a bench. These part-tilled boxes, if ex- 

 tracted without warming, would all be 

 ruined, and the apiarist's prospect of a 

 large yield of honey the coming season 

 would be ruined also, for these combs 

 are better to him than money in the 

 bank. After the honey is extracted, 

 these boxes are to be put in the center 

 case for each hive, that is, if you use a 

 three-box case, you are to use three of 

 these boxes of comb to each hive ; if a 

 two-box case, two of them; and that 

 case is to be placed as the center case on 

 top of the hive, so as to secure an early 

 commencement of work by the bees in 

 the boxes, and so the full boxes shall not 

 all come off at once, as I have explained 

 elsewhere. Fill the rest of the cases 

 with empty boxes, each having a starter 

 of nice white comb, of a triangular 

 shape (H inches on each of the three 

 sides), attached to the top. To put in 

 this starter, get a flat piece of iron and 

 heat it ; hold the starter close to the top 

 of the box (now turned bottom side up), 

 draw the iron under the starter and im- 

 mediately place it (the starter) in the 

 right position, and it becomes a fixture. 

 How to get this white comb for starters 

 I will try and tell you further on. Sup- 

 posing your cases are filled as directed, 

 you are to pack them snugly away so 

 that they will be ready for use at a mo- 

 ment's notice next June. 



Our next work is to get out our mate- 

 rial for boxes and make them. To arrive 

 at the number we wish, we allow 80 prize 

 boxes to each old colony in the spring, 

 and find the estimation not far out of 

 the way after several years' experience. 

 To get at the number of feet of lumber 

 required to make them, if an ordinarily 

 fine saw is used, allow 40 feet for the 

 0ix2x£, and 60 for the 5xlf xf for each 

 1,000 boxes. As soon as you have them 

 made, furnish them with starters and 

 pack them nicely away. 



Next, we make what hives, cases and 

 frames we think we shall use the next 

 season. Fill the cases as before di- 

 rected, put your comb-guide on the 

 frames, and pack all nicely away. For 

 nails, we use for boxes I or I cigar-box 

 tacks, and for frames H western finish- 

 ing nails, which have quite a large head. 

 For the rest of the hive we use common 

 nails of suitable length, found at any 

 hardware store. The western finishing 

 nails are manufactured at Salem, Ohio, 

 I believe, and are a splendid nail for 

 frame making. They can be obtained 

 in any of our large cities, from a whole- 

 sale hardware merchant. If we have 

 further time, we get out our prize ship- 

 ping crates, or as many as we think we 

 shall need, always remembering while 

 getting out material and making sup- 



plies for the apiary, that if we have a few 

 too many there is no harm done ; but if 

 we lack during a large yield of honey, 

 the inconvenience is great, and often 

 results in loss. For the prize crate, to 

 hold the prize boxes such as I have de- 

 scribed, get out two pieces 17 5-16x8 1-16 

 xi for top and bottom, two pieces 8 l-16x 

 6 5-16xf for ends, which are to have a 

 slot cut in each one with a wabbling 

 saw for handles, as shown in the cut on 

 the front cover of this Journal ; 4 

 pieces 17 5-16xHx3-16 for the side strips. 

 Nail top and bottom to ends, and side 

 strips to ends and top and bottom. We 

 prefer a crate made in this way to hav- 

 ing the top and bottom wide enough to 

 go over the side strips. 



To sum up, in short, the work from 

 November to May, I will say get every- 

 thing ready youwish to use during the 

 busy season, and have it snugly packed 

 away so you can put your hand on it at 

 a moment's notice. See your bees often, 

 and if they are in the cellar, keep the 

 temperature from 40 to 46° if possible, 

 and do not let the dead bees accumulate 

 on the floor to get mashed and moldy 

 there. If the mercury rises to 45 or 50° 

 in the shade, with the sun shining nicely, 

 let your bees that are out-doors have a 

 fly, no matter if the ground is covered 

 with snow. Do not let any starve or 

 suffer for lack of attention on your part. 

 In fact, as I have often said, do things 

 at the right time and in a proper man- 

 ner, leaving nothing undone that will 

 contribute to your success. 



Do not forget to post yourself up in 

 bee literature, and secure subscribers 

 for our Bee Journal, for the publish- 

 ers cannot live and give us the splendid 

 Journal they do, without our aid in 

 securing subscribers. 



Before closing, I wish to say a few 

 words to beginners, and perhaps they 

 may apply to some who have kept bees 

 several years. I )on't pay out more than 

 $40 to $50 to get a start, including bees, 

 hives, periodicals, books, and every- 

 thing. If you do not buy more than 

 from two to four colonies (and you 

 should not buy more), this will coverall 

 necessary expense. Make your own 

 wares, except a sample perhaps to work 

 from, and thus save money and become 

 self-supporting. Do not get crazy over 

 the puffs of wares by those having said 

 wares for sale, and pay out your hard- 

 earned dollars (earned in some other 

 business), more than just to get a start. 

 Make your bees and yourself self-sus- 

 taining, and after the first start do not 

 pay out for anything more than what 

 the bees bring you in, always remem- 

 bering that if you cannot make 4 colo- 

 nies pay, yon cannot 400. If you should 



