THE BEE-KEEPRRS' REVIEW. 



13 



tiered up if the hollom hoards have 

 cleats at the extreme ends, both front and 

 rear, although each hive must be placed 

 very accurately; but, when tiering up 

 hives six or seven high in the cellar, if 

 the bottom boards are left on, it is much 

 easier to do so if they have flat covers, 

 and bottom boards with cleats back an 

 inch or so from each end. Such a board 

 gives a much better chance to handle a 

 hive with a loose bottom, not only iji 

 tiering up but at any time they have to be 

 moved. Sometimes it is very convenient 

 in the yard to set, and leave for a short 

 lime, hive bodies or supers containing 

 honey upon top of other hives, and if 

 placed on 2iflat cover, and covered up, 

 the contents are safe from robbers. As 

 to the advantage of a gable cover in shed- 

 ding rain, it is very slight; for a hive in a 

 yard should always have the rear end a 

 trifle higher to prevent rain and snow 

 from running or beating in at the entrance, 

 and this makes it an easy matter for wa- 

 ter to run off a flat cover. I believe that 

 a flat cover made of matched pieces about 

 two inches wide would be superior, so far 

 as warping is concerned, to any cover 

 now made. I have a number made out of 

 matched pieces about four inches wide, 

 which have proved very satisfactory. 

 Such a cover, if well painted, and then 

 covered with zinc, would, last indefinite- 

 ly. 



Before closing my remarks about hives 

 I would like to say a few .vords about 

 divsible brood-chamber hives; for these 

 hives, when righly and accurately made, 

 are, in my opinion, one of the most prac- 

 tical hives made for the production of 

 either comb or extracted honey. .\ few 

 years ago I had atout 60 of these hives in 

 use, and, although they were simply 

 half-depth bodies cont.iining ordinary 

 shallow extracting frames. I was well 

 pleased with the results; and it was easy 

 for me to see and understand how better 

 results could be more easily obtained 

 from hives of this charai ler when proper- 

 ly made — like the Heddon. Of course, 

 the use of these hives entails a different 

 management in many respects from that 



of single-story hives. I have none of 

 these hives in use at present, as, two years 

 ago, I sold the out-yard in which they 

 were. At one time I was strongly inclin- 

 ed to gradually change and use this style 

 of hive exclusively, but I finally decided 

 against them. One reason for this decis- 

 ion was on account of their cost. If a 

 man makes his own hives it is, aside from 

 the cove- and floor, as much or moie 

 work to make one of these as it is to make 

 two single-story hives. 



I am, however, at present, using a num- 

 ber of divisible brood chamber box-hives. 

 These are very cheaply and easily made, 

 and, for some purposes, or, perhaps I 

 should say, wnA^v some conditions ,1 con- 

 sider them superior to frame hives; and, 

 as I shall have occasion to refer to these 

 hives in the future, I will briefly describe 

 how they are made. Their length and 

 width is the same as the eight-frame 

 hives; so that they can be used with them 

 and with eight-frame hive-supers in any 

 combination of tiering up that may be de- 

 sired. The bottom boards to these are 

 also made with strips on the sides and 

 back end, which gives an entrance, in 

 front without cutting the hive. The top- 

 bars are made of lath nailed in so as to leave 

 a bee-space above them. No foundation 

 is ever fastened to these top bars, the bees 

 being allowed to build comb to suit them- 

 selves. ,\s there are no bottom bars, I ex- 

 pected, when two or more were used as a 

 brood-nest, that the combs in the upper 

 ones would be fastened to the top bars of 

 the one below, but I have never, as yet, 

 found one fastened enough in this way to 

 break the comb loose from the top bar 

 when separating them. I have them of 

 various de])ths, but .six or seven inches 

 is about right for the use that I make of 

 them. 



Now, "suspend judgment" as to the 

 value of these hives until I de.scribe, later, 

 lunv they are used, and if any have fol- 

 lowed me this far, no doubt they will be 

 jjleased to know that this, for the present, 

 at least, concludes what I have to say 

 ubout hives. 



Southern, Minn. Dec 3. 1898. 



