BEE MANUAL. 101 



to be no convenient way of obtaining it. If they are placed 

 under fruit trees, which, according to my idea, are the most 

 suitable, these must be kept trimmed very high, or else the 

 branches will be in the way. The same difficulty occurs with 

 evergreens, besides being very likely to keep the hives con- 

 tinually damp in winter. Where only a few hives are kept, 

 ehady spots may be selected without inconvenience in other 

 respects, but in a large apiary it is rather a difficult matter to 

 supply shade to each hive without involving disadvantages 

 which are more than equivalent. I have recommended and 

 have tried fruit trees, but I find they are a great hindrance 

 to rapid work where many hives have to be gone through. 

 A. I. Soot recommends planting a grape-vine on the sunny 

 side of each hive, and training it on a trellis high enough to 

 afford shade ; but in these colonies, where the sun is so nearly 

 vertical in midsummer, we require the shade directly over the 

 hives, and the vines could not be trained to effect that without 

 great inconvenience in the working of the hives. Some 

 American apiarists use and recommend loose shade-boards laid 

 on top of the hives, and kept in place by heavy stones. This 

 is a contrivance so clumsy and unsightly, and attended with so 

 much inconvenience in working, that it could scarcely 

 be justified unless the necessity was very urgent. Here, how- 

 ever, with the hive recommended, which has not a flat cover, 

 but one sloping to each side, with a considerable space between 

 the mat and the inside of the roof, and ventilating holes in 

 front and rear, I find that when the covers are painted white, 

 and careful attention is paid to the ventilation, very little 

 inconvenience is felt from want of shade, and I have therefore of 

 late dispensed with all contrivances for obtaining it, except such 

 temporary expedients as throwing some branches of ti-tree over 

 newly hived swarms for a while. If, however, trees are 

 considered to be desirable, I believe fruit trees are the best to 

 plant, as they afford shade just when it is required, and do not 

 obstruct the sun's rays or occasion dampness in winter. 



WATER. 



A supply of water for the bees is indispensable, and the 

 nearer it is to the apiary the better. A large number of bees 

 belonging to each hive will be occupied in carrying water all 



