DADANT SYSTEM OF BEEKEEPING 41 



object to these articles because the bees tear them up. It is true 

 that they do so, in the course of time. However, if the cloths 

 are strong and well painted, they last a long time. Their use- 

 fulness permits us to put up with their inconveniences. We 

 replace them as often as needed. 



The oil cloth is constantly kept upon the hive, except 

 in winter. When putting on supers we place it at the top of 

 the supers. 



The straw mat is an implement which very few people 

 use. It is essentially a European implement, cheap and service- 

 able. European gardeners use mats of all sizes, to protect their 

 cold frames, their hot house windows, their chicken coops or 

 rabbit dens. We make them of the proper size for the top of 

 the frames. They keep out the cold in winter and the heat 

 in summer. In winter, the cloth being removed, the mat is 

 placed directly over the combs, then absorbents over that. 

 It is one of the most economical implements of the bee hive. 

 Chas. F. Muth, an eminent beekeeperoftheoldendays, whom the 

 writer knew well, used similar mats and considered them very 

 valuable, as we do. But they do not seem attractive to the 

 average beekeeper. Yet they keep away the heat of the sun, 

 in July, as efficiently as the cold of winter, in January. 



The telescope cover is made to accommodate at least the 

 depth of one super. It might be made much shallower, but we 

 have found it very handy in covering feeders. When more than 

 one super is on, the telescope cover does not reach down. At that 

 time it matters little whether the joints of the hive and of the 

 different supers are uncovered, for that is the time of the 

 honey harvest and bees do not try robbing then, usually. 



The depth of our supers, as will be seen, is greater than the 

 depth of the supers popularly supplied by dealers. This depth 

 was decided upon by us, after due consideration and also con- 

 sultation with Mr. Langstroth, years ago. At that time, some 

 extracting supers were used of the same depth as the pound 

 sections, i. e. with frames 4^ inches in depth. We considered 

 these as mere playthings, of which too many would be required 



