, well filled with 

 honey were laid away carefully in pans, 

 saved for table use. The balance of the 

 lioney strained and saved for use, or 

 methegliu; and the comb converted into 

 merchantable wax. 



Since that time and in some places be- 

 fore, box hives of wood have been intro- 

 duced in various forms and differing in 

 size. The simple box with two or four 

 honey boxes upon the top. The chamber 

 liive, with boxes iu a chamber over the 

 ■colony. The suspended hive. Cotton's 

 large nou-swarmer. The hive iu the dark 

 chamber. 



The invention of the movable comb 

 frame by the Rev. L. L. Laugstroth, af- 

 fected an important improvement in the 

 business. Many have availed themselves 

 >of this improvement, and few new hives 

 are now constructed where this improve- 

 ment may not be available. 



Another improvement or characteristic 

 in hives is the introduction of small sur- 

 plus boxes or frames of an aggregate 

 capacity of 100 to 200 lbs. of surplus. 

 Mr. Quinby, in the first edition of his work 

 recommends this small box hive, which, 

 he assures his readers, will give as much 

 surplus and in as good shape for market 

 as any hive, and shall cost them nothing 

 for patent. He has since adopted a hive 

 of the latter class with large surplus box 

 room, and publishes in a late paper that 

 he and quite a number of bee keepers, in 

 a field 20 miles square have averaged lOU 

 lbs. of surplus to the colony, on the 

 same field where to his knowledge the 

 surplus did not average over ten pounds 

 to the colony, iu the box hives he has 

 previously described. It is certainly a 

 large gain, lOO lbs. now, to where 10 lbs. 

 only was averaged before. 



In abundant surplus room alone can 

 abundant surplus be secured. But I can 

 give but hints here. I will send a des- 

 criptive circular to any of your subscrib- 

 ■ers, who will send address and stamp. 

 Jasi'kk IIazen. 



Woodstock, Vermont. 



For the American Eee .Journal. 



Notes on Bee Culture in France. 



[Tran-lated by Chas. Dadan', Hamilton, 111.] 



Our forefathers held the honey bee in 

 great esteem. Kotwithstanding their ig- 

 norance of certain facts, w-hich were only 

 known since the beautiful discoveries of 

 Reaumur, Huber, and others, they kept 

 their apiaries very carefully. 



They assimilated the bees to the per- 

 sons. At the death of a member of the 

 family, they placed on each hive a piece 

 of black cloth as a sign of mourning, in- 

 dicating that the bees were intelligent be- 

 ings, able to understand the loss. When 

 passing before the hives, when taking 

 care of them or gathering the honey,' it 

 was expressly forbidden to use any 

 rough words or expressions, or to swear 

 for fear of seeing the bees leave their 

 hives forever. Lastly for the same mo- 

 tive, they never would l>uy bees, but the}' 

 exchanged them for a louis of twenty- 

 four pounds or a sctier of rye. Occasion- 

 ally the owners of apiaries rented them 

 under the condition of dividing the pro- 

 fits and increase. In such a case the rent- 

 er of the bees had them in his charge 

 and was bound to feed and watch over 

 them and govern them as he would his 

 own. The honey and wax was divided 

 in equal shares, but the hives could only 

 be robbed in the presence of the owner. 

 The swarms thai were gathered were giv- 

 en at the same rates. In this country 

 the barbarous practice of smothering the 

 bees with brimstone, w'as never known. 

 The harvest was made by pruning the 

 combs, and the old people of the present 

 day still remember that the operators iu 

 this line were more skillful and more 

 careful than now. 



The time of pruning was a happy day 

 for all the children in the villages. Each 

 received a slice of bread and honey and a 

 glass of honey water, and each of the 

 less fortunate neighbors were treated to a 

 plate full of honey. 



From the bees and apiaries let us pass 

 to their products, honey and wax. 



In our researches among old titles, we 

 find everywhere the indication of revenue 

 iu honey and wax. The chronicler of 

 Pay Etienne Medids tells us that among 

 the bishop's revenues there were five 

 jars of hone3\ He neglected to tell us 

 of the size of these jars. They were 

 probably somewhat like the barrel of 

 which they speak in the old laws of Aii- 

 vergue, and which was valued at 35 sols, 

 when a slice]) and its wool was only val- 

 ved at 5 sols. 



