90 BEE^. 



their sweets from the piled or storified Loxes. This is not 

 the only advantage my boxes possess ; the receptacles or 

 frame-work, for the ventilators, must he four inches square, 

 with a perforated flat tin, of nearly the same size ; and in 

 the middle of that tin must be a round hole, to correspond 

 with the hole throug-h the top of the box, in the centre of 

 the frame-work just mentioned, an inch in diameter, to 

 admit a perforated cylinder tin ventilator, nine inches 

 long. This flat tin must have a smooth piece of wood, well 

 made to fit it closely, and to cover the frame-work just men- 

 tioned, so as to carry the wet ofi"; then ])lacing this cover 

 over the square perforated tin, your box will be secure from 

 the action of wind and rain. The peribrated cylinder serves 

 both for a ventilator, and also for a secure and convenient 

 receptacle for a thermometer, at any time when it is neces- 

 sary to ascertain the temperature of the box into which the 

 cylinder is inverted. "Within this frame-work, and so that 

 tiie perforated flat tin described may completely cover them, 

 at each corner make a hole with a three-eighths centre-bit 

 tln-ough the top of the box. These four small holes mate- 

 rially assist the ventila,tion, and are, in fact, an essential part 

 of it. 



"We next come to the long floor, on which the three 

 square bee-boxes which constitute a set stand collaterally. 

 This floor is the strong top of a long, shallow box, made for 

 the express purpose of supporting* the three bee- boxes, and 

 must, of course, be superficially of such dimensions as those 

 boxes, w^hen placed collaterally, require j or if the bee-boxes 

 ])roject the eighth part of an inch over the ends and back of 

 this floor box, so much the better, because in that case the 

 rain or wet that may at any time fall upon them, will drain 

 off completely. Por ornament, as well as for use, this 

 floor is made to project about two inches in front ; but this 

 projection must be sloped, or made an inclined plane, so as 

 to carry ofi* the wet from the front of the boxes. To the 

 centre of this projecting front, and on a plane with the edge 

 of the part cut away for the entrance of the bees into the 

 pavilion, is attached the alighting board, which consist of a 

 piece of planed board, six inches by three, having the two 

 outward corners rounded ofl" a little. The passage from this 

 alighting board into the pavihon is cut, not out of the edge 



