BEE CULTURE, 95 
COMB FOUNDATION AND ITS USE. 
The Bee Hive is an emblem of industry, and the perfection 
of its government is truly marvelous! When we view the 
skill exhibited in the building of the beautiful comb—so true 
in form, so wonderfully systematic in construction, and all 
completed by a crowd of bees in a dark hive—and often at 
night, without the light of the sun, moon or stars—we are 
amazed at the skill of these wonderful little architects! 
Think of their wonderfully - delicate cells of wax, only 
180th part of an inch in thickness, made without the aid of 
Fic. 67.—Bases and Cross-Sections of Cells. 
rules, angles or plumb lines—-and yet one ounce of this deli- 
cate work will contain a pound of honey, of sufficient strength 
to be transported thousands of miles without injury, with but 
ordinary care. Contemplate the perfection of these cells. 
A noted German aptly puts it thus: ‘The cells of bees 
are found to fulfill perfectly the most subtle conditions of an 
intricate mathematical problem. Let it be required to find 
what shape a given quantity of matter must take in order to 
have the greatest capacity and strength, occupying at the same 
time the least space, and consuming the least labor in its con- 
struction. When this problem is solved by the most refined 
