120 miner's AMERICAN 



and fill their bee-gardens with every manner of hive, 

 throwing all system to the winds. 



As I look upon this subject, there must be a right 

 size, and a wrong size — a right shape, and a wrong 

 shape. But the grand question is, what is the right size 

 and shape ? There's the rub ! Who can answer ? In 

 my opinion, every bee-hive in the United States should 

 be of a certain size and shape. 



SPACE NECESSARY FOR SWARMS. 



The queen is able to produce a certain number of 

 larvae, or brood, in a season. She requires a certain 

 area of space in which to deposit her eggs, and more 

 than enough is worse than useless. Like the coat upon 

 one's back, a close fit is required ; beyond, or short of 

 this, is either ruinous, or highly disadvantageous. 



It is true, that some queens are more fertile than others 

 — even the same queens produce more larvae some sea- 

 sons than in others. This is quite natural, since a bee 

 is liable to be affected by various vicissitudes of life, as 

 well as any other animate being. But admitting this, 

 we then wish to know what space is necessary to af- 

 ford an average area for a queen's use, giving, as a 

 general rule, as much room as can be used, and at the 

 same time leave no waste space ? 



NUMBER OF WORKERS ADVANTAGEOUSLY EMPLOYED. 



Again, how many workers can -be employed in the 

 same hive to advantage ? There is an answer to this 

 — a definite answer ; yet I never beheld the subject 



