Oct.  1,  1896.] 
Supplement  to  the  ‘‘  Tropical  Agriculturists 
289 
I  The  export  of  Mugasilk  from  India  i.s  principally 
in  tlie  tonn  of  tkrcrul  wliicli  are  sent  to  the  I’eriian 
(iiilf. 
Ur.  Watt  in  his  Dictionary  gives  the  following 
a.s  the  food  plants  of  the  Mnga  worm  on  the  au- 
thority of  Sir.  D.  Brandis  : — 
1 Cinnainomiiin  Obtusifolium 
2 Cylicopodaphne  nitida. 
3 Michelia  Chainpaca  Sinhftljse,  Sapu. 
4 Machihis  Odoratissima. 
5 Symplocos  I’audillora. 
(1  Litsoea  Citrata. 
7 L.  Folyantha. 
8 L.  Salicifolia. 
AV.  A.  8. 
BEE-IIIYES. 
Albert  Gale,  a well-known  writer  on  Apicul- 
ture, has  devoted  a series  of  articles  to  this 
subject,  which  have  appeared  on  the  Agricultural 
Gazette  of  New  South  Wales.  For  much  of  the 
information  given  below  we  are  indebted  to 
this  authority,  who  states  that  he  has  wrritten 
with  the  object  of  giving  instruction  not  to  pro- 
fessional bee-keepers  but  to  beginners,  particularly 
to  those  in  remote  place  where  carriage  and 
other  concomitant  ti’oubles  one  always  standing 
in  the  way  of  the  enthusiastic  amateur.  Orginally 
bees,  like  the  wild  bees  of  the  present  day, 
constructed  their  combs  among  rocks  and  caves 
and  such  like  places  where  natural  shelter  was 
afforded  them.  The  development  of  artificial 
homes  for  bees  was  very  slow.  Those  used  in 
Kgypt  even  now,  are  sundried  earthen  tubes, 
about  4 feet  long.  The  same  style  of  hive  is 
said  to  be  the  one  adopted  by  the  Japanese 
and  the  hill  tribes  of  North  India.  From  these 
sundried  clay  pots  to  the  old  fashioned  straw 
hive  development  was  very  slow.  For  obtaining 
the  honey  both  from  the  clay  pots  and  the  straw 
hive  “fire  and  brimstone”  were  the  persuasive 
arguments  used  to  induce  the  little  busy  bee 
to  yield  -up  its  laboriously — gathered  stores  to 
satisfy  the  cravings  of  the  bee-keeper.  For  long 
this  barbarous  system,  which  is  in  vague  even 
at  the  present  day  in  Ceylon,  continued  to 
be  practised  till  some  humane  individual  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  something  might  be  done 
to  save  the  valuable  lives  of  the  inmates  of 
the  hive.  It  was  Nutt  who  invented  the  straw 
super  which  was  improved  upon  by  ‘Neighbours,’ 
Fettitt’s  and  Taylor’s  bell-glass  supers.  About 
1S64,  The  Times  (London)  Bee-master  strongly  re- 
ommended  “Fettitt’s  Hexagonal”  as  improved 
by  himself,  and  by  the  introduction  of  6 slides  for 
the  purpose  of  communication  between  the 
broodchamber  over  the  super.  But  later  on  he 
discarded  it  for  the  Ayrshire  Bo,x-hive.  Fettitt’s 
“ Temple-hive  ” with  its  4 bell-glasses  from  which 
the  drones  were  effectually  excluded,  seems  to 
luive  been  one  of  the  first  wooden  structures 
for  bee-keeping  having  any  pretensions  to  use 
and  ornament  used  in  England. 
In  1848  the  Rev.  Mr.  Drieron,  published  his 
Theory  and  Fractice  of  Bee-culture,  in  which  he 
doicribed  his  method  of  I'emoving  the  combs 
without  their  being  entirely  destroyed.  His 
method  was  by  a moveable  toji-bar  to  which  the 
bees  attached  tlie  comb,  and  also  attached  it  to 
the  sides  of  the  hive  from  where  it  had  to  be 
removed  by  the  application  of  the  knife.  This 
was  the  germ  from  which  sprang  the  moveable 
bar-frames. 
The  Rev.  L.  L.  Langstroth,  constructed  a 
hive  on  the  plan  of  the  folding  hives  used  by 
the  celebrated  Huber  for  the  purpose  of  veri- 
fying some  of  his  (Huber’s)  valuable  discoveries. 
The  use  of  the  Huber  hive  had  convinced  Langs- 
troth that  a hive  could  that  should  give  the 
bee-keeper  a complete  control  of  the  combs 
without  enraging  the  bees.  The  cutting  of  the 
combs  from  their  attachment  to  the  sides  and 
bottom  of  the  hive  was  the  great  drawback  in 
Drierron’s  invention,  and  Drierrons  moveable 
top-bar  speedily  gave  place  to  Langstrotth  s move- 
able  frame. 
The  various  forms  of  hives  now  in  use  are 
all  more  or  less  modifications  of  the  Langstroth. 
AVhatever  the  pattern,  model,  or  size  the  ma- 
terial most  suitable  is  soft,  porous,  light  wood. 
The  wmod  should  be  well-seasoned  so  that  there 
may  be  no  hoisting  or  shrinking  with  atmos- 
pheric changes.  Among  other  hives  besides  the 
Langstroth  or  Langstroth  Simplicity,  are  the 
Gallup,  Heddon,  (iuinby,  Berlepch,  Long-Idea  &c, 
as  modifications  thereof. 
The  Heddon  hives,  though  of  most  approved 
Structure,  are  only  suitable  for  very  experienced 
bee-keepers.  It  recpiires  a skilled  mechanic  to 
make  them,  and  they  are  far  more  difficult  in 
manipulating  than  the  Langstroth. 
The  Langstroth  hive  has  stood  the  best  of 
nearly  half  a centui’y  and  it  is  the  most 
generally  used. 
Ifi-of.  Cook  has  said  of  it,  “ It  left  the  hands 
of  the  great  master  in  so  perfect  a form  that 
even  the  details  remain  unchanged  by  many  of 
our  first  bee-keepers.” 
Anyone,  says  Mr.  Gale,  who  has  a fair  amount 
of  skill  with  tools  can  make  a Langstrott  hive. 
The  following  hints  are  given  to  guide  the 
amateur  bee-keeper  in  constructing  his  own 
hive  after  the  Langstrott  type : — 
The  wood  used  should  be  soft,  light  and  well- 
seasoned,  and  the  only  thing  that  is  imperative  in 
the  construction  is  that  the  measurements  must 
be  rigidly  adhered  to,  otherwise  there  will  be  no 
end  of  trouble  in  the  manipulating  of  the  bees. 
Many  a beekeeper  who  has  been  his  own  carpenter 
has  given  up  beekeeping  in  disgust,  because,  in 
the  construction  of  the  home-made  hives,  there 
has  been  a w'ant  of  care  in  giving  bee-space — 
quarter  of  an  inch — truebee  space  is  inch. 
The  wood  in  kerosine  and  other  packing  cases 
is  more  or  less  suitable.  For  the  colder  districts 
the  sides  of  the  first  named  are  too  thin.  The 
smell  of  kerosine  is  quickly  evaporated  by  placing 
the  cares  in  the  full  glare  of  the  sun.  The  most 
suitable  thickness  is  one  inch  or  a little  less  if  no 
planing  is  to  be  done.  The  ends  must  always  be 
of  inch  wood  or  of  sufficient  thickness  to  admit 
of  a rebate  (rabbet)  for  the  moveable  frames  to 
hang  freely.  The  ends  of  kerosine  cases,  though 
not  an  inch  thick,  answers  very  well  for  the  pur- 
pose. 
The  brood  chamber  or  body  of  the  hive  is  94 
in  deep  if  a moveable  bottom  is  used,  but  if  the 
liottom  be  a fixture  (though  a moveable  bottom 
is  always  preferred)  it  should  be  10  in  deep.  For 
an  eight-framed  hive  the  ends  must  be  14^  in — ■ 
