Wisconsin State Agricultural Society. 
All I want to say about hives is that we want a plain, simple hive r 
that any ingenious man can make, or, in other words, a Langstroth 
hive. The grand secret of the whole thing is, that with the movable 
comb and a little smoke, we have .peaceable, complete, and unlim¬ 
ited control of bees, so that by centrifugal force we obtain the hon¬ 
ey, clear, pure, unadulterated nectar, and return the comb to the 
hive to be refilled, at a saving of three hundred per cent. 
Bee-keeping, though pursued by some as a special business, and by 
others as a pleasant pastime, is essential!}' one of the economies of 
the farm. In the old world, a farm would hardly be thought to 
be completely stocked without a few hives. In this country, bee¬ 
keeping is the exception rather than the rule. A few years ago, 
the mania was for wheat-growing, because wheat was the great cash 
article in the produce market. 
When merino sheep were bringing fancy prices, everybody was 
crazy to go into raising sheep. Not long since the rural passion 
was for hops and tobacco; now, perhaps, the inclination sets towards 
stock-raising and dairying, but we contend that the wiser plan is to 
try all expedients to increase our gains, and avoid as much as possi¬ 
ble putting all into a single venture. Bee-keeping well deserves a 
place among the lesser industries. As it is wise to keep poultry to 
pick up the waste grain and stray seeds; so it is more wise to keep 
bees to gather the nectar of clover, orchard-blossoms and wild-flow¬ 
ers that would otherwise go to waste. Bee-keeping used to be a 
very crude affair. It was carried on with gums or straw-hives, in¬ 
side of which everything was firmly fixed and all a realm of mys¬ 
tery. The bees were left to themselves until the close of the season, 
when they were brutally smothered with brimstone fumes, and the 
colony being thus exterminated, its stores were appropriated to the 
use and luxury of the owner. Now, we have the movable frame 
hive, which gives the bee-keeper access to the interior of the colony, 
perfect control over it, and liberty to take the surplus honey with¬ 
out injuring the bees. With this form of hive the loss of swarms 
by their going to the woods can be prevented. Queens can be giv¬ 
en to swarms that become queenless, and weak swarms can be 
strengthened by giving them combs, bees, and honey. 
The invention of the honey extractor, or melipulte, is another 
great step in advance, as by its use the yield of honey can be 
trebled in a single season. Bees often refuse to labor and will not 
