28 
BEE-CULTURE. 
rid them of moisture, as it would rise from the bees into this 
cover and settle on the sides of it and run out under its edges, 
instead of running down again amongst the bees. Or, if 
there were a tube or openings from the top of the hives up 
into the open air, it would be of some advantage. All should 
be well sheltered. Bore a hole with an inch auger in the 
centre of the front of the hive, to which apply a tube. This 
tube should be long enough to extend through the chaff and 
will answer as an entrance for the bees and for ventilation. 
The tube could be made of narrow strips of board, nailed to- 
gether and secured carefully to the sides of the hive so as 
to be always opposite the hole in the hive. This could be 
done by nailing strips of leather to the tube and to the side 
of the hive, or by a small cross strip fastened to the side of 
the end of the tube. Drive screws through this strip into 
the hive. Be careful to keep this tube always open. In the 
spring lay them aside for future use. 
FEEDING BEES. 
Should bees be fed ? If so, when ? How much ? With 
what ? What objects are accomplished by it ? 
I think that it is really good economy to spend some money 
for feed, sometimes. “What!” I have heard it said in praise 
of their thrift, that “Bees work for nothing and board them- 
selves.” I am often told by bee-keepers, “If my bees do 
not make honey enough for themselves, they may die.” 
Again: “I have known persons to spend a great deal in feed- 
ing bees, and yet they died.” Others say, “Feeding often 
induces robbery and does more harm than good.” When it 
was customary for bee-keepers, in the fall, to kill their rich- 
est colonies for their large stores of honey, and their weak 
ones to save tho little they had gathered, and to prevent them 
from starving, there were fewer bees to die, and there was 
less feeding to do; but now we wish to save all the bees we 
can, and there is no remedy for poor stocks but to feed them. 
What shall we feed ? Honey is the most natural food for 
bees, but it cannot always be had, and is rather expensive. 
Cuba, or West India honey is manufactured by bees and im- 
ported mainly from the West Indies, and is a good substitute 
for the domestic honey. Nearly twenty thousand pounds of 
this honey was purchased within twenty five miles of this 
