142 



evening ; but their crop is abundant. A 

 colony that I had transferred, filled all 

 the upper story, which gave 10 combs of 

 honey, in 11 days. I could have taken 

 some from the lower story besides. 

 Three other colonies did about the same. 



" A prince here owns 3,000 colonies in 

 20 apiaries, and for 20 years he has kept 

 this immense number of bees. 



" I have selected some young men to 

 give lessons in bee-culture. They were 

 all only sons, because such are exempted 

 from military service. They w r ere se- 

 lected young, because, if older than 20, 

 it would be very difficult to break off 

 old customs. People here work like 

 machinery. Suppose that they were to 

 come to Milan, and were shown the way 

 around the place of the Duomo before 

 entering the church, they would every 

 time turn around the place to enter 

 through the same door, never noticing 

 that they might reach it more directly. 

 These young men are docile, kind and 

 obedient, and seemed proud when they 

 understood how to do something. 



"• Nevertheless, this country is the 

 ' promised land.' The ground is black, 

 rich, and very fertile. All that nature 

 produces is obtained here ; but the 30° 

 of cold in winter kills all vegetation. 

 There are pear, apple, cherry and plum 

 trees, etc., in great abundance, and very 

 thrifty. But the peasants, although 

 free owners of the soil, which the land- 

 lords were compelled to concede to them, 

 work on the same principles, and with 

 the same implements, that their fore- 

 fathers did. They have wooden plows, 

 with iron points and wooden wheels ; 

 their wagons are primitive, and so on. 

 This country could be the America for 

 our peasants, for most of the land re- 

 mains untitled for lack of hands. 



tl The land here is about like the land 

 around Rome. You can dig 300 feet 

 down without finding a stone as large as 

 a walnut. The lime, of which a great 

 amount is used to whiten the insides of 

 the houses every month, is brought from 

 White Russia.' For the smallest blot 

 they whiten their houses— all the re- 

 mainder is dirty. 



" The peasants till the soil as did the 

 first man, and they reap a great quan- 

 tity of wheat. As soon as the work is 

 done, they close up the crevices of their 

 houses, and for six months tney remain 

 in a dolcefur vienie. They stretch them- 

 selves without undressing on the Moor, 

 near the earthen stove, under buffalo 

 robes, consuming all and more than 

 they have reaped, by drinking brandy 

 which they have bought from the Jews. 



" We journeyed every time, from one 

 apiarv to another, in wagons drawn by 

 four horses ; for there are no roads, and 



the horses run amongst ditches, brush, 

 thickets, to and fro, with the risk of 

 tumbling every instant. Yet such acci- 

 dents are very rare, the horses being well 

 trained and the drivers very skillful. 



" The sun seems to be wanner here 

 than in Italy, yet a little shade is suffi- 

 cient to remind one that he is in Russia. 

 The weather is always very fair. 



" L. Sartori. 



"Tagaucha, Kiew, August, 1879." 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Above-ground Cellar for Wintering. 

 dr. g. c. WOOD. 



A cellar under a dwelling is always 

 more or less damp, and often the sole 

 cause of typhoid fever and diphtheria. 

 An outdoor cellar may be placed 

 wherever most convenient for use. 



If the ground for the foundation is- 

 level, an eight-inch brick wall, one foot 

 high, is sufficient. Upon this wall lay 

 lay in mortar a 2x10 inch plank ; the 

 sleepers 2x0x8 or 10, supported well in 

 the middle, flush with the lower edge, 

 nail firmly a strip 1x2 in. on both sides ; 

 the studding may be any length pre- 

 ferred, but should not be less than 2x0 (2 

 x8 is better) in width ; in the center and 

 on each side nail a 1x2 inch strip. Rut 

 the sleepers in place and erect the studs, 

 the foot should rest upon the founda- 

 tion plank ; spike the stud and sleeper 

 together firmly. For joists, over-head, 

 2x6 or 8 ; on the lower edge, nail a 1x2 

 inch strip each side ; having plumbed 

 and equalized the studding, nail a 1x4 

 inch strip below the top, equal to the 

 width of the joist; upon this strip rest 

 the joists and spike them well to the 

 studding. This constitutes the frame ; 

 now lath each side of the strips on the 

 studs, and plaster the outside course, 

 use the tar or plain paper and side up 

 with ship-lap or siding. Plaster the 

 lathing on the inside of the studs, lath 

 and plaster on the studding as in a 

 house, also overhead. Upon the strips 

 of the sleepers lay a floor of any kind 

 of lumber (old barrel staves will do) and 

 fill in with mortar mixed stiffly, of wood 

 or coal ashes, with the addition of about 

 one-fifth of lime ; lay the floor when the 

 mortar is nearly or quite dry. A rough 

 floor on the strips of the joists over head 

 is next in order and a \ x / 2 inch of simi- 

 lar mortar. 



The cellar may constitute a back 

 room off from the kitchen, or may be 

 placed so near the house that a covered 

 way, 4 or 6 feet, will connect the two, 

 for housing bees during the winter. 

 The cellar should, of course, be of 



