336 THE BEE-KEEPER’S MANUAL. 
to without any mistake. These letters, numbers, or names 
being written in capitals and Roman numerals at one end, 
and on all the parts belonging to that end, and in small 
letters or Arabic numerals at another end, the parts so marked 
can readily be replaced, so as to fit whenever the hive is 
opened. The weight also of the empty hive should be in- 
scribed upon each, so as to be able readily to ascertain any 
increase or diminution of the variable contents. You observe 
I take my keys from my pocket, which may also have the 
distinguishing mark of each hive upon them, and open the 
outer doors (see Fig. 3). No hinges are employed, as they 
are apt to crush bees, though, if preferred, they might be 
fitted to the bottoms of the outer doors, but the plan adopted 
is more simple. 
Within the outer wooden doors, cushions of tow, wool, 
wadding, &e., are kept against the glass of the inner sashes 
to make them warmer. These inner sashes, you will observe, 
slide to and fro on fillets or runners, so as to enable me to 
expand or contract the interior capacity of the hive at will. 
In winter, a comparatively few combs partly filled with honey 
are required by the bees, and the empty ones being removed 
and stored up safely, the sliding sashes may be moved to- 
wards the centre, and pasted over with paper, the space 
between them and the outer doors being filled with tow, dry 
moss, hay, &e., so as to keep the hive entirely free from 
draughts. The combs are to be worked in these sliding 
frames (see Fig. 4), as you see by the one partly filled with 
honey. In order to induce the bees to work their combs 
straight and parallel within the frames, a strip of guide comb 
is fastened along the under side of the top bar of each frame, 
by means of a mixture of bees-wax and resin melted in an 
iron spoon over a candle or lamp, as you see. Each frame 
is made to hang at a defined distance from centre to centre, 
so as to admit of a passage for the bees between every two 
contiguous combs when arrived at their proper thickness, 
the width of the widest part of the frame being 1} inches. 
This is important in the under or brood box, but in the 
upper or honey box the interval may be greater, as the bees 
