THE farmer’s manual. 
I6i 
flat lop, (on account of the moisture as before notic- 
ed,) I made six holes in the top board, and closed 
them with plates of tin, perforated with small holes. 
The whole 1 covered with a convex straw cover, 
constructed in the .same manner as the hive. This 
guarded the swarm from moisture, without and with- 
in. Whenever I require some honey-comb, at any 
season of the year, 1 open the top, by removing 
the cover, and take out one of the side boards, 
(as above,) cut off the comb, and replace the board 
again, as before, or clap in another of the same di- 
mensions, if the Bees prove troublesome. This 
operation is quick done, without disturbing the mid- 
dle combs, and often without the loss of one single 
Bee. In the month of August, 1810, 1 obtained from 
one of my hives 18lbs. of oeautiful honey-comb ; by 
the l*0lh of September, the void was filled again, and 
I took out lOlbs. more, leaving a sufficiency to sup- 
ply the swarm through the winter. This hive will 
never require any enlargement to give the Bees 
more room; this may always be done by extracting 
the comb as above. It opens the whole interior ot 
the hive for your inspection, whenever you wish to 
search the hive for moths, mice, or other destructive 
evils to your Bees.” 
Mr. Huish goes on to observe, that from his expe- 
rience in the management of Bees for more than 
twenty years, from his very extensive correspond- 
ence and personal acquaintance with most of the 
learned Apiarians in Europe, he concludes that no 
form of hive can be constructed, which will ensure 
great harvests of wax, honey and swarms. These 
are chimerae which it is in vain to pursue, because the 
whole depends upon the sea.sori, the face of the coun- 
try, and the general supply of honey ; all which, have 
a peculiar influence on the fecundity of the queen 
Bee. To these causes it must be ascribed, why the 
mode of treatment ivhich answers well this year, will 
not answer well the next, or js so variable under the 
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