132 
HITES. 
as before, and so continue as long as the honey season lasts. As 
it is not necessary to open the hive to examine or remove boxes, 
these improvements enable the beginner and the timid, to man- 
age bees with great satisfaction and success, obtaining good early 
swarms and much surplus honey. 
MAKING HIVES. 
The cheap style of the American Hive, made (as most mova- 
ble-comb hives) without the large observation glass, is probably 
the cheapest movable-comb hive in use. Only about twenty-five 
feet of lumber are used in its construction, and being nearly the 
shape of the common box hive, boards the usual width are used, 
requiring no matching, which enables a good mechanic to malce 
two or three of this style by hand per day. The boards may 
be planed and the hives painted and clouded, or left rough and 
coated with cement paint. 
The following receipt is taken from the Bienen-Zeitung : “ Two 
tarts of fine sand well sifted, one part of best hydraulic cement, 
one of buttermilk and one of curd, from which the whey has 
been well expressed. Mix thoroughly and stir repeatedly to pre- 
vent hardening. Apply immediately with a common paint blush 
and add a second coat in half an hour. In two or three days, if 
dry, give the hives a thin coat of oil, to which any desirable 
shade of color may be given. 
THE BEST HIVES. 
The form and general appearance of the hive are such that it 
is easily rendered very ornamental, by inserting the 9 by 12 
