Improved Bee Hive. 



Vol. 11, 



An p]dinburg writer, in the Quarterly 

 Journal of Agriculture, speaking of the tail 

 slip, says "the disease, in ordinary cases, is 

 said to consist in a softeninof of the bones 

 about the extremity of the tail, and is to be 

 distinguished by the point of the tail being 

 easilydoubled back upon itself, and having, 

 at this doubling, a soit, and, rather a crepi- 

 tating kind of feel. But what is the real 

 state of the case ? — The tail is lengthened 

 out to the extent of about three feet and is 

 formed like a common whip. Towards the 

 extremity, the bones terminate gradually, 

 becoming insensibly smaller as they proceed 

 downwards. At this part is said to be found 

 a soft space — the fail slip. Beyond tliis, 

 again, a firm, swelling, cartilaginous portion 

 is found, covered with hair, to brush off the 

 flies within its reach. Now, why have we 

 the long column of bones; the termination 

 of a soft space of a few inches; this thick- 

 ened, hard, cartilaginous part, at the very 

 extremity, and that extremity covered with 

 hair, but with a view to form a whip to drive 

 off, and with the greatest possible effect, the 

 insects which wound and torment the ani- 

 mall Here the column of bones forms the 

 shaft or handle of the whip — the soft part the 

 connexion between the handle and the thong 

 — while the thickened extremity may be ea- 

 sily recognized to represent the thong — and 

 the hairs to form the lash or point; so that 

 we have a whip to drive away the flies, and 

 so complete a one, that the coachman may 

 borrow a lesson from its construction." 



This very appropriate and natural whip, so 

 happily described, ought to whip the tail evil 

 out of the mind of every one who reads it. I 

 have endeavored to show, that the hoi loiohorti 

 is the natural state of the horn. So, also, the 

 tail evil appears to be the natural state of the 



tail. 



New Garden, 6 mo. 30th, 1837. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Improved Bee Hive. 



Mr. Editor, — The following representa- 

 tion of a BEE HIVE cannot tail to be interest- 

 ing, to those of your readers, who are inter- 

 ested in rearing and managing bees. It is 

 a fact, of which many bee growers have a 

 very unprofitable experience, tliat the ene- 

 mies of the bee have increased for several 

 seasons past. This fact has given rise to the 

 invention of different kinds of hives ; some 

 of which are ingenious and useful ; but the 

 most of them are too expensive for general 

 use. 



I have seen none that, in my opinion, em- 

 braces so many advantages as the one here 

 represented. A is a stand, the legs of 

 which are 16 inches high, the stand itself 



18 inches square. B represents a three cor- 

 nered box, * open on the top ; with a slant- 

 ing bottom c c ; a space is to be left open 

 in the front of the hive the whole length at 

 D, to admit the bees and allow the dirt to 

 slide off' the slanting bottom. 



1, 2, and 3, are boxes on hives, 19 inches 

 square and 7 inches high, with slats nailed 

 across, a sufficient distance from each other 

 to admit the free passage of the bees ; bars 

 are to be put across the hive to support the 

 comb. The top to be secured by a tight 

 cover. The bees enter at D, and pass up 

 the slanting bottom of the stand into the 

 boxes above, and the boxes can be increased 

 by adding others, always placing the addi- 

 tional boxes nearest the stand. 



This hive possesses the following advan- 

 tages over the hives in common use : 



I. It prevents the ravages of the miller, 

 whose worm is the bee's most fatal enemy. 

 The miller deposites its eggs in the bee dirt ; 

 which in the common hive is constantly ac- 

 cumulating on the bottom. This difficulty 

 is obviated by the slanting bottom of the 

 stand ; the dirt falling on this rolls out at D, 

 and the bottom is kept clean. 



II. The cruel practice of destroying the 

 bees is entirely superseded by the use of this 

 hive. By blowing a small quantity of to- 

 bacco smoke into the upper box, through a 

 hole made for that purpose, the bees will 

 descend into the box next below ; the upper 

 box can be removed ; fifty or sixty pounds 

 of honey, entirely free from dead bees and 

 dirt, can thus be taken from a good hive ; and 

 enough remain to winter the bees without 

 any risk of loss. 



III. The swarming of the bees can be regu- 

 lated by the rise of this hive, and the new 



* The Box and Stand can be made in one article. 



