THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



75 



material planed down to 3}i x 1^ 

 inches, as this is heavy enoug-h for 

 this size of building, and makes it 

 lighter to handle. The rafters are 

 three feet apart, and the roof-boards 

 are planed down to U i"ch thick. 

 The frame for the sides is of three 

 sixteen-ft., and two five-ft. ten inch 

 pieces of 2x4. When nailed up the 

 three long 2 x 4's furnish a plate, a sill 

 and a girt. Now, this girt is placed 

 exactly the right distance from the 

 plate so that the window will just tit 

 in between, and slide, on the shop- 

 window plan. Our windows are of 

 the two-sashed kind, with two 12 x 28 

 inch g-lass in each. Then the opening 

 is covered with wire cloth on tlie out- 

 side to keep the bees from getting in, 

 as we usually work with the window^ 

 open. A window of this description is 

 built in each side, a little in front of 

 the center, which brings them in tlie 

 part of the building where most of the 

 work is done. Tliis makes a light, 

 airy room that is a pleasure to work 

 in, compared to some of the small, 

 dark dungeons I have seen some bee- 

 keepers use. A 2 feet 8 inches by 6 

 feet 6 inches paneled door is placed in 

 the center of the front end. 



Never use a screen-door to an ex- 

 tracting house. If there are any rob- 

 bers hanging around, there is sure to 

 be a herd of them at the screen-door, 

 ready to rush in every time the door 

 is opened. With a sol id- wood door, 

 the robbers all congregate at the 

 screen-windows, and do not bother at 

 the door. 



The frames for the ends are built 

 similar to the ones for the sides, with 

 the addition of gable ends built at one- 

 third pitch. The end rafters of the 

 roof rest on the gable-ends. The 

 matched siding is put on up and down, 

 and projects down one inch below the 

 sill, so that the water will not crawl 

 in under upon the floor. The siding 

 on the gable-ends also projects up 

 enoug'h to cover the outside rafters, so 



as to give a more finished appear- 

 ance. The foundation is made a 

 little scant of 12x16 ft., so that 

 the siding that projects down one 

 inch will slip over it, letting the 

 sill of the building rest on the floor. 

 The outside rafters are also pushed in 

 }2 inch at each end, making the roof 

 one inch short, so that it will come off 

 and go on easilj'. The corner-posts 

 are set in such a way that when the 

 building is set up the flat sides come 

 together, thus making it more con- 

 venient in bolting them together. 



This rambling description will give 

 an idea of the principle upon which 

 the house is constructed, and details 

 can be worked out to suit one's fancy. 



COST OF A HOUSE. 



As to the cost of such a house, I 

 should put it between 40 and 50 dol- 

 lars. Such a house weighs about 

 3,000 pounds, and we draw it at one 

 load on our flat rack; and four men 

 can set it up in one hour. 



LOCATING THE HOUSE. 



In selecting a place for the house, 

 we try to set it at the lowest point in 

 the yard, without getting it too far 

 from the majority of the bees, so that 

 in wheeling in the honey it will be 

 down grade most of the time; and, 

 when we can, it is so placed that a 

 little filling in in front of the door will 

 allow us to run our wheelbarrow in 

 without any up-grade. 



HAVE A SET OF TOOLS AT EACH YARD. 



Each extracting house is furnished 

 with all the necessary implements for 

 handling the crop. There is no mov- 

 ing of extractors, tanks, etc., from one 

 yard to another. This is important, 

 and as these tools cost so little, there 

 is no excuse for doing all this unneces- 

 sary work. If we are ready to ex- 

 tract, we get in our buggy and drive 

 to any yard, and everything is ready, 

 or we can divide up our forces, and 

 extract at two or more yards the same 

 day. 



