January 21, 1886. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
55 
cells irrespective of other worker cells for honey, water, and 
pollen, at the very least one-third of that number more. 
Any amount of drone comb over that in a full-sized hive 
(provided it is outside the breeding worker combs) will 
not affect the hive injuriously; but all drone comb, parti¬ 
cularly if in the centre of the hive of less dimensions than 
the above, renders such hive or hives unprofitable. A little 
thought and calculation should convince anyone that hives 
containing fewer frames than eighteen of the standard size 
are too small for practical and profitable work. Bear in 
mind that a prolific queen can lay 3000 eggs and even more 
daily, and hives of less capacity than stated above are too 
small and should be enlarged. By using proper-sized hives 
it lessens considerably labour in the apiary and adds mate¬ 
rially to the profit. One of the great advantages claimed 
for reversible frames is that by reversing them more breeding 
space, is acquired; proving the system defective, because in 
full-sized hives no such manipulation is necessary, thereby 
saving the bees labour in changing the position of the honey 
and inclination of the cells, as well as the wear and tear of 
their bodies in doing so, losing valuable time and lessening 
the harvest of honey. 
Provision should always be made the previous summer 
to have all hives filled with worker comb to the proper quan¬ 
tity necessary for the profitable working of the ap'ary the 
following summer. Young queens as a rule perform that 
work satisfactorily, while old ones do the reverse. Hives 
with moveable combs admit the regulating the different 
combs in proper proportions. The straw hive precludes this, 
but we attain our purpose with them by placing a young 
queen at the head of a powerful swarm. If I find in the 
autumnal inspection an excess of drone comb it is pruned 
out and the bees fed to fill the space. With frame hives 
having a superabundance of drone combs in the spring it is 
better to sacrifice one or more hives if healthy, taking their 
worker comb and putting it in the place of the drone comb 
removed. The bees of these robbed hives will be profitably 
used in raising queens, and the queen put to a hive after 
swarming will make up for any loss sustained by the manipu¬ 
lation., which many bee-keepers might think unnecessary, 
believing that sheets of comb foundation would serve the 
purpose without sacrificing any hives. But foundation is 
not to be always depended upon. Frequently it is trans¬ 
formed into drone comb, and in the centre of the hive too. 
I am in receipt of a letter from a gentleman, a reader of this 
Journal, who says he tried brood-spreading last year, and 
two sheets of foundation he put in the centre of the hive 
were transformed into drone comb, which rendered the hive 
useless for the season. The above is not an isolated ca 3 e. 
Had that hive been of sufficient size, and the drone comb 
been on the outside of the others, the result would have been 
very different. But again, drones raised in the centre of a 
fairly strong stock may be reckoned on as more vigorous, and 
are better adapted for successful fertilisation and producing 
bees strong in constitution. One or more hives should be 
kept for that purpose, and if early, as it or they should 
be, the drone comb after the first hatching might be removed 
to outside and worker comb substituted. 
Although I have proved long since that drones issuing 
from the eggs of a fertile worker or unfertilised queen are 
perfect and capable of fertilising queens, still I am convinced 
that highly bred drones produce the best results in the pro¬ 
geny of the queens fertilised by them. Just as attention is 
paid the rearing of well-matured drones and the suppres¬ 
sion of all others, will the vigour of the future workers be 
kept up, as well as that of the queen in her duties. With 
a prolific and vigorous queen there is a less desire in the 
workers to build an excess of drone comb. The desire to do 
so arises only when the queen is weak or incapable of ful¬ 
filling her maternal duties. Some people affirm that drone 
comb is built specially as store combs. I cannot accept that 
opinion, because where young fertile queens are, in the height 
of the greatest glut, few if any drone combs are built. It is 
only when queens are aged or some way defective that this 
occurs. Not only are honeycombs prettier when of worker 
comb, but the honey in them is often less watery than that 
in drone comb. But in view of the biggest profit with the 
least amount of labour and disappointment the bee-keeper 
must study to keep hives of proper dimensions with drone 
comb in its proper place and of the right quantity.—A 
Lanarkshire Bee-keeper. 
EDUCATION IN BEE-KEEPING. 
In an interesting article this subject was, a few weeks ago 
discussed at some length by “ A Surreyshire Bee-keeper.’’ 
Several, however, of the views expressed are in such direct 
antagonism to those held by many api irians that it is impossible 
for me to desist—since no other writer has taken up the question 
—from considering at length some of the opinions expressed and 
statements made in the article to which 1 have referred It is 
indeed in no spirit of carping criticism that I write, but rather 
with the honest endeavour to bring out the views of probably a 
large section of bee-keepers, and by contrasting them with the 
views of “ A Surreyshire Bee-keeper ” and others of his way of 
thinking make bee-keepers, by reading both sides of the question 
and duly considering all the points which need attention, to form 
good and sound opinions upon the matters under discussion. “A 
Surreyshire Bee-keeper '’ regrets that bee-keeping is not one of 
the subjects taught in elementary schools; but is it not very 
questionable if any benefit would accrue to apiculture even if the 
Government would allow the subject to be included, which at 
present it declines to do? If bee-keeping-the production and 
sale of honey and wax—was to be a means of ac'ual bread-getting, 
if from it the average man could gain an income sufficient to 
maintain himself and his family with certainty year by year, the 
advisability of apiculture being taught in schools would be at 
once apparent. I am not, however, sanguine enough as to the 
profits of bee-keeping, at any rate in the future, to encourage any 
such feeling, but rather desire to teach dwellers in the country 
districts to consider bee-keeping as an interesting amusement, a 
pleasant relaxation from daily routine toil, attended with moral, 
pecuniary, and physical profit than an industry upon which man 
may safely depend for affording an income sufficient to meet his 
various wants and requirements. Again, by the introduction of 
the subject into schools, would it not by the majority of children 
be called “ lessons,” and therefore to be avoided whenever pos¬ 
sible ? A large per-centage of the minority taking an interest 
in the art would gam a theoretical knowledge which might be of 
some practical value, but would most certainly have been learned 
with more pleasure and greater ease when school days were over 
and the mind enlarged by ordinary teaching is capable of grasping 
with greater particularity and ease the fundamental truths which 
must necessarily be learned by all who desire to make bee-keeping 
a pleasurable study or profitable undertaking. Bee-keepers are 
born, not made ; the seed is there and only requires favourable 
conditions to cause it to germinate and in due time bear fruit. 
Associations, articles in papers, and neighbouring apiaries afford 
these necessary conditions, and produce far more satisfactory 
results than all the school teaching of years could, in my opinion, 
hope to effect. 
I would now notice in passing the value of the various shows 
held in many parts of the country, which if conducted properly 
may indeed be valuable aids to the spreading of knowledge, but 
not if the result of, say, driving a stock in the presence of a 
wondering multitude who expect to see the operation performed 
alike easily and well, is the loss of many bees, owing to some 
unfavourable influence of the weather or a careless operator who, 
also by way of encouraging novices, receives a good many stings 
in the face, which even as he twitches from their effects he denies 
having received. Why should not a veil be worn ? thus showing 
the absolute impunity with which the operation may be performed 
by even an unskilled manipulator. If the man driving could be 
sure of not receiving a sting he can dispense with the veil, but if 
there is any doubt far better to wear one than discourage those 
anxious to learn by being attacked and unable to defend himself 
against an angry swarm of bees. The least want of care at a 
show gives rise to feelings of distrust and undoes all the good 
done by previous efforts Next the following sentence occurs, 
“No one who thoroughly understands practical bee-keeping can 
fail to pass for the third-class certificate. All that is required of 
the candidate is to show his knowledge of manipulation and as 
much theory,” &c. What is practical bee-keeping ? Surely, not 
only showing ability to manipulate, but rather by putting theory 
and knowledge into practice, gaining profit. Here is the difficulty, 
for there are many bee-keepers who cannot manipulate a bar hive 
