bee-keeper's MANUAL. 129 



Here allow me to say, that a man's success in almost 

 any undertaking, depends upon his calmly surveying the 

 whole ground, and foreseeing this or that result before 

 he gets through; and being fully prepared and commen- 

 cing aright. Had I taken a dull saw, and commenced 

 this operation without securing my table ^^rmZy, I should 

 have probably failed in my attempt ; besides, by some 

 mishap, perhaps I might have been mortally stung. 

 These are small matters, it is true, yet in all of our ope- 

 raticms with bees, it requires a nicety of calculation and 

 philosophic view of the case ; that we may coolly per- 

 form our task, and know what effect every move we 

 make will have upon that insect, so tenacious of her 

 rights. 



Having marked off the part of the hive to be cut 

 asunder, and having made niches on the corners of the 

 me in order to set in the saw the more easily, I cut 

 fently on one side, until I felt the saw perforate the combs. 

 I then placed small wedges in the seam at the corners, 

 and commenced on another side ; when this side was 

 also sawed through, I inserted wedges as before, and so 

 on until I had completely cut the hives in two. The 

 bees did not seem to be molested much, if any. I then 

 took a small wire, about a yard long, and having wound 

 the ends around sticks, to serve as handles, I then drew 

 it gently and carefully across the combs, through the 

 aperture made by the saw, taking especial care to 

 have the wire sever them across the edges, rather than 

 the sides ; since that course would displace the position 

 of them less, and much less disturb the bees. Having 



