BEE-KEEPING. 153 



and are worthy of a careful trial, but few if any of them are 

 without some serious objections ; so that practical bee-keepers 

 generally prefer hives of the simplest construction. One of the 

 best hives is made of pine boards an inch or an inch and a 

 quarter thick. The best size is twelve inches square inside and 

 fourteen inches deep. The top should be made of boards fifteen 

 inches square. The boards should be joined carefully, and it is 

 well to apply a coat of paint to the edges before putting them 

 together. Small notches should be made at the bottom for the 

 passage of the bees ; and cross sticks put in for the support of 

 the comb. If the inside of the hive be planed and covered with 

 a thin coating of melted beeswax, it will save the bees much 

 labor. Boxes for caps or covers may be fitted to these hives. 

 These may be about seven inches deep and twelve square. 

 They must fit closely the tops of the hives, and may be furnished 

 with glass jars or other vessels for the reception of the honey. 

 Several holes should be made in the top of the hive for the pas- 

 sage of the bees. 



In Poland, where finer honey is produced and bees more 

 successfully cultivated than anywhere else, the excavated trunks 

 of trees are used for hives. Logs a foot or more in diameter 

 and nine feet long are scooped or bored for the length of six 

 feet from one end, the bore being from six to eight inches in 

 diameter. A longitudinal slit is made in this hollow cylinder 

 nearly the whole length and four inches wide. Into this slit is 

 fitted a slip of wood with notches on the edges large enough to 

 admit a single bee. This slip is hung on hinges and forms a 

 door, by the opening of which the condition of the swarm can 

 be seen and the honey be taken out. The top being covered, 

 the trunk is set upright, with the opening toward the south. 

 Sections of hollow trees are often used in this country for hives. 



It is often desirable to carry honey to market without re- 

 moving it from the hive in which it was made, and as few 

 persons will purchase the contents of a large hive, one con- 

 structed in sections has a great advantage in that particular at 

 least. 



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