1873.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
211 
eleven inches long, for the ends. Two move, eighteen 
inches long by one inch wide, for top and bottom. Drive 
the nails through the end pieces. The bottom piece 
should be onc-fonrth inch from the bottom of hive to 
give the bees a chance to creep under. If combs arc to 
be transferred, the top may be left square. If combs are 
to be built, a guide should be put in the center to make 
them go straight — a triangular piece will do. Take a 
piece of hoop-iron three-fourths inch wide, three 
inches long; one-fourth of an inch from one end, bend it 
at right-angles. Punch two holes through the long part, 
and nail or screw it on one of the lower corners of the 
frame. The angle or short part bent should be near an 
eighth of an inch below the end, that it may hook on an- 
other piece of straight hoop-iron, that is nailed on one 
edge of the bottom the longest way. One edge should 
project a quarter of an inch beyond the bottom, nook 
on the frame, and it stands there firmly. Cut out a thin 
board just the size of frame, and set one on each side; 
cover the top with a board or canvas, and you have a 
hive for bees. Make an entrance in the bottom under 
the end of frame, opposite to the one hooked. When 
fixed in this way, it is unnecessary to talk of small or 
large hives. Yon have only to add frames until as large 
as wanted— varying from one to sixteen on this bottom 
board. A part may lie taken out at any time. If box- 
honey is the object, seven frames are enough. For ex- 
tracting the honey all will be wanted. 
Our boxes are made to act by the side of the 
frames full of combs, and also on the top of frames, 
so close that the bees can enter them without moving an 
inch from the main apartment. The width of the boxes 
should be calculated so that three or four will be just 
equal to the length of frame. The length about six 
inches. The height should be such that two when set 
on a thin board laid under them would make them just 
even with the top of frames. We use sixteen at the 
sides and eight on the top, usually, of full hives. If they 
arc still crowded with bees, and have started combs in 
boxes on the top, slip them from the center, and let them 
stand on the boxes at the side, putting eight more in 
their places ; making thirty-two five-pound boxes on at 
once. The bees enter the top outside ones from those in 
the middle. When the stock is not strong enough to fill 
the boxes, take from one or both sides— putting up the 
boards to keep the bees close. Change the part full 
ones to the top, or to any other hive to be finished. If 
there arc not bees enough to work in any of the boxes 
take all off. The boxes are made of glass — described in 
"Bee-Keeping Explained" — except the end next the 
comb, which is put in a little narrower than the box to 
leave a passage for the bees from the combs in the hive. 
These frames and boxes when all in place must not be 
exposed to the light and weather. There should ho a 
cover of some kind. We have found no cheaper way 
than to make it of smooth, nice boards. Let them be 
eighteen inches wide for the height of hive. Cut the 
pieces long enough to make a box one inch larger than 
the bottom board on the hack side. The corners simply 
halved. Batten them outside two inches from the end 
to prevent warping. Set them together without nailing, 
holding with latch ; or, what is still better, a metal clasp 
that will draw equally from both ways, is adjusted as 
readily as a latch, and will hold as firmly as nails—a de- 
vice of my own, and not patented. Nail a strip on the 
back side of bottom board, one and a half inch wide, 
the length of the same end, and one-eighth inch lower 
than the upper surface of bottom. The two ends may 
have dowel-pins to enter the bottom to prevent slipping 
about. A plain board with molding for lid or cover, to 
make all close, constitutes what may be called a hive, 
without the T»oxes and frames. It can bo opened when 
full of bees in a few seconds, and the contents of boxes 
inspected without any bees flying. Let the front side of 
hive remain standing in place during the operation. 
Bees that are at work will enter without hesitation. 
To hive a natural swarm in this hive, take oft* one end 
and remove the boxes, nnless the swarm is large ; in 
that case, let the top ones remain. Set up a panel by the 
side of frame. Throw over a blanket, and let it hang 
down on the open side, within an inch of the bottom. 
Get the bees in a box, and bring them to the stand for 
a new hive. Let them stand until near sun-down if you 
choose; then raise the lover edge of blanket six or 
eight inches ; an assistant may hold it until the operator 
onn empty the swarm, as he would so much grain, directly 
under the frames. Let down the blanket, and they will 
probably be hived without farther tronl>le. If the queen 
has her wing cut off, and can not fly, catcli her when the 
swarm issues, and when they begin to return — which 
they do as soon as the queen is missed — take away the 
old hive and cover it up with a blanket for a few minutes. 
Set the new one in its place, and put the queen at the 
entrance, when they will all enter. They may cluster 
about the entrance and perhaps choke it up for a time. 
With the feather end of a quill the bees may be brushed 
away occasionally, and thus facilitate operations. Leave 
the old hive in a new place, a rod or more from the old 
stand. When the 6tock is in movable combs, and it is 
certain they are getting honey, and there are bees enongh 
to spare a swarm, lift out a comb, near the middle of a 
fair day, and if the queen is on it put that with the bees 
that arc on it into a new hive, close it up and set it on 
the old stand, setting the old hive in a new place, and 
yon have an artificial swarm. One week after the first 
swarm with an old queen, open the old hive, and cut off 
all the queen-cells but one, to prevent the second swarm, 
winch should not issue if you want hox-h»ncy. If you 
have a spare fertile queen to introduce, cut off all the 
cells, smear the queen in honey, and drop her in at the 
top. She commences laying in a day or two, and a fort- 
night in breeding i-: gained, which at this time is almost 
equivalent to a swarm of bees. For directions for rear- 
ing queens, see (t Bee-beeping Explained" for the 
present. This is a good time to introduce an Italian 
queen to black bees. Much is gained by having hives, 
frames, and boxes all alike, so that they may be ex- 
changed and fit any place. Very many do not compre- 
hend every point in the hive I have endeavored to de- 
scribe, and prefer to send for one complete as a pattern 
to work from, which for some is the surest way. This 
hive is not patented, and any one has the right to make 
and use. It combines all the improvements and con- 
veniences that we have been able to obtain up to the 
present time. The matter of extract-honey is deferred 
until another month. 
A Gallery of Portraits. 
On the first page will be found a collection of 
portraits of bulls of some of the principal 
breeds of cattle famed for beef, the dairy, or for 
the yoke. In the center, the artist has very 
properly placed the noble Shorthorn, in which 
we have a representative of agricultural aris- 
tocracy. The high consideration in which this 
breed is held, both in America and England, 
and the correspondingly enormous prices which 
have been paid by breeders for first-rate speci- 
mens, have elevated them far above the reach of 
ordinary farmers. But yet one can not traverse 
any district of the country without finding the 
impress of this breed upon our native stock; 
and it is quite safe to say that the additional 
value thereby gained already fairly warrants 
those who can afford it in paying the extremely 
high prices which they readily command in the 
market. On the left is seen the equally favored 
Jersey. 'While the former represents the choic- 
est of the beef stock, this breed furnishes the 
choicest dairy products. The magnificent form 
of the first is fairly placed in contrast with the 
delicate figure of the second. Peculiarly gentle, 
placid, prolific, and profitable, it has become a 
necessity in every well-appointed dairy, while 
its beauty renders it a desirable object where 
ornament is considered before cost. On the 
right is a representative of a race which, once 
occupying the position at present held by the 
Shorthorn, has almost disappeared from view. 
" Two stars keep not their motion in one sphere," 
and the Longhorns have been superseded by 
their rivals the now fashionable Shorthorns. 
Their place as to utility is filled in a measure by 
the llolstein and the Hereford, the one probably 
the heaviest milker as a race, and the other the 
best feeder and grazier for common purposes of 
all the breeds now in existence. On either side 
of the Holstein, which, by the way, is the only 
representative of Continental European races 
that we possess in this country to any extent, 
are the two chief Scotch breeds, the Polled on 
the tight and the Scotch or Highland on the 
left. Although but little known as yet on our 
pastures, their active habits, hardy constitutions, 
and their adaptation to rough or exposed dis- 
tricts seem to make them desirable in many 
parts of the country where the heavier cattle 
would deteriorate. The old-fashioned but trust- 
worthy Devon at the lower left-hand remains, as 
it probably ever will, the best working ox of 
all the breeds. While these cattle arc not gen- 
erally profitable in the dairy, yet their appear- 
ance, characterized by a solid dark red color, 
very compact round form, with their hardiness, 
activity, and excellent beef-producing capacity, 
will always make them not only favorites with 
many, bHt a positive necessity in districts simi- 
lar to New England or the Alleghany ranges. 
Last and least of all, the litHe Kerry, aptly 
placed just beneath his stately cousin, is the 
most diminutive of all cattle, and on that ac- 
count, perhaps, is sought after as a pet as much 
as for the rich milk which it gives in a propor- 
tionately very large quantity. Of late the 
Kerrys have become much more popular than 
formerly for family cows, on account of their 
low cost of keeping and the ease with which 
they can be handled. 
Os-den Farm, Papers.— Wo. 40. 
I have often been asked to give the total pro- 
duet of my herd, per head. My readers natu- 
rally want to know the facts and figures on 
which I base my recommendation of the Jersey 
cow as the most profitable for a common farmer 
to keep. I have not answered these inquiries 
simply because I could not. I am often away 
from home, my house is four miles away from 
the farm, and my time is much engrossed with 
other affairs. 
We are buying and selling pretty constantly, 
and we keep a good many cows which have 
passed the period of their usefulness for the 
dairy simply for the sake of their calves. The 
most that is possible is to single out particular 
animals and state their performance. As a per- 
fectly fair specimen of the smaller type of the 
herd, I will instance the case of "Flora Hin- 
man," a thorough-bred, which weighs now — 
after dropping her second calf, and when she is 
three j-ears and four months old — (503 lbs. Her 
first calf was dropped November 10th, 1871, 
when she was twenty -three months old. The 
milk did not go into the dairy until Dec. 3d. 
From that time, we carefully weighed all her 
milk until April 13th, 1873, when she was dried 
off preparatory to her second calving (April 23d). 
I divide her record into .18 periods of four 
weeks each. It stands as follows : 1st, 500i 
lbs. ; 2d, 419 lbs. ; 3d, 346i lbs. ; 4th, 3GH lbs. ; 
5th, 389+ lbs.; Glh, 331 lbs.; 7th, 309 lbs. ; 8th, 
330^ lbs. ; 9th, 344 "< lbs. ; 10th, 306 lbs. ; 11th, 
-265* lbs. ; 12th, 23 V lbs. ; 13th, 184* lbs. ; 14th, 
209* lbs. ; 15th, 1,0 lbs.; 16th, 181 lbs. ; 17th, 
216i lbs; 18th, 89 lbs. Total in 73 weeks, 
5,177J lbs. This is over Si times her own 
weight at the end of the period — and probably 
over 10 times her weight at its commencement. 
Taking 2 16 /i»o lhs. milk as equal to a quart, she 
gave 2,408 quarts. I am confident that for the 
average of her milking period, two winters and 
one summer, 15 lbs. of her milk would make a 
pound of butter, and that she actually produced 
between her two calvings, 345 lbs. of butter. 
To apply a more severe test, we will take her 
yield during the year before her second calving, 
beginning April 22d, 1S72. Her yield was 
3,160 His. of milt, or (by the above computa- 
tion) 2103- lbs. of butter. She bad no extra care, 
and was never in high condition. No well-kept 
native dairy cow of average size could possibly 
have been kept on the same fodder; while to 
yield as much butter in proportion to her 
weight she must produce over 300 lbs. in her 
last year, commencing more than five months 
after dropping her calf, and her first calf at 
