ARTIFICIAL SWARMINfl. ' 233 



are often of immense size. Tiiese hives are admirably 

 protected, and at the time of hiving at least /our times the 

 number of bees are lodged in them, that are ordinarily put 

 into one of our hives. The queen bee, in such a hive, has 

 ample room to lay her three thousand eggs, or more, daily : 

 and a prodigious colony is raised, which often stores enor- 

 mous supplies of honey. As all the frames in my hives 

 are of the same dimensions, the size of the hive may be 

 conveniently varied, to suit the views of different bee-keep- 

 ers ; for they may be large or small, according to the num- 

 ber of frames designed to be used. I hope, before long, to 

 experiment with hives as large again, as those that I now 

 use ; or rather, with such, as by containing an upper box, 

 may be made to accommodate twice as many bees. This 

 whole subject of the proper size of hives, certainly needs to 

 be taken entirely out of the region of conjecture, and to be 

 put upon the basis of careful observations. Unquestionably 

 the size will require, in some respects, to be modified by the 

 more or less favorable character of the country for bee- 

 keeping ; but I am satisfied that small hives will be 

 found of but little profit, and that large ones, unless well 

 stocked with bees, from the first, and thoroughly protected, 

 will often fail to answer any good end. If I should find oa 

 further experiment, that the very large hives of which I have 

 spoken, are better, my hives are at present so constructed 

 that without any alteration of existing parts, they can easily 

 be supplied with the required additions. I have already 

 mentioned that I sometimes build my hives, three in one 

 structure, in order to save expense in their construction. I 

 do not however, wish to be considered as recommending 

 such hives as the best for general use. For some purposes, 

 a single hive is unquestionably the best, as it can be easily 

 moved by one person ; and this, Avill many times be found 

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