. The book of the garden. Gardening. APIARIES. 525 this an excellent hive, as, by removing the lid or top, the state of the whole can be minutely examined, and any portion of honey removed at pleasure, either for use or for making room for the further ope- rations of the bees. The Grecian him so closely resembles the last that further description would be needless. The Polish hive.—This primitive bee habitation is formed out of the trunk of a tree, usually from 12 to 14 inches in diameter, and 9 or 10 feet in length. The inside is hollowed or bored out so as to leave a cylindrical opening of a
. The book of the garden. Gardening. APIARIES. 525 this an excellent hive, as, by removing the lid or top, the state of the whole can be minutely examined, and any portion of honey removed at pleasure, either for use or for making room for the further ope- rations of the bees. The Grecian him so closely resembles the last that further description would be needless. The Polish hive.—This primitive bee habitation is formed out of the trunk of a tree, usually from 12 to 14 inches in diameter, and 9 or 10 feet in length. The inside is hollowed or bored out so as to leave a cylindrical opening of about 6 or 8 inches in diameter; a portion of the side of the tree, say 4 or 6 inches in breadth, is removed to facilitate the hol- lowing out of the space, and is afterwards fitted to answer the purpose of a door. It appears, by the experiments of Huber, and Huish also, that bees will thrive in any space if not too wide, the height or length being, it appears, of no conse- quence. Hence, were a tree of greater diameter used, they would not prosper so well in it. Very rustic and highly pic- turesque hives could be made upon this principle, sufficient space being given to them longitudinally. From the above, and from other experi- ments made, it seems pretty clear that a great error is committed in using too large hives. This is accounted for by the circumstance of our climate being of short duration for the purpose of honey- making ; and also because the time of the bees is wasted in making comb which they have not time to fill with honey; for, like all wise house builders, these sagacious creatures complete their habi- tation before they begin to furnish it with honey.— Vide Bagster's Hive, Improved by J. D. American hive.—This hive we have had no opportunity of seeing. It is, however, described in Milton's " Practical Bee- Keeper," to which interesting work the reader is referred. The hive of Pulteau, fig. 743, is thus described in the " Encyclopaedia of G
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, booksubjectgardening, bookyear18
