WAX. 121 



glass, when, they are sealed over. In spring these 

 long (lells are all cut down (except at the top and 

 upper corners) to the proper length for breeding, and 

 used for this purpose. This has been done for five 

 years in succession. 



I will grant that there is a little waste room in such 

 spaces, for part of the year. It amounts to but little, 

 as it is only outside. They are necessitated to make 

 such combs, because the inside combs, if built in a 

 breeding apartment, however crooked one may be, the 

 next one will generally match it, the right distance 

 from it. But when they are built expressly for stor- 

 ing honey, in such as are made in boxes, the right 

 distance is not so well preserved ; hence it is . not 

 recommended to compel bees to use such storing 

 apartment for breeding. But suppose we should com- 

 pel a swarm to labor under these disadvantages, I 

 should not apprehend such disastrous results, (pro- 

 viding they have a proper proportion of worker cells,) 

 as no swarms, or even no surplus honey, as has been 

 represented. Imagine a hive filled with combs thatr 

 are all too thick, and room wasted when cut down, to 

 the amount of one-fourth of all that is in the hive. 

 Now here are combs enough left to mature three- 

 fourths as many bees as in an ordinary hive, where 

 all are right. "We can now suppose a good swarm 

 will bring home the same amount of honey as though 

 it belonged- to other hives ; only three-fourths as 

 much can be fed to the brood, and stored in the hive; 

 and the result ought to be, that we get a quarter more 

 surplus honey in boxes. Even if we get no swarm, I 

 6 



