152 HANDY BOOK OF BEES, 



of the boxes, in which they winter. The breeding- 

 box, then removed, is placed in a dry place for the 

 winter, to be re-used, like the Blairgowrie bars, when 

 summer comes again. If I have failed to give the 

 reader a correct idea of the Stewarton hive and the 

 mode of working it, it has been from want of ability 

 and not of will. 



My object in penning this Supplement is to help 

 bee - keepers of all classes as much as I can. It is 

 a happiness to all right-minded teachers to stimulate 

 attention and multiply ideas which may be crystallised 

 into shape, and be useful to future generations. 



While we cheerfully commend aU that is good in 

 other kinds of hives than our own, and in other 

 systems of management, we can never tire of, or grow 

 out of love with, the large straw hive, and its system 

 of management recommended in this — the Handy Book 

 of Bees ; for they have been long tested, and found to 

 answer aU the ends we have in view — viz., large results 

 from little expense of time and money. 



Since the above was written, a short account of the 

 results of bee-keeping at Carluke this year has been 

 sent to me by Mr James Eennie, who is probably the 

 largest bee-keeper of the place. Last year, when I 

 visited Carluke, Mr Eennie told me he would never 

 attempt to winter bees in wooden hives, as he had 

 found straw hives so much better. He also told me 

 that he considered some districts in Perthshire and 

 Aberdeenshire, where he had at one time resided and 

 kept bees, were richer, warmer, and better for honey 

 than Carluke parish. 



In the letter just received from him, and dated the 

 11th of October, 1880, he says: "This year has been 

 the best for honey that I ever had in this part of the 

 country. Fruit blossoms and clover just yielded honey 

 enough to keep the bees breeding ; they made lots of 

 workers, but no weight of honey to speak of. On 

 being removed to the moors they got three days of fine 



