18 HIVES. 



tion necessary for glass boxes ; considered as a cover, 

 it is never lost. Its demerits are inconvenience in 

 handling ; it occupies more room if put in the house 

 in the winter ; if glass boxes are used, only one end 

 can be seen, and this may be full when the other may 

 hold some pounds yet, and we cannot possibly know 

 until it is taken out. I know we are told to return 

 such boxes when not full " and the bees will soon finish 

 them," but this will depend on the yield of honey at 

 the time ; if abundant, it will be filled ; if not, they 

 will be very likely to take a hint, and remove below 

 what there is in the box ; whereas if the chamber was 

 separate from the hive, and was not a chamber but a 

 loose cap to cover the boxes, it could be raised at any 

 time without disturbing a single bee, and the precise 

 time of the boxes being filled ascertained, (that is, when 

 they are of glass.) 



MRS. GREFFrra's HIVI!. 



Mrs. Griffith, of ISTew Jersey, is said to have invented 

 the suspended chamber hive with the inclined bottom- 

 board. One would suppose this was sufficiently in- 

 convenient to use, and difficult and expensive to con- 

 struct. 



weeks' improvement. 

 Yet Mr. "Weeks makes an alteration, calls it an 

 improvement, the expense is but a trifle more; it 

 is sufficient to be sanctioned by a patent. From fi:ont 

 to rear, the bottom is about three inches narrower than 

 the top, somewhat wedge-shape ; it has the merit to 



