82 
BEES AND BEE-KEEPING. 
In 1878, Mr. Abbott introduced his ‘‘ combination 
hive, in which the frames were placed, after the usual 
manner of Continental bee-keepers, parallel with the 
front of the hive, instead of at right angles to it. 
Although at this time almost* a novelty in England, 
this plan had been already justified by long experience. 
Many arguments were, however, adduced against it, 
to which Mr. Abbott replied as follows in the British 
Bee Journal^ October, 1878: “We would plead that 
transverse frames are almost wholly used in many 
countries — Italy and Denmark, for instance — while the 
principle of causing bees to build transversely, where 
frames are not used, is ‘ as old as the hills,’ and 
prevails throughout Egypt and Japan to the present 
day, and is, as a rule, a highly successful aid to obtain- 
ing large quantities of honey with the minimum of 
cost and labour.” The bees are caused “ to take 
possession of earthen tubes, similar to drain-pipes, 
of about 4ft. in length. One piece of comb having 
been fixed transversely, as a guide, a few inches from 
the entrance, parallel to this the bees build all their 
other combs, those for brood being at the front, and 
those for honey towards the rear end of the tube ; 
and when harvest time comes, or the bees show 
signs of overcrowding, that end is opened by the 
removal of its plug, smoke is blown into it, and the 
bees thus driven towards the front, while the operator 
removes such combs as contain virgin honey.” The 
plan of transverse combs is now largely adopted by 
British bee-keepers. 
# See British Bee Journal, Januar>% 1874, page 143, and March, 1874, 
page 1 70. 
