24 HIVES. 



and allow the bees to go into the other apartment for 

 honey, they must starve. 



The cost of construction is another objection to this 

 hive, as thelabor bestowed on one is more than would 

 finish two, that would be much better. 



ADVANTAGES OP THE CHANGEABLE HIVE CONSIDERED. 



The value of changeable hives is based upon the fol- 

 lowing principle: — ^Each young bee when it first 

 hatches from the egg, is neither more nor less than a 

 worm ; when it receives the necessary food, the bees 

 seal it over ; it will then spin a cocoon, or line its cell 

 with a coating of silk, less in thickness than the thin- 

 nest paper : this remains after the bee leaves it. It ia 

 evident, therefore, that after a few hundreds have beea 

 reared in a cell, and each one has left its cocoon, that 

 such cell must be somewhat diminished, although the 

 thickness of a dozen cocoons could not be measured ; 

 and this old cell needs removing, that the bees may 

 replace it with a new one. But how shall it be done ? 

 This is a feat for the display of ingenuity.' A common 

 man might go about it in a very sensible, simple man- 

 ner, might possibly turn the hive over, and cut out the 

 old combs when necessary, without knowing perhaps 

 that the patent- vender could sell a receipt to do the 

 thing scientifically, the benefit of which would be many 

 times on the principle of a surgeon cutting off your 

 head, to get a good chance to tie a small artery accord- 

 ing to system ; or would show you a roundabout way 

 of half a dozen miles to accomplish what the same num- 

 ber of rods would do. Had we not ocular demonstra* 



