WAX. 
121 
glass, when they are sealed over. In spring these 
long cells are all cut down (except at the top and 
upper corners) to the proper length for breeding, and 
used for this purpose. This has been done for five 
years in succession. 
I will grant that there is a little waste room in such 
spaces, for part of the year. It amounts to but little, 
as it is only outside. They are necessitated to make 
such combs, because the inside combs, if built in a 
breeding apartment, however crooked one may be, the 
next one will generally match it, the right distance 
from it. But when they are built expressly for stor- 
ing honey, in such as are made in boxes, the right 
distance is not so well preserved ; hence it is not 
recommended to compel bees to use such storing 
apartment for breeding. But suppose we should com- 
pel a swarm to labor under these disadvantages, I 
should not apprehend such disastrous results, (pro- 
viding they have a proper proportion of worker cells,) 
as no swarms, or even no surplus honey, as has been 
represented. Imagine a hive filled with combs that 
are all too thick, and room wasted when cut down, to 
the amount of one-fourth of all that is in the hive. 
Now here are combs enough left to mature three- 
fourths as many bees as in an ordinary hive, where 
all are right. We can now suppose a good swarm 
will bring home the same amount of honey as though 
it. belonged to other hives ; only three-fourths as 
much can be fed to the brood, and stored in the hive; 
and the result ought to be, that we get a quarter more 
surplus honey in boxes. Even if we get no swarm, I 
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