Worst Seasons Ever Kown for Bees.

The state of my health of late years having compelled me to live much in the open air, I have devoted a large portion of my time to a tmnute investigation of their habits, as well as to a series of careful experiments in the construction and management of hives.

Very early in my Apiarian studies I constructed a hive on the plan of the celebrated Huber; and by verifying some of his most valuable discoveries became convinced that the prejudices existing against him were entirely unfounded. Believing that his discoveries laid the foundation for a more profitable system of bee-keeping, I began to experiment with hives of various construction.

Though the result of these investigations fell far short of my expectations, some of these hives now contain vigorous stocks fourteen years old, which without feeding have endured all the vicissitudes of some of the worst seasons ever known for bees.

While I felt confident that my hive possessed valuable peculiarities, I still found myself unable to remedy many, ol the perplexing casualties to which bee-keeping is liable; and became convinced that no hive could do this, unless it gave the complete control of the combs, so that any or all of them might be removed at pleasure.

The use of the Huber hive had satisfied me, that with proper precautions the combs might be removed without enraging the bees, and that these bisects were capable of being tamed to a surprising degree. Without a knowledge of these facts, I should have regarded a hive permitting the removal of the combs, as quite too dangerous for practical use. At first, I used movable slats or bars placed on rabbets in the front and back of the hive.

The bees began their combs upon these bars, and then fastened them to the sides of the hive. By severing these attachments, the combs could be removed adhering to the bars. There was nothing new in the use of such bars—the invention being probably a hundred years old—and the chief peculiarity in my hive was the facility with which they could be removed without enraging the bees, and their combination with my improved mode of obtaining the surplus honey.