Advantages of Chaff-Hives. 389 
each corner, the four sides may be tacked together about 
the hive, when it can be packed in with cut straw (Fig. 
186), or fine chaff, which should be carefully done, if the 
day is cold, so as not to disquiet the bees. At the center 
and bottom of the east side (Fig. 186, c) cut out a square, 
eight inches each way, and between this and the hive place 
a bottomless tube (the top of this tube is represented as 
removed in figure to show entrance to hive), before putting 
in the cut straw or chaff and adding the cover. This box 
should be put in place before the bleak cold days of Novem- 
ber, and retained in position till the stormy winds of April 
are passed. This permits the bees to fly when very warm 
weather comes in winter or spring, and requires no atten- 
tion from the apiarist. By placing two or three hives 
close together in autumn—yet never move the colonies more 
than three or four feet at any one time, as such removals 
involve the loss of many bees—-one box may be made to cover 
all, and atlessexpense. This will also be more trustworthy 
in very cold winters. Late in spring these boxes may be 
removed and packed away, and the straw or chaff carried 
away, or removed a short distance and burned. 
CHAFF-HIVES. 
Messrs. Townley, Butler, Root, Poppleton and others, 
prefer chaff-hives, which are simply double-walled hives, 
with the four or five inch chambers filled with chaff. The 
objections to these I take to be: first, they are not proof 
against severe and long-continued cold, like the winter of 
1880-81; second, such cumbrous hives are inconvenient to 
handle in summer; and, third, they are expensive. That 
they would in part supply the place of shade, is, perhaps, 
in their favor, while Mr. A. I. Root thinks they are not 
expensive. 
Mr. O. O. Poppleton, one of our most intelligent bee- 
keepers, shows practically that the first objection given 
above is not valid. So very likely the failure in so many 
apiaries in 1880-81 was rather due to improper use. Mr. 
Poppleton claims numerous advantages for these hives: 
ist, In his hands, success. 
2d, They permit early preparation for winter. 
