CONTROLLED INCREASE. 
231 
that must flow from wisely-conducted artificial 
methods. Artificial swarming has well-nigh outlived 
opposition : it is now admitted to save time and 
trouble — and, unhappily, as it is conducted in very 
nearly every apiary, it does no more, for the philosophy 
I am now advocating seems to have been all but 
absolutely overlooked ; but we ought to claim, as we 
are undoubtedly able to achieve, immensely more than 
this. Man, in the wild horse and the mouflon, has had 
put into his hands the instruments by which animals, 
incomparably in advance of their prototypes, have 
been produced. Relatively, he has even greater power 
over the future of the bee, that power lying in proper 
attention to variation and selection. Nor must it be 
forgotten that variations, which are at first fitful, 
appearing and disappearing, are made constant and 
permanent by persistent following. A single decade, 
rightly used, with the bee, would do great things, as 
two or three selections per year are quite within the 
range of possibility ; but we must leave the further 
discussion of this important matter until we reach the 
question of queen-raising. 
The methods of swarming artificially are practically 
endless, but it will be only necessary to give such as 
exemplify the principles that must ever be borne in 
mind while making any modifications that the special 
object in view, or the condition of the stocks, may 
seem to demand. Of course, our plans will largely 
depend upon the character of hive with which we 
have to deal ; and so I purpose treating the question 
under three heads — firstly, explaining how to swarm 
hives with fixed combs ; secondly, those with frames not 
