23S 



GLEx\.WmGS 1^ J3EE CULTURE. 



Apk. 



is let into the rlni, exactly like the rim that 

 goes around an ordinary cover. This is 

 hinged t3 the body of the machhie. Anoth- 

 er lid is also hinged to the one containing 

 the glass. This latter is simply a Simplicity 

 hive-cover, with a sheet of bright tin pushed 

 into the inside. At the left of the engrav- 

 ing a tin tray is shown. This tin tray has a 

 lube at the corner to carry off the melted 

 wax. A pipe may be connected with it to 

 run the melted wax into the inside of a 

 building, if you wish. Inside of this tin 

 tray is a shallower one, made of perforated 

 zinc. This is to contain the bits of comb. 

 A handle is attached to each end, for con- 

 venience in lifting it out, and it is prevented 

 from going clear down inside of the tin tray 

 by bits of tin. Now, then, how low can 

 these machines be furnished V We can fur- 

 nish them, all complete for shipment, for 

 S3. 00 ; or with the above directions you can 

 probably make one. 



SUB-EARTH VENTILATION. 



A DISCOUKSE IN REGARD TO VENTILATING LARGE 

 BEE-CELLAKS. 



F I were planning a perfect collar for wintering- 

 bees, I tliinli I would have it perfectly airtight, 

 except one place for the entrance of fresh air, 

 and anotlier for the exit of foul air, meaning-, 

 by "foul air," that which is not quite so pure 

 as the open air. The air that entered should come 

 through an undergrotuid passage, so deep and so 

 long that the temperature would bejustright for the 

 bees, making allowance, if necessary, for the air be- 

 ing somewhat cooled by the cellar walls and ceiling. 

 It should be capable of being kept perfectly dark. 

 Now let us see what the difficulties are iu the way 

 of securing this ideal cellar, and how, if possible, 

 we may overcome them. Suppose in our imaginary 

 cellar we make a small hole in one wall. Will air 

 pass in or out through this hole ? If there be a 

 large pipe to bring in air, and a small shaft to carrj' 

 it out, then air will pass out of the hole in the wall. 

 If, on the other hand, the entrance-pipe be small, 

 and the exit-shaft large, then the air will pass in at 

 the hole in the wall. If there be a number of such 

 holes, in the latter case air will pass in them all. 

 Precisely this condition exists in my house cellar. 

 There are three six-inch stovd^ipes for the exit of 

 air, and one four inch tube for entrance, being a 

 provision for the exit of at least seven times as 

 much air as can enter the entrance-tube. The re- 

 sult is, that instead of all the air coming in through 

 the underground tube at 40° above zero, a large 

 part, and probably much the larger part, comes in 

 thi-ough the various cracks about the cellar, at a 

 temperature varying "with the -weather, ranging 

 from 43° above to sometimes nearly 40° below. 

 As a result, I keep two coal fires constantly running 

 to warm up this cold air. To make matters better, 

 I must just reverse the present state of affairs, and 

 have enough air come in through the sub-earth tube 

 to balance all that can pass out through the exit- 

 pipes and the cracks in the wall as well. I might 

 close one or two of the exit-pipes, but I want to be 

 sure of enough ventilation for the 316 colonies. A 

 friend at my elbow suggests that I might stop the 

 cracks in the wall; but to make an air-tight cellar 

 is e.xcccding'ly difficult, if not impossible, 



Thus far, I know my ground tolerably well; but 

 now I begin to grope, and my only excuse for going 

 on is, that I am anxious to find out from others just 

 what I ought to do, and perhaps I can best do so by 

 stating some points which I think I know, and mak- 

 ing guesses at what I don't know. 



As data, I give the following from a card of the 

 Joliet Mound Co., of Joliet, 111. The first column 

 gives size of tile in inches, inside diameter; the sec- 

 ond, the number of gallons of water it will carry per 

 minute, at a grade of '.] ft. fall per 100 ft.; and the 

 third, tlie price at the factory per 100 ft. 

 4 163 $1.£0 



6 4.50 2.50 



8 923 4.00 



IJ 1613 6.00 



This table showed me how far 1 might get wi-ong 

 by mere theory, for I had figured that the carr3'ing 

 capacity would be as the squares of the diameters, 

 making the 8-inch lile carry four times as much as 

 the 4-inch, but it will be seen that it is nearly six 

 times. This makes me a little chary about theoriz- 

 ing about any part of it, and I should very much 

 like to a^k some one who knows, just what I need to 

 do, to ventilate and warm by a sub-earth pij)e, this 

 3lXo3foot cellar. In thinking- the matter over, it 

 occurred to me that by using larger tile, and partly 

 stojjping the entrance, a much shorter tube would 

 admit air at a given tempei-ature, than by using the 

 smaller tile. To find out iiow much difference stop- 

 ping would make, I went down cellar and closed 

 the entrance of my four-inch tube about one-half, 

 first having taken the temperature with it fully 

 open. After leaving the thermometer in it for half 

 an hour, I found, verj- much to my surprise, that the 

 rise was so little that I could not detect it with a 

 conunon thermometer. I then replaced the ther- 

 mometer in the tube, and plugged the tube up 

 tight, and left it four or five hours. On taking it 

 out, it was not so much as one degree higher than 

 when the tube was wide open. So I learned little 

 about the effect of partly closing- tubes; but 1 did 

 learn that, practically, 100 feet was as long as there 

 Avas any use in having my four-inch pipe; also, 

 that, at the depth it is laid ( the man who dug 

 it has just told me it was fully 4 feet deep), I can 

 not expect to bring in air warmer than 44' at the 

 beginning of winter, and 36° towai-d its close, always 

 allowing for inaccuracy of thermometers. (Bro. 

 Root, why don't you sell tested thermometers, even 

 if they do cost more ? ) Here is one difficulty : The 

 sub-earth air is colder in the latter part of winter, 

 than at the first, and it ought to be just the other 

 way, ought it not ? I don't see how we can get over 

 this difficulty. I suppose at this distance from the 

 factory, tile will cost much more. My four-inch tile 

 cost more than double; and in making any esti- 

 mate we might figure on double prices. The cost of 

 laying the tile vai-ies, of course, with the ground to 

 be dug. I think it cost me about fiO cents per rod, 

 or 3 cents per foot. It is clear, that the tile should 

 be laid deeper than 4 feet. I wonder how deep it 

 should be laid to bring in air at 4.5° in the latter 

 part of winter. I'm afraid it would have to be 6 or 

 6 feet deep, making the work cost perhaps .5 cents 

 per foot. Doubling the price of tile as found In the 

 list, this would make a four-inch tube cost per foot, 

 for tile and work, 8 cents; an eight-inch tube 13 cts., 

 and a ten-inch tube 17 cts. As an eight-inch tube 

 carries six times as much as a fotir-inch tube, sup^ 

 pose we close the entrance of the eight-inch tube to 

 about one-third its full size. That will allow twice 



