THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



221 



center to center, then a 4-lnch strip nailed 

 on the upper end of the studs, and it is 

 ready to raise; then nail the tlooring 

 board well down io the foundation, dupli- 

 cate it f )r the opposite side, and finish 

 laying the floor in the center of building. 

 Then have one good stock board, 15 

 inches wide, 15 feet two inches long, for 

 bottom ot the hives; place on the floor 

 close to the studs,'cut beveling, slots be- 

 tween the studding in bottom board, so 

 that when the side-board is in its place, 

 the bees can pass out. Then take another 

 board of same dimensions and cut a 

 rabbet on side, and upper edge, one 

 inch deep, half the thickness of the 

 board. Then cut thirteen rabbets, 15 

 inches apart from center to center, cross- 

 ways of the board, ^g inch, just as deep 

 as the rabbet on the upper edge of the 

 board. Place this board with one edge 

 on the bottom board, and the undressed 

 side against the studs with the center of 

 rabbets, corresponding with the center of 

 studding, nail it well to the studding, and 

 you have the bottom and one side of 

 12 hives. Then prepare 13 boards 14 

 inches long, 15 inches wide, % of an 

 inch thick, place one end in each rabbet, 

 and toe-nail them, and you have the end 

 boards of 12 hives. Then prepare another 

 board 12 inches wide, a little beveled on 

 the under edge, and rabbeted in same 

 manner as the one nailed to the studding. 

 Nail it to the 13 end boards, and you have 

 12 hives 18x14, 14 inches deep, with a 

 rabbet in the upper end to receive the 

 moveable honey frames. But you have 

 a vacancy of three inches at the bottom 

 of one side of the hive, and I will tell 

 how to fill that. Prepare 13 small strips, 

 beveled a little on each edge to fill out 

 the end board flush with the bottom and 

 side board. Then find the size of the 

 hole, and prepare 12 pieces one inch 

 thick, with a \]^ inch hole in the center, 

 with a piece of wire cloth tacked on the 

 inside, and a plug about two inches long; 

 then fix the other side of the house in the 

 same way, and you have 24 hives. To 

 inclose the house, I invert a piece of sid- 

 ing obliquely between the studding so as 

 to form a piazza in front of each hive, 

 two inches hte:h in rear, and four inches 

 in front, and there commence the siding. 

 I covered the sheeting and studding well 

 with saturated paper before siding and 

 shingling, put a door in one end and a 

 window in the other. Side, roof and 

 paint it well, and you have a neat house 

 with 24 hives, at about $2.50 each, house 

 and all. 



Now I have described my house, and 

 know all men by their presents, that I 

 have no patent, and don't want any. 

 Pitch in, all ye bee men; (and the rest, 

 too,) tell what you think of it. All the 

 bee journals please insert and charge to 

 the first man that wants a house like mine. 



Viola, Linn Co., Iowa, Feb., 1873. 



Lincoln County, Tennessee. 



T. G. Newman : Dear Sir—Tha follow- 

 ing description of Lincoln county will be 

 interesting to many of your readers, es- 

 pecially those wishing to find homes in 

 a warmer climate, where bee keeping will 

 pay. Those wishing further information 

 will address Rev. .J. W. Wait, Prof. J. A. 

 Ramsey, or your humble servant, 



J. F. Montgomery. 



Lincoln, Tenn., Sept. 1st, 1875. 



Lincoln county lies almost wholly with- 

 in the great Central Basin of Middle Ten- 

 nessee, and contains 332,800 acres. The 

 county is cut into two nearly equal parts 

 by the Elk river, which flows from east to 

 west. Between Elk river and the Ala- 

 bama line is a belt of high, level land 

 which is the water-shed between the for- 

 mer water course and the Tennessee. 

 The surface of the country is greatly di- 

 versified, the climate is mild and salu- 

 brious, an ice season seldom occurs, and 

 the summer heat rarely reaches 100 de- 

 grees Fahrenheit. The average elevation 

 being about 500 feet above the level of the 

 sea, the air is comparatively free from 

 miasmatic influences. The average tem- 

 perature for winter is about 42 degrees ; 

 spring 61 degrees; summer 78 degrees; 

 autumn 61 degrees. The aveiage for the 

 year is about 60 degrees, and the greatest 

 range for any one month does not exceed 

 40 degrees. 



The lands, with the exception of a strip 

 lying on the Alabama line, about eight 

 miles wide, are very fertile. Much of 

 this strip, however, is quite productive 

 when there is a red clay subsoil, and is 

 generally well timbered — oak, hickory, 

 chestnut, blackjack, etc., furnishing rails 

 in great quantities for other portions of 

 the county — and the grazing is excellent. 

 This land can be bought at low figures — 

 ranging from $1.50 to $10 per acre — 

 though it is splendidly adapted to fruit 

 growing. The whole State aflbrds no 

 better region of country for grapes, apples, 

 peaches, pears, plums, etc. There are 

 several Northern farmers now located in 

 that part of the county, and have already 

 demonstrated that skill, thrift and indus- 

 try, unawed by unpromising soil, can 

 make the waste places blossom as the 

 rose. 



The remainder of the county is of the 

 most fertile character. Spacious valleys, 

 alternating with hills and ridges, are the 

 leading features, all of which are suscep- 

 tible of cultivation, form the lowest to 

 the highest points. Blue grass grows 

 with great luxuriance, and the sunny 

 slopes furnish ample grazing facilities 

 during the winter for sheep and cows. 



